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 “Zo”
- zoo noun(countable) A park where live animals are exhibited.
- zoic adjective(rare) Showing traces of life; containing organic remains.
- Zola proper nounA surname from Italian.
- zona noun, proper noun(sciences) A zone or band; a layer.
- zone noun, verb(geography, now rare) Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid …
- zoom noun, verb, interjectionA humming noise from something moving very fast.
- zori nounA Japanese sandal made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions.
- zocor nounan oral lipid-lowering medicine (trade name Zocor) administered to reduce blood cholesterol levels; recommended after heart attacks
- Zomba proper nounZomba (the former capital city of Malawi)
- zombi nounUncommon spelling of zombie.
- zonal adjectiveDivided into zones.
- zooid noun, adjective(biology) An organic body or cell having locomotion, as a spermatic cell or spermatozoid.
- zoril nounAlternative spelling of zorille.
- zodiac noun, proper noun(astrology) The belt-like region of the celestial sphere, approximately eight degrees north and south of the ecliptic, which includes the a…
- zoftig adjectiveAlternative spelling of zaftig.
- zoisia nounlawn grasses native to southeastern Asia and New Zealand; grown especially in warm regions
- Zoloft proper nounThe antidepressant medicine sertraline.
- zombie noun(voodoo) A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own, typically being sl…
- zonary adjectivezonal
- zoning noun(law) Legislative action for the purpose of regulating the use of property and the construction of buildings within the area under the juri…
- zonula noun(anatomy) Any of several small belt-like regions.
- zonule noun(anatomy) A little zone, or girdle; a zonula.
- zoster noun(countable) An ancient Greek waist-belt for men.
- zoysia nounAny member of species of the genus (Zoysia) of creeping perennial grasses of southern Asia and New Zealand having fine, wiry leaves and inc…
- zoarces nountype genus of the Zoarcidae
- zoology nounThe part of biology relating to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distributio…
- zoom in verb(intransitive) To increase the focal length of a zoom lens in order to obtain a magnified image, or a close-up.
- zoopsia nounVisual hallucinations in which a person perceives animals that are not actually present.
- zostera noun(or in some classifications family Zosteraceae) small genus of widely distributed marine plants
- zovirax nounan oral antiviral drug (trade name Zovirax) used to treat genital herpes; does not cure the disease but relieves the symptoms
- zodiacal adjective(astronomy, astrology) Of or pertaining to the zodiac.
- zonk out verb(slang) To fall suddenly into a very deep sleep.
- zoolatry nounThe worship of animals.
- zoonosis noun(biology, microbiology) An animal disease, such as rabies or anthrax, that can be transmitted to humans.
- zoonotic adjective, nounrelating to, or having a zoonosis
- zoophyte noun(biology, historical) An animal thought to have the characteristics of a plant, later specifically an invertebrate of the (former) group Zo…
- zoospore nounA motile asexual spore of some algae and fungi.
- zootoxin nounA toxin produced by an animal.
- zoarcidae nouneelpouts
- Zolaesque adjectiveIn the literary or thematic style of the French writer Émile Zola (1840–1902).
- zooerasty nounThe practice of a human engaging in sexual intercourse with an animal
- zoologist nounOne who studies or practices zoology.
- zoom lens noun(photography) A lens containing a mechanical assembly of inner lenses, allowing the focal length to be changed rapidly.
- zoophilia nounA paraphilia involving the sexual attraction of people to non-human animals.
- zoophobia nounAn unusual fear of non-human animals.
- zoot suit nounAn outfit featuring a suit with broad shoulders, a long coat, and baggy trousers that taper to a tight fit at the ankles.
- Zoroaster proper nounAn ancient Iranian prophet after whom the indigenous Iranian ethnic religion, Zoroastrianism, is named, also venerated in Mithraism.
- zoanthropy nounThe belief that one has transformed into an animal.
- zooerastia nounThe practice of a human engaging in sexual intercourse with an animal
- zoological adjectiveOf, or relating to, animals.
- zoophagous adjective(zoology, rare) carnivorous
- zoophilism nounAn affection for non-human animals
- zonotrichia nounlarge New World sparrows
- zoomorphism nounThe representation of gods as animals or the attributing of animal characteristics to gods.
- zooplankton noun(zoology) Free-floating small protozoa, crustaceans (such as krill), etc. and the eggs and larvae from larger animals.
- Zoroastrian noun, adjectivea follower of Zoroastrianism
- zosteraceae nounused in some classifications: essentially equivalent to Potamogetonaceae
- zoomastigina nounin some classifications considered a phylum of the kingdom Protista; holozoic or saprozoic flagellates
- zoomastigote nounA zooflagellate: a heterotrophic flagellate of the phylum Zoomastigophora
- zooflagellate noun(microbiology) Any of the heterotrophic flagellates of the phylum Zoomastigophora