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 “ait”
- aitchbone nounA cut of beef lying above the rump bone.
- bait noun, verb, adjectiveAny substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net.
- gait noun, verbA manner of walking or stepping; a bearing or carriage while moving on legs.
- wait verb, noun, interjection, proper noun(intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
- await verb, noun(transitive, formal) To wait for.
- Chait proper nounA surname.
- faith noun, proper nounA trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal from prior empirical evidence.
- Haiti proper nounA country in the Caribbean. Official name: Republic of Haiti.
- krait nounAny of several brightly-coloured, venomous snakes, of the genus Bungarus, of southeast Asia.
- laity nounPeople of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.
- plait noun, verbA flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
- raita nounA condiment made from seasoned yogurt used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia.
- trait noun(biology, psychology) An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.
- waite proper nounA surname originating as an occupation for a watchman.
- caitra nounthe first Hindu calendar month (corresponding to March in the Gregorian calendar)
- gaiter noun, verb, proper nounA covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and instep.
- Kuwait proper nounA country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: State of Kuwait. Capital: Kuwait City.
- strait adjective, noun, verb, adverb, proper noun(archaic) Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.
- waiter noun, verbA male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar.
- wraith nounA ghost or specter, especially a person's likeness seen just after their death.
- au fait adjectiveBeing familiar with or informed about something.
- awaited verbsimple past and past participle of await
- baiting nounA bloodsport involving the act of worrying or tormenting a chained or confined animal by setting dogs upon it.
- caitiff noun, adjectiveA base or despicable person; a wretch.
- Haitian noun, proper noun, adjectiveA person from Haiti or of Haitian descent.
- Kuwaiti noun, adjectiveA person from Kuwait or of Kuwaiti descent.
- parfait noun, proper nounA French parfait (parfait glacé), an iced dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, cream, and flavouring (usually fruit), sometimes with the add…
- plaiter nounSomeone who plaits.
- shaitan noun, proper noun(Islam) a demon/devil; or evil jinn.
- straits noun, verb, proper nounplural of strait
- 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…
- wait on verbTo provide a service to (someone); to act as a servant to (someone); to serve (someone) as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant.
- waiting noun(obsolete) Watching, observation; keeping watch, guarding.
- crowbait noun(US, often attributive) An old, emaciated horse.
- distrait adjectiveabsent-minded, troubled, distracted
- faithful adjective, nounLoyal; adhering firmly to person or cause.
- Karaites nounplural of Karaite
- Lemaitre proper nounA surname from French, equivalent to English Masters
- Maitland proper nounA surname from Anglo-Norman.
- Maitreya proper noun(Buddhism) A bodhisattva who is considered to be a future Buddha.
- plaiting nounplaited material
- portrait noun, verb, adjective(countable) A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
- straiten verbTo make strait; to narrow or confine to a smaller space.
- straitly adverbStrictly.
- waitress noun, verbA female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar.
- cordaites nounplural of cordaite
- crow-bait nounan emaciated horse likely soon to become carrion and so attractive to crows
- faithless adjectiveLacking faith; lacking belief in something.
- Galbraith proper nounA surname from Scottish Gaelic.
- maître d' noun(informal, chiefly US) A headwaiter.
- traitress nounObsolete form of traitoress.
- whitebait noun, verbThe young of various species of fish, especially herrings, sprats or smelts
- dumbwaiter nounA small elevator used to move food etc. from one floor of a building to another.
- faithfully adverbIn a faithful manner.
- good faith noun, adjectiveGood, honest intentions.
- headwaiter nounA waiter who has a supervisory position over the other wait staff; chief waiter.
- interfaith adjectiveInvolving members of different religions.
- jew-baiter nounsomeone who hates and would persecute Jews
- Nicolaitan nounA member of an early Christian sect (Nicolaism), said to participate in certain pagan ceremonies.
- straitened adjectiveSqueezed or confined.