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 “ch.”
- a lot pronoun, adverb, adjective(informal) A large amount.
- Abelard proper noun(rare) A male given name from the Germanic languages.
- absolution noun(ecclesiastical) An absolving of sins from ecclesiastical penalties by an authority.
- Abyssinian adjective, noun, proper noun(dated) Of or pertaining to Ethiopia or its inhabitants; Ethiopian.
- Acadian adjective, noun, proper nounOf or pertaining to Acadia, its people, or their language or culture.
- accessible adjectiveEasy of access or approach.
- acetylene noun(organic chemistry, countable) Any organic compound having one or more carbon–carbon triple bonds; an alkyne.
- acrylamide noun(organic chemistry) The amide of acrylic acid, CH₂=CH.CONH₂; used in the manufacture of polyacrylamides.
- acrylonitrile noun(organic chemistry) A toxic colourless liquid organic compound, CH₂=CH.CN, synthesized from propylene and ammonia; used as a monomer in the…
- acute adjective, noun, verbBrief, quick, short.
- acuteness nounThe quality of being acute or pointed.
- address noun, verb(obsolete) Guidance; help.
- adjacency nounThe quality of being adjacent, or near enough so as to touch.
- adjourn verb(transitive) To postpone.
- adrift adjective, adverbFloating at random.
- advance verb, noun, adjectiveTo help the progress of (something); to further.
- Adventist noun, adjectiveOne who believes in the Second Advent (usually known as the Second Coming) of Jesus; an advocate of Adventism.
- advice and consent nounIn enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, the situation where a weak executive branch of a government en…
- affix noun, verb(linguistic morphology) A bound morpheme added to a word’s stem, such as a prefix or suffix.
- afield adverbAway (from the home or starting point, physical or conceptual). (Often preceded by far, farther, or further.)
- agate noun, adverb(countable, uncountable, mineralogy) A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in…
- aggressive adjective, nounCharacterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing.
- aileron nounThe hinged part on the trailing edge of an airplane wing, used to control longitudinal turns.
- al noun, proper nounThe Indian mulberry, Morinda citrifolia, especially as used to make dye.
- alalia noun(medicine, obsolete) The loss of the ability to speak, especially due to paralysis of the vocal cords.
- alexandrine noun, adjective, proper noun(poetry) A line of poetic meter having twelve syllables, usually divided into two or three equal parts.
- aline adverb, proper nounIn line.
- all determiner, pronoun, adverb, noun, conjunction, adjectiveEvery individual or anything of the given class, with no exceptions (the noun or noun phrase denoting the class must be plural or uncountab…
- Allen wrench nounSynonym of hex head wrench.
- alley noun, proper nounA narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings.
- allow for verb(transitive) To take into account, consider.
- aloes noun(plural only) The resin of the tree Aquilaria malaccensis (syn. Aquilaria agallocha), known for its fragrant odour.
- alone adjective, adverbBy oneself, solitary.
- amain adverb, verb(archaic, literary) With all of one's might; mightily; forcefully, violently.
- ambition noun, verb(uncountable, countable) Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political …
- American arrowroot nounSynonym of arrowroot (plant)
- amour noun, proper nounCourtship; flirtation.
- amyloid noun, adjectiveA waxy compound of protein and polysaccharides that is found deposited in tissues in amyloidosis.
- analog watch nounUS standard spelling of analogue watch.
- anamnesis nounThe ability to recall past events; recollection.