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 “X O”
- max out verb(informal, intransitive) To reach the limit of one's capabilities.
- sex organ noun(anatomy) An organ responsible for sexual reproduction or sexual stimulation.
- box office noun(countable, film, theater) A place where tickets are sold in a theatre/theater or cinema.
- ex officio adverb, adjectiveBy virtue of the office that originated it, or of the title held.
- sex object nounA person seen primarily or solely as sexually attractive.
- sex offender nounSomebody who has committed a crime of a sexual nature.
- index of refraction nounSynonym of refractive index
- Abenaki noun, proper noun, adjectiveA member of an Algonquian First People from northeastern North America, mainly Maine and Quebec.
- ablution noun(chemistry) Originally, the purifying of oils and other substances by emulsification with hot water; now more generally, a thorough cleansi…
- acute adjective, noun, verbBrief, quick, short.
- addendum nounSomething to be added; especially text added as an appendix or supplement to a document.
- adrenarche nounA stage of maturation of the cortex of the human adrenal glands, related to puberty, typically occurring between the ages of six and ten ye…
- aeolian harp noun(music) An open box over which strings are stretched that sound when the wind passes over them.
- affix noun, verb(linguistic morphology) A bound morpheme added to a word’s stem, such as a prefix or suffix.
- agamous adjectiveHaving no marital partner or pair-bonded mate; being neither monogamous (pair-bonded) nor polygamous.
- Ah prefix, interjection, noun, verb, particleA prefix of Chinese origin used with a shortened form of given names to express familiarity, roughly equivalent to a nickname.
- algebra noun(uncountable, mathematics) Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.
- alloy noun, verbA metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.
- amaretto noun(uncountable, countable) A sweet-bitter liqueur originating from Italy (but also produced in Turkey), flavored with almonds and a secret bl…
- American holly nounA species of holly, Ilex opaca, native to the eastern United States.
- amplification nounThe act, or result of amplifying, enlarging, extending or adding.
- anadromous adjective(of a migratory fish) That lives in the sea and breeds in fresh water.
- anchor noun, verb, proper noun(nautical) A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
- androgynous adjectivePossessing the sex organs of both sexes.
- apex nounThe highest or the greatest part of something, especially forming a point.
- apotheosis nounThe fact or action of becoming or making into a god; deification.
- appoint verb(transitive) To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.
- aqua noun, adjective(inorganic chemistry) The compound water.
- arctic fox nounVulpes lagopus, a fox of the family Canidae, living in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia.
- artificial insemination noun(biology, medicine) The introduction of semen into the uterus or cervix of a female by a means other than copulation.
- asexuality nounThe quality of experiencing little or no sexual attraction.
- Ash Wednesday noun(Christianity) The Wednesday 46 days before Easter in a given year, (Catholicism) traditionally observed as the beginning of Lent and a day…
- assessor nounOne who assesses a property for tax or insurance evaluation.
- at preposition, nounIn, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
- autophytic adjectiveof or relating to organisms (as green plants) that can make complex organic nutritive compounds from simple inorganic sources by photosynth…
- autosexing noun, adjectiveThe identification of the sex of newborn chicks by their physical appearance, possible with certain breeds of poultry.
- aver verb, noun(ambitransitive) To assert the truth of (something); to affirm (something) with confidence; to declare (something) in a positive manner.
- balata nounManilkara bidentata, a large South American tree that yields latex and edible yellow berries.
- balderdash noun, verbSenseless talk or writing; nonsense.
- bandbox nounA box of lightweight construction (e.g. cardboard, thin wood) for carrying hats or other apparel items.
- barnacle noun, verb, proper nounA marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.
- bathing cap nouna silicone, latex or lycra cap worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers.
- beast noun, verb, adjective, proper nounAny four-footed land mammal.
- béchamel sauce nounA simple white sauce made from a roux of butter and flour to which hot milk is added.
- bedevil verbTo harass or cause trouble for; to plague.
- besiege verb(transitive) To beset or surround with armed forces for the purpose of compelling to surrender, to lay siege to, beleaguer.
- blockbuster nounA high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.