Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings
Vowels
| iː | see | ɪ | sit | e / ɛ | bed | æ | cat |
| ɑː | father | ɒ | hot (UK) | ɔː | law | ʊ | put |
| uː | too | ʌ | cup | ɜː | bird | ə | about |
| eɪ | day | aɪ | my | ɔɪ | boy | aʊ | now |
| əʊ / oʊ | go (UK / US) | ɪə | near | eə | hair | ʊə | tour |
Consonants that look unusual
| θ | thin | ð | this | ʃ | she | ʒ | measure |
| tʃ | church | dʒ | judge | ŋ | sing | j | yes |
p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.
Marks
- ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
- ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)
Common word endings
- -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
- -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
- -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
- Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
- Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.
English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences
Results for “-free”
- fat-free adjectiveNot containing fat.
- ice-free adjectiveFree of all ice; not covered in ice.
- tax-free adjectiveexempt from taxation
- cell-free adjective(biology) Lacking cells; not involving cells.
- drug-free adjectiveAlternative form of drugfree.
- duty-free adjective, nounExempt from duty, especially from customs duty.
- lead-free adjectiveContaining no lead.
- pain-free adjectiveWithout pain, free of pain.
- post-free adjective(UK) Supplied by post (mail) to a customer without an additional charge for postage.
- rent-free adjective, adverb, interjectionWithout a rent payment.
- risk-free adjectiveFree from or devoid of risk; safe.
- rust-free adjectiveOf an object, lacking rust entirely or not susceptible to significant structural corrosion.
- toll-free adjective, adverb(road transport) Of a road or highway, free to use; not requiring payment of a toll to use.
- fancy-free adjectiveFree of commitments or obligations
- smoke-free adjectiveIn which smoking is not allowed.
- deep-freeze verb(transitive) To freeze at very low temperatures.
- calorie-free adjectivehaving relatively few calories
- flash-freeze verb(transitive) To freeze something, especially food, very rapidly by subjecting it to cryogenic temperatures.
- quick-freeze noun, verbA chamber or device in which the temperature may be rapidly lowered to below to freezing point.
- trouble-free adjectiveWithout trouble.