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 “cher”
- chert noun(geology, uncountable) Massive, usually dull-colored and opaque, quartzite, hornstone, impure chalcedony, or other flint-like mineral.
- cherry noun, adjective, verb, proper nounA small fruit, usually red, black or yellow, with a smooth hard seed and a short hard stem.
- cherty adjective(geology, mineralogy) Containing chert.
- cherub noun(biblical) A winged creature attending God and guarding his throne described as a being with four faces (man, lion, ox, and eagle), human h…
- cherish verb, proper nounTo treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
- cheroot nounA cigar with square-cut ends.
- chervil noun(countable) A leafy herb, Anthriscus cerefolium, resembling parsley.
- cheremis nouna member of a rural Finnish people living in eastern Russia
- Cherokee noun, proper nounA member of an indigenous North American people.
- cherubic adjectiveOf, or relating to a cherub; angelic.
- Cherbourg proper nounA coastal town in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin commune, Manche department, Normandy, France.
- Cheremiss noun(dated) Mari (Finno-Ugric people)
- cherimoya nounA subtropical tree, of species Annona cherimola, native to mountainous areas of South America.
- cherished adjectivehighly valued, having a high personal value.
- chermidae nounjumping plant lice
- Chernobyl proper noun, nounA partially abandoned city and ghost town in northern Ukraine, known as the site of a nuclear disaster.
- cherubini nounItalian composer of church music and operas (1760-1842)
- cherimolla nounlarge tropical fruit with leathery skin and soft pulp; related to custard apples
- cherry red noun, adjectiveA deep bright red color, like that of a cherry.
- cherry-red adjectiveAlternative form of cherry red.
- Cherepovets proper nounA city in Vologda Oblast, Russia.
- cherry bomb nounA spherical, cherry-sized firecracker that generates a high-power explosion.
- cherry plum nounPrunus cerasifera, a deciduous ornamental Eurasian shrub or small tree, having white flowers and small red to yellow edible fruits.
- cherry tree noun, proper nounA tree of the subgenus Prunus subg. Cerasus, the members of which are valued agriculturally for their fruit, the cherry, and the wood of th…
- cherrystone noun(used as a size classification by fish merchants) Ellipsis of cherrystone clam, a hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) that has grown to a siz…
- cherry birch nounA tree of the species Betula lenta, with a dark bark resembling a cherry tree's and an aromatic bark and sap used for birch beer.
- cherry stone nounSynonym of cherry pit.
- cherry-sized adjectivehaving the approximate size of a cherry
- Cherokee rose nounA fragrant white rose, of species Rosa laevigata, native to southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and an invasive species elsewhere.
- cherry laurel nounPrunus laurocerasus, an evergreen shrub, native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia.
- cherry pepper nounThe pimento pepper.
- cherry tomato nounA type of small tomato, the cultivar Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme.
- ocher noun, verbAlternative spelling of ochre.
- archer noun, proper nounOne who shoots an arrow from a bow or a bolt from a crossbow.
- etcher nounA person who etches
- lecher noun, verb, proper nounA lecherous person: someone given to excessive sexual activity or debauchery.
- Acheron proper noun(with or without the, Greek mythology) A river in the infernal regions; also, the infernal regions themselves. By some of the English poets…
- archery noun(uncountable) The practice or sport of shooting arrows with a bow.
- Beecher proper nounA surname.
- blucher noun, proper noun(historical) A form of horse-drawn carriage; a Blucher coach.
- botcher noun(obsolete) A person who mends things, especially such a cobbler or tailor.
- butcher noun, verb, proper nounA person who prepares and sells meat (and sometimes also slaughters the animals).
- catcher nounSomeone or something that catches.
- Fischer proper nounA surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation], equivalent to English Fisher.
- lechery nounInordinate indulgence in sexual activity.
- luncher nounSomeone who lunches; someone who eats lunch.
- lurcher noun(obsolete) One who lurks or lies in wait; one who watches in order to rob or betray; a poacher.
- marcher noun(historical) An inhabitant of a march (border country); specifically, a marcher lord.
- matcher nounOne who arranges (or tries to arrange) marriages or relationships for others; a matchmaker.
- milcher nounA milch cow; a cow producing milk.
- moocher noun(chiefly derogatory) A person having a tendency to take advantage of the help of others, especially if making little effort to help themsel…
- muncher nounSomeone who munches.
- percher nounOne who fishes for perch.
- pitcher noun, proper nounOne who pitches (in any sense) anything
- poacher nounA person who trespasses in order to take game illegally, one who poaches; a person who illegally takes animals or plants from the wild.
- puncher noun(often in combination) A person who punches (in a specified manner).
- rancher nounA person who operates a ranch.
- scherzo noun(music) A piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony; especially, a piece of music played in a playful manner.
- teacher nounA person who teaches, especially one employed in a school; preceptor.
- toucher nounOne who touches.