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 “ab-”
- arab-berbers nounan ethnic minority descended from Berbers and Arabs and living in northern Africa
- crab-eating fox nounA medium-sized canid of species Cerdocyon thous, endemic to central South America.
- crab-eating macaque nounA primate of the species Macaca fascicularis, native to Southeast Asia.
- crab-eating raccoon nounA species of raccoon Procyon cancrivorus, found in the jungles of Central and South America.
- antbird nounAny of various drab-colored South American birds of the family Thamnophilidae that feed on ants.
- dusicyon nouncrab-eating dog
- egret nounAny of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which deve…
- king crab nounAny highly prized crab-like crustacean in the subfamily Lithodinae.
- traitor noun, verb, adjectiveSomeone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their countr…
- wherry noun, verb, proper noun(countable) A boat or light ship used to navigate inland waterways.