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 “Dru”
- drub noun, verb(dialectal, Northern England) Carbonaceous shale; small coal; slate, dross, or rubbish in coal.
- drug noun, verb(pharmacology) A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose.
- drum noun, verb, proper noun(music) A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membr…
- druid noun(historical) One of an order of priests among certain groups of Celts before the adoption of Abrahamic religions.
- drunk adjective, adverb, nounIntoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.
- drupe noun(botany) A kind of fruit, with a fleshy exterior, formed from the exocarp and mesocarp, surrounding a hardened endocarp which protects the …
- druse noun(mineralogy) A rock surface with a crust of tiny crystals.
- Druze noun, adjective(religion) A member of a secretive Ismaili Shiite community based mainly in the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
- drudge noun, verb(also attributively) A person who works in a low servile job.
- drusen nounplural of druse
- drugged adjectiveContaining one or more drugs; laced with drugs.
- drugget nounAn inexpensive coarse woolen cloth, used mainly for clothing.
- drum up verb(idiomatic) To generate or encourage; to campaign for.
- drumlin noun(geography) An elongated hill or ridge of glacial drift.
- drummer noun, proper noun(music) One who plays the drums.
- drunken adjective, verbDrunk, in the state of intoxication after having drunk an alcoholic beverage.
- drubbing nounA severe beating.
- drudgery nounExhausting, menial, and tedious work.
- drudging nounTiresome, thankless work; drudgery.
- drugging nounThe act of giving a dose of drugs (to a person or animal), especially illicitly and improperly.
- druggist nounA manufacturer and vendor of drugs and medicines.
- drugless adjectiveWithout (the use of) drugs.
- druidism nounThe religion, philosophical beliefs, and attendant ritual practices of the druids.
- drum out verb(informal, idiomatic) To remove, especially unfairly, from an organization or position of responsibility.
- drumbeat nounThe beating of a drum.
- drumfire nounHeavy, continuous, rapid gunfire.
- drumfish nounAny fish of the family Sciaenidae; they make a loud noise by means of an air bladder.
- drumhead nounAlternative form of drum head.
- drumming nounThe act of beating a drum.
- drunkard noun(somewhat derogatory) A person who is habitually drunk.
- drupelet noun(botany) One of the small drupe-like subdivisions which compose the outer layer of certain fruit such as blackberries or raspberries.
- Drusilla proper nounA female given name from Latin.
- druthers noun(US, informal, often humorous) Wishes, preferences.
- drug bust noun(informal) A seizure of illegal drugs by law enforcement.
- drug lord nounAlternative spelling of druglord.
- drug user noun(slightly euphemistic) Synonym of drug abuser.
- drug-free adjectiveAlternative form of drugfree.
- drugstore noun(chiefly US, Canada) Synonym of pharmacy, especially a small standalone general store which includes a pharmacy.
- drum roll nounA sound produced by hitting a drum repeatedly and rhythmically over short intervals.
- drum-like adjectiveshaped in a form resembling a drum
- drumstick nounA stick used to play drums.
- drunkenly adverbIn a drunken manner.
- drug abuse nounMisuse of, or overindulgence in, drugs; substance abuse.
- drug baron nounA druglord.
- drum brake nounA form of brake in which friction is applied by pads to the inner surface of a rotating cylinder (the brake drum) connected directly to a w…
- drum major nounOne who conducts and commands a marching band.
- drumbeater nounOne who beats a drum.
- drupaceous adjectiveOf, relating to, resembling, or producing drupes.
- drug addict nounA person with a chemical or psychological dependency on a drug, especially one which is illegal or improperly procured.
- drug cartel noun(criminology) A criminal organization consisting of independent druglords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and…
- drug dealer nounOne who illegally sells recreational drugs.
- drum-shaped adjectiveshaped in a form resembling a drum
- drunkenness nounA state of being drunk.
- drug-addicted adjectiveaddicted to a drug
- drug addiction noun(psychiatry) A dependency on drugs, especially which are illegal or improperly procured.
- drum majorette nounA female drum major.
- drumstick tree nounAn economically useful tree, Moringa oleifera, probably native to India, but grown throughout the tropics.
- drug trafficker nounA person involved in the smuggling, distribution, and sale of illegal drugs.
- drug withdrawal nounSynonym of withdrawal symptom.
- drug trafficking nounThe process of smuggling, distributing and selling illegal drugs.