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 “fem”
- FEMA proper noun(US) Acronym of Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- femur noun(anatomy) A thighbone.
- female adjective, nounBelonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
- femoral adjectiveOf, pertaining to, or near the femur or thigh.
- femoris nounthe longest and thickest bone of the human skeleton; extends from the pelvis to the knee
- feminine adjective, nounOf or pertaining to the female gender.
- feminise verbNon-Oxford British English standard spelling of feminize.
- feminism nounA social theory or political movement which argues that legal and social restrictions on women must be removed in order to bring about equa…
- feminist adjective, nounRelating to or in accordance with feminism.
- feminize verb(transitive) To make (more) feminine.
- femtovolt nounOne quadrillionth (10⁻¹⁵) of a volt.
- femaleness nounThe characteristic, state or condition of being female.
- femininity nounThe sum of all attributes that are feminine or convey womanhood.
- femtometer nounUS spelling of femtometre.
- femtometre noun(metrology) An SI unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁵ metres. Symbol: fm
- femtosecond noun(metrology) An SI unit of time equal to 10⁻¹⁵ seconds. Symbol: fs
- feminineness nounThe state or condition of being feminine.
- feminisation noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of feminization.
- feminization nounThe act of feminizing, or the state of being feminized.
- femme fatale nounAn attractive and seductive but ultimately dangerous woman.
- femoral vein noun(anatomy) The vein that accompanies the femoral artery in the femoral sheath.
- femoral artery noun(anatomy) The main artery of the thigh that originates as the continuation of the external iliac artery distal to the inguinal ligament and…
- femtochemistry noun(chemistry) The study of chemical reactions on a very short time scale, often using pulsed lasers.
- female genitalia nounexternal female sex organs
- female circumcision nounThe removal of the clitoral hood, the female prepuce cognate to the foreskin removed in the male equivalent.
- sarafem nouna selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor commonly prescribed as an antidepressant (trade names Prozac or Sarafem); it is thought to work by…
- defeminise verbAlternative spelling of defeminize.
- defeminize verbTo lose, or to remove, feminine characteristics or qualities
- effeminacy nounThe quality of being effeminate.
- effeminate adjective, verb, noun(often derogatory) Of a boy or man, exhibiting behavior or mannerisms considered typical of a woman or unmasculine.
- effeminise verbAlternative form of effeminize.
- effeminize verb(transitive) To make effeminate.
- unfeminine adjectiveNot feminine; not characteristic of, typical of, or appropriate for a woman.
- antifeminism nounOpposition to feminism.
- antifeminist adjective, nounAntagonistic to feminism.
- effeminateness nouneffeminacy
- quadriceps femoris noun(anatomy) A group of four thigh muscles, including the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis muscles.