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 “whee”
- wheel noun, verbA circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.
- wheeze verb, nounTo breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma.
- wheezy adjectiveThat wheezes.
- wheedle verb, noun(ambitransitive) To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.
- wheeled adjectiveHaving wheels; on wheels.
- wheeler noun, proper noun(obsolete) A wheelwright, a wheelmaker.
- wheedler nounOne who wheedles; a sweet talker.
- wheeling noun, proper nounThe motion of something that wheels.
- wheezily adverbIn a wheezy manner.
- wheezing nounThe quality or symptom of breathing with an audible wheeze
- wheedling adjective, nounCoaxing, aiming to persuade.
- wheel bug noun(US) Any assassin bug of the genus Arilus, large true bugs with wheel-shaped pronotal armor.
- wheelbase nounThe horizontal distance between the front and rear axles of a road or rail vehicle.
- wheelless adjectiveLacking wheels, without wheels.
- wheelwork nounAn assembly of wheels serving a mechanical purpose.
- wheel lock noun(cycling) A low security mechanism mounted on the frame that immobilizes the rear wheel of a bicycle by moving a steel bolt through the spo…
- wheel tree nounAspidosperma excelsum, a tree native to Peru.
- wheel-like adjectiveround like a wheel
- wheelchair noun, verbA chair mounted on large wheels for the transportation or use of a sick or disabled person.
- wheelhouse noun, proper nounA building or other structure containing a (large) wheel, such as the water wheel of a mill.
- wheeziness nounthe state of being wheezy
- wheezingly adverbWith a wheezing sound.
- wheel horse nounAlternative form of wheelhorse.
- wheelbarrow noun, verbA small, one-wheeled (or rarely, two-wheeled) cart with handles at one end for transporting small loads.
- wheelwright noun, proper noun(chiefly historical) A person who builds and repairs wheels, especially wooden spoked ones.
- wheel around verb(transitive) To transport someone or something to various locations by pushing a wheeled transporter such as a wheelchair or wheelbarrow.
- wheel and axle nounA simple machine consisting of a wheel (or similar lever) that turns an axle around which a cord is wound; its mechanical advantage is the …
- wheeler dealer nounAlternative spelling of wheeler-dealer.
- awheel adverb(dated) Riding a bicycle.
- towhee nounAny of several species of birds of the genera Pipilo and Melozone.
- cogwheel nounA gear wheel.
- flywheel noun(mechanical engineering) A rotating mass used to maintain the speed of a machine within certain limits while the machine receives or releas…
- pinwheel noun, verb(engineering) A cogged (toothed) gear.
- big wheel noun(idiomatic) A person with a great deal of power or influence, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
- cartwheel noun, verbThe wheel of a cart.
- freewheel noun, verbA device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft.
- handwheel noun(mechanics) Any wheel worked by hand, whether used to allow leverage, as of a valve or a handbrake, or to allow fine adjustment, as of a se…
- millwheel nounA water wheel used to power a watermill.
- nosewheel noun(aviation) The wheel of an aircraft's nose gear.
- two-wheel adjectiveof or relating to vehicles with two wheels
- fire-wheel nounannual of central United States having showy long-stalked yellow flower heads marked with scarlet or purple in the center
- four-wheel adjectiveHaving four wheels
- gear wheel noun(mechanics) A wheel with a toothed rim, intended to engage with others, or similar equipment, to form a gear.
- idle wheel noun(engineering) A wheel placed between two others to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction.
- mill wheel nounAlternative form of millwheel.
- treadwheel nounA large wheel turned by treading, climbing, or pushing with the feet upon its periphery, as for example in a treadmill.
- waterwheel nounAlternative spelling of water wheel.
- worm wheel nounThe gear wheel component in a worm drive.
- color wheel noun(US) Alternative spelling of colour wheel.
- daisy wheel nounAlternative form of daisywheel.
- fifth wheel noun(road transport) A type of trailer hitch, which consists of a horseshoe-shaped plate on a multidirectional pivot, with a locking pin to cou…
- freewheeler nounA vehicle that can freewheel.
- paddlewheel nounA large wheel fitted with thick slats, turned by an engine and used to propel a boat.
- three-wheel adjectivehaving three wheels
- tread-wheel nouna mill that is powered by men or animals walking on a circular belt or climbing steps
- two-wheeled adjectiveHaving two wheels; birotate.
- wagon wheel nounThe wheel of a wagon, including railway wagons.
- water wheel nounA wheel, propelled by running or falling water, used to power machinery.
- escape wheel noun(horology) Synonym of scape-wheel
- ferris wheel nounAn amusement ride, consisting of an upright rotating wheel having seats that remain in a horizontal position as the wheel revolves.