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 “IRL”
- birl verb, noun(ambitransitive, Scotland) To spin.
- girl noun, verb, proper nounA female child.
- birle verb(Scotland, obsolete) To pour a drink (for).
- skirl verb, noun(Scotland, Northern England) To make a shrill sound, as of bagpipes.
- swirl verb, noun(ambitransitive) To twist or whirl, as an eddy.
- twirl noun, verbA movement where a person spins round elegantly; a pirouette.
- whirl verb, noun(intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
- b-girl noun(US, slang) A bargirl.
- fairly adverb(manner) In a fair manner; fair; not biased or skewed or favouring a certain party
- airless adjectiveLacking or being without air.
- airlift noun, verbThe transportation of troops, civilians or supplies by air, especially in an emergency.
- airlike adjectiveResembling air, gaseous.
- airline nounA company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.
- airlock noun, verbA sealed, airtight chamber, such as in a manned spacecraft or submarine, used to provide access to and from the sealed area without allowin…
- birling verb, nounpresent participle and gerund of birl
- cowgirl noun, verbA woman who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
- daygirl nounA girl who attends a boarding school only during the day.
- girlish adjectiveLike (that of) a girl; feminine.
- sirloin noun(US) A cut of beef from the lower part of the back, where the last ribs are (called rump in UK English).
- twirler nounSomething that twirls.
- whirler nounA person who, or thing that, whirls.
- airliner nounA passenger-carrying aircraft, especially one of a fleet operated by an airline.
- bar girl nounAlternative form of bargirl.
- fairlead noun(nautical) A device to guide a line, rope or cable around an object or out of the way, or to stop it from moving laterally.
- girlhood noun(uncountable) The state or condition of being a girl.
- hairless adjective, nounDestitute of hair.
- hairlike adjectiveResembling hair; having the texture, consistency, or appearance of hair.
- hairline nounThe line along one's forehead where hair starts growing.
- heirloom nounA valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.
- homegirl noun(slang) A female friend.
- showgirl nounA female performer in any of various (usually live) entertainment roles, usually including dancing and singing, often exotically or provoca…
- unfairly adverbIn a manner that is unfair.
- whirling adjective, nounRevolving, rotating, turning rapidly.
- call girl noun(informal) A female prostitute who is hired by telephone.
- chairlift nounA continuously moving series of open seats, slung from overhead cables, used to transport people (especially skiers) up the sides of mounta…
- farm girl nounSynonym of farmer's daughter.
- girlishly adverbIn a girlish manner.
- mill-girl nouna girl who works in a mill
- ring girl noun(boxing, martial arts) An attractive young woman hired to enter the ring between rounds, carrying a sign displaying the number of the next …
- salesgirl nounA young woman employed as a salesclerk.
- whirlaway nounthoroughbred that won the triple crown in 1941
- whirligig noun, verbAnything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.
- whirlpool noun, verbA swirling body of water.
- whirlwind noun, adjectiveA windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an up…
- bunny girl noun(slang) A club hostess or other female entertainer wearing a sexually provocative outfit with rabbit-like ears and tail.
- cover girl noun(informal) An attractive, usually well-known, female model whose image has been featured on one or more magazine covers.
- girl scout noun(US) A member of the Girl Scouts, a worldwide youth organization for girls, known as Girl Guides in Commonwealth countries.
- girlfriend noun, verbA female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.
- party girl nounA woman, especially one who is young, who is known for her enthusiastic and frequent attendance of parties; a female party animal.
- schoolgirl noun, verbA girl attending school.
- twirlingly adverbWith a twirling motion.
- whirlybird noun(slang) A helicopter.
- career girl nounA career woman, especially a young one; a young woman determined to make a career for herself in business.
- chorus girl nounA female chorus line dancer.
- flower girl nounA participant in a wedding procession, whose responsibility is usually to spread flower petals on the floor before the bride, or to carry a…
- Gibson Girl nounA personification of American ideal feminine beauty around the beginning of the 20th century, depicted as voluptuous but ladylike and fashi…
- girl friday nounA right-hand woman.
- girl scouts proper noun(US) A worldwide youth organisation for girls. Known as Girl Guides in Commonwealth Countries.
- girl wonder noun(informal) A female child prodigy; wondergirl.
- girlishness nounThe quality of being girlish.