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 “on top”
- 68 noun, verb(sexology, slang, uncommon) A sex position in which one partner lays on top of the other, with their genitalia facing the other partner's h…
- a la mode adjective, adverbFashionable; in the current style or fashion.
- above preposition, adverb, adjective, nounPhysically over; on top of; worn on top of, said of clothing.
- bail noun, verb, proper noun(countable, uncountable) Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's …
- bald adjective, noun, verb, proper nounHaving little or no hair, fur, or feathers.
- banquette noun(military) A narrow area behind a defensive wall's parapet elevated above its terreplein and used by defenders to shoot at attackers.
- beehive noun, verb, proper nounSuch a home prepared by the bees themselves, in which some species of honey bees live and raise their young.
- bobble noun, verbA furry ball attached on top of a hat.
- bolster noun, verb, proper nounA large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
- built-up adjectiveMade of sections or layers, one on top of the other.
- candlestick noun, verbA holder with a socket or spike for a candle.
- canoe noun, verb, proper noun(nautical) A small long and narrow boat, propelled by one or more people (depending on the size of canoe), using single-bladed paddles. The…
- cap noun, verb, proper nounA close-fitting hat, either brimless or peaked.
- cartouche noun(architecture) An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.
- champagne flute nounA piece of stemware with a long stem and a tall, narrow bowl on top, designed to keep champagne desirable during its consumption by prevent…
- clarion noun, adjective, verb, proper noun(music, historical or poetic) A medieval brass instrument chiefly used as a battle signal; related to the trumpet, it had a narrow, straigh…
- combustible adjective, nounCapable of burning.
- convent noun, verb, proper nounA religious community whose members live under strict observation of religious rules and self-imposed vows.
- cope verb, noun, interjection, proper noun(intransitive) To deal effectively with something, especially if difficult.
- cornmeal nounDried corn (maize) milled (ground) to a meal, especially a coarse one.
- cowgirl noun, verbA woman who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
- cupcake noun, verbA small cake baked in a usually paper container shaped like a cup, often with icing on top.
- cupola noun(architecture) A dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome.
- digression nounAn aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
- ditch noun, verb, proper nounA trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
- doghouse nounAny small house or structure or enclosure used to house a dog.
- double-decker nounA vehicle (usually a bus, coach or train) or aircraft with two floors.
- dowdy adjective, noun, verb, proper nounPlain and unfashionable in style or dress.
- economic rent noun(economics) the amount of recompense paid to a factor of production on top of its transfer earnings; this does not encompass costs incurred…
- encyclopedia nounA comprehensive reference work (often spanning several printed volumes) with articles (usually arranged in alphabetical order, or sometimes…
- endue verb(transitive, also figurative) Of a person or thing: to take on (a different form); to adopt, to assume.
- fade adjective, noun, verb(archaic) Weak; insipid; tasteless.
- fata morgana nounA form of mirage seen just above the horizon, caused by a temperature inversion in the atmosphere, in which multiple upright and inverted i…
- fiber bundle noun(botany) Synonym of vascular bundle.
- flying bridge noun(nautical) A (usually open) area on top of, or at the side of, a ship's pilothouse, serving as an operating station for the officers in goo…
- fold verb, noun(transitive) To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
- food cache nouna cache (usually made of wood) on top of a pole (or several poles), where it can not be reached by bears
- foretop noun(obsolete) The top of the head; the top of the forehead.
- get off verb, interjection(transitive, intransitive) To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it.
- hawk's-beards nounany of various plants of the genus Crepis having loose heads of yellow flowers on top of a long branched leafy stem; northern hemisphere