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 “hon”
- hone noun, verb, interjection, proper nounA sharpening stone composed of extra-fine grit used for removing the burr or curl from the blade of a razor or some other edge tool.
- honk verb, noun, interjection(transitive, intransitive) To use a car horn.
- Hondo proper nounAn unincorporated community in the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124, Alberta, Canada.
- honey noun, adjective, verb, proper noun(uncountable) A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
- honky noun(US, Canada, derogatory, ethnic slur) A white (Caucasian) person.
- honor noun, verb, interjection, proper noun(uncountable) Recognition of importance or value; respect; veneration (of someone, usually for being morally upright or successful).
- honcho noun, verb(informal) Boss, leader.
- honest adjective, verb, adverb(of a person or institution) Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not given to swindling, lying, or fraud; upright.
- honied adjectiveAlternative spelling of honeyed.
- honker nounOne who honks.
- honkey nounAlternative spelling of honky.
- honkie nounAlternative spelling of honky.
- honour noun, verb, interjection, proper nounBritish, Canadian, Commonwealth, and Ireland standard spelling of honor.
- Honshu proper nounThe main island of the archipelago of Japan.
- honesty noun, proper noun(uncountable, countable) The act, quality, or condition of being honest.
- honeyed adjectiveSweetened, with, or as if with, honey.
- Honiara proper nounThe capital city of the Solomon Islands.
- honored adjective, verbUS standard spelling of honoured.
- honoree nounOne who receives an honor or award.
- honours noun, verbplural of honour
- Honduran noun, adjectiveA person from Honduras or of Honduran descent.
- Honduras proper nounA country in Central America. Official name: Republic of Honduras. Capital: Tegucigalpa.
- Honegger proper nounA surname from Alemannic German.
- honestly adverb, interjection(manner) In an honest manner.
- honeybee nounAlternative form of honey bee.
- honeydew noun, adjective(uncountable) A sweet, sticky substance deposited on leaves and other plant parts by insects (especially aphids and scale insects) feeding …
- honeypot nounA pot of honey.
- Honolulu proper nounA port in Oahu Island; the capital and largest city of Hawaii, United States and the county seat of Honolulu County, Hawaii. Official name:…
- honorary adjective, nounGiven as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment.
- honoring verbpresent participle and gerund of honor
- honoured adjective(British spelling) Respected, having received honour.
- honey bun nounA glazed fried yeast pastry with honey and cinnamon in the dough.
- honey oil nounAn especially potent form of hash oil.
- honeycomb noun, verb(uncountable) A substance made by bees (clade Anthophila) primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells to hold their larvae, and for st…
- honeylike adjectiveLike honey in taste, texture, or appearance.
- honeymoon noun, verbThe period of time immediately following a marriage.
- Hong Kong proper nounA city and special administrative region in southern China, located on an island east of the Pearl River delta in the South China Sea; a fo…
- honkytonk nounAlternative form of honky-tonk.
- honorable adjective, nounBehaving in a manner that shows honor; decent, having integrity.
- honorably adverbUS standard spelling of honourably.
- honorific noun, adjectiveA person's title, such as "Mrs" or "Doctor".
- honestness nounQuality of being honest.
- honey bear nounThe sun bear (Ursus malayanus).
- honeybells nounplural of honeybell
- honky-tonk noun, adjective(US) A bar or nightclub that caters to Southern patrons and provides country music for entertainment.
- honorarium nounCompensation for services that do not have a predetermined value.
- honourable adjective, nounUK standard spelling of honorable.
- honourably adverbIn an honourable manner.
- honey guide noun(botany) A colorful spot or stripe on a flower indicating to insects the location of nectar production.
- honey plant noun(beekeeping) Any plant from which bees usually collect nectar, pollen, or both for making honey.
- honeycombed adjectiveHaving a perforated structure, resembling a honeycomb.
- honeyflower nounAlternative form of honey flower
- honeymooner nounA person currently on their honeymoon.
- honeysucker noun(Africa) Any of the sunbirds.
- honeysuckle noun, proper nounAny of the many species of arching shrubs and climbing vines of the genus Lonicera in the Caprifoliaceae family, many with sweet-smelling, …
- honor guard nounAlternative form of honour guard.
- honey badger nounAny member of the species Mellivora capensis of badger-like mustelids native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
- honey fungus nounA parasitic mushroom of the genus Armillaria that lives on trees and shrubs.
- honey locust nounA North American deciduous tree (Gleditsia triacanthos) having fragrant flowers, hard red wood, and conspicuous thorns.
- honey-flower nounerect bushy shrub of eastern Australia having terminal clusters of red flowers yielding much nectar