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 “Ss.”
- A-list noun, adjectiveThe first of a number of lists, especially lists arranged in order of importance or preference.
- abandon verb, noun(transitive) To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.
- abbacy nounThe dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess.
- abbatial adjectiveBelonging to, relating to, or pertaining to an abbey, abbot, or abbess.
- abbey noun, proper nounThe office or dominion of an abbot or abbess.
- ability noun(obsolete) Suitableness.
- abject adjective, noun, verbExisting in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
- able adjective, verb, noun, proper nounHaving the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
- abort noun, verb(military, aeronautics) An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making suc…
- abrasion nounThe act of abrading, wearing, or rubbing off; the wearing away by friction.
- abreaction noun(psychoanalysis) The re-living of an experience with a view to purging its emotional dross.
- abrupt adjective, verb, noun(obsolete, rare) Broken away (from restraint).
- abscessed adjective(medicine) Affected by an abscess.
- absence seizure noun(medicine) A type of seizure indicative of petit mal epilepsy, usually lasting up to thirty seconds and involving vacantness and lack of aw…
- absentmindedness nounAlternative form of absent-mindedness.
- absoluteness noun(obsolete) The fact of being finished or perfected; completeness.
- absolutism noun(theology) Doctrine of preordination; doctrine of absolute decrees; doctrine that God acts in an absolute manner.
- absorb verb(transitive) To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorpo…
- absorptivity nounThe quality of being absorptive; absorptiveness.
- abstemious adjectiveRefraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate.
- abulia noun(psychiatry) Absence of willpower or decisiveness, especially as a symptom of mental illness.
- abundance nounA large quantity; many.
- abused adjectiveHaving been a victim of some form of abuse, most commonly child abuse or domestic violence.
- abysmal adjective(now rare) Pertaining to, or resembling an abyss.
- acaudate adjective(biology, zoology) Tailless.
- accent noun, verb(linguistics) A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to disting…
- accentuate verb(transitive) To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
- acceptability nounThe quality of being acceptable; acceptableness.
- accessibility nounThe quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptiveness.
- accommodation noun(UK, Australia, a mass noun) Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or stude…
- accompaniment noun(music) A part, usually performed by instruments, that gives support or adds to the background in music, or adds for ornamentation; also, t…
- accomplishment nounThe act of accomplishing; completion; fulfilment.
- accounting noun(business) The development and use of a system for recording and analyzing the financial transactions and financial status of an individual…
- accretion noun(uncountable, also figurative) Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of ma…
- achievement nounThe act of achieving or performing; a successful performance; accomplishment.
- acknowledgment nounThe act of acknowledging
- acme noun, proper nounA high point: the highest point of any range, the most developed stage of any process, or the culmination of any field or historical period.
- acolyte noun(Christianity) One who has received the highest of the four minor orders in the Catholic Church, being ordained to carry the wine, water an…
- acquire verb(transitive) To get.
- acquittal noun(now rare) The act of fulfilling the duties (of a given role, obligation etc.).