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 “kn”
- knap verb, nounTo break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
- knee noun, verb(anatomy) In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
- knit verb, noun(ambitransitive) To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by han…
- knob noun, verbA rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
- knot noun, verbA looping of a piece of string or of any other long, flexible material that cannot be untangled without passing one or both ends of the mat…
- know verb, noun, particle(transitive) To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
- Knox proper nounA Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.
- knut noun(archaic, informal, Edwardian) An idle upper-class man about town.
- knack noun, verb, proper nounA readiness in performance; aptness at doing something.
- knave noun(archaic) A boy; especially, a boy servant.
- knawe nounwidely distributed low-growing Eurasian herb having narrow leaves and inconspicuous green flowers
- knead verb, noun(transitive) To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; especially, to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a …
- kneel verb(intransitive) To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- knell verb, noun, proper noun(intransitive) To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
- knife noun, verbA utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sh…
- knish nounAn Eastern European Jewish, or Yiddish, snack food consisting of a dumpling covered with a shell of baked or fried dough
- knock noun, verb, proper nounAn abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a hard object against wood.
- knoll noun, verb, proper nounA small mound or rounded hill.
- knout noun, verbA leather scourge (multi-tail whip), in the severe version known as 'great knout' with metal weights on each tongue, notoriously used in im…
- known adjective, nounIdentified as a specific type; famous, renowned.
- knawel nounScleranthus annuus, common in sandy soil.
- Knidos proper nounAn ancient settlement in southwestern Asia Minor; the location of the Ancient Greek city Caria.
- knight noun, verb, proper noun(historical) A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.
- knobby adjectiveResembling a knob.
- knotty adjectiveOf string or something stringlike: full of, or tied up, in knots.
- knower nounAgent noun of know: one who knows.
- knucks nounplural of knuck
- knacker noun, verbOne who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.
- knavery nounThe antics or tricks of a knave; boyish mischief.
- knavish adjectiveHaving the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent.
- knee-hi nouna sock or stocking that reaches up to just below the knees
- kneecap noun, verb(anatomy) The flat, roundish bone in the knee.
- kneeler nounA person who kneels.
- kneepan nounThe kneecap; the patella.
- Knesset proper nounThe Israeli parliament, located in Jerusalem.
- knitted adjectiveMade by knitting.
- knitter noun, proper nounA person or a machine that knits.
- knobbed adjectiveHaving a knob or knobs.
- knobble noun, verbA small knob.
- knobbly adjectiveHaving a covering of small knobs.
- knocker noun, proper nounA device, usually hinged with a striking plate, used for knocking on a door.
- Knossos proper nounAn ancient city and archaeological site in the island of Crete, in modern Greece.
- knotted adjectiveFull of knots; knotty.
- knowing adjective, preposition, nounPossessing knowledge or understanding; knowledgeable, intelligent.
- knuckle noun, verbAny of the joints between the bones of the fingers.
- knapsack noun, verb(chiefly US, dated or archaic in UK) A case of canvas or leather, for carrying items on the back.
- knapweed nounAny of various common weeds of, or formerly of, the genus Centaurea.
- knee pad nounA protective garment worn on a knee to protect it from injury, for example due to a blow or a fall.
- kneeling nounThe act by which someone kneels.
- knesseth nounthe Israeli unicameral parliament
- knickers noun, interjection(colloquial, now US, rare) Knickerbockers.
- knightia nounsmall genus of trees or shrubs of New Zealand and New Caledonia
- knightly adjective, adverbOf or pertaining to a knight or knights.
- knitting nounThe action of the verb to knit; the process of producing knitted material.
- knitwear nounknitted garments
- knitwork nounknitted material; a knitted object
- knock on verb(ambitransitive, rugby) To commit a foul by knocking the ball forward.
- knock up verb(colloquial) To put together, fabricate, or assemble, particularly if done hastily or temporarily.
- knocking nounAn act in which something is knocked on, or the sound thus produced
- knockoff noun(often attributive) An imitation of something, particularly a well-known product, usually of lower quality and price than the original.