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 “Ner”
- nerd noun(slang, sometimes derogatory) A person who is intellectual but generally introverted.
- Neri proper nounA surname from Italian.
- Nero proper noun, nounRoman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
- nerva nounEmperor of Rome who introduced a degree of freedom after the repressive reign of Domitian; adopted Trajan as his successor (30-98)
- nerve noun, verbA bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
- nervi nounItalian architect who pioneered in the use of reinforced concrete (1891-1979)
- nervy adjective(US) Having nerve; bold; brazen.
- nereid noun, proper noun(figuratively) A youthful and pretty bather.
- Nereus proper noun(Greek mythology) The eldest son of Pontus (the sea) and Gaia (the earth).
- Nergal proper noun(Mesopotamian mythology) A deity worshipped throughout ancient Mesopotamia, associated with war, pestilence, and the Sun.
- nerita nouna neritid gastropod having a short smooth or spirally ridged shell with thick usually toothed outer lip and toothed operculum
- nerium nounone species: oleander
- Nernst nounUsed attributively to designate theories or equipment devised by or arising from the work of Walther Hermann Nernst (1864-1941), German che…
- neruda nounChilean poet (1904-1973)
- nerves noun, verbplural of nerve
- nervus nounany bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
- neritic adjectiveOf or relating to a marine environment of shallow waters.
- neritid noun(zoology) Any in sea snail in the family Neritidae; a nerite.
- nerodia nounNorth American water snakes
- Nerthus proper noun(Germanic paganism) A Germanic goddess (or god) mentioned by Tacitus and associated with a ceremonial wagon procession.
- nervily adverbIn a nervy way.
- nervous adjective(obsolete) Full of sinews.
- nervure noun(zoology) A vein in the wing of an insect.
- neritina nounornately marked and brightly colored snails of brackish waters
- neritidae nounneritids
- nerve gas nounA toxic chemical compound and banned weapon of mass destruction which, when inhaled or ingested, impairs nervous system functions, typicall…
- nerveless adjectiveLacking nerve: fearful; cowardly.
- nerveroot nounSynonym of yellow lady's slipper
- nervously adverbIn a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.
- nerve cell noun(cytology) A cell of the nervous system which conducts nerve impulses; a neuron.
- nerve agent nounSynonym of nerve gas.
- nerve fiber noun(anatomy) An axon.
- nerve fibre noun(anatomy) An axon
- nervelessly adverbIn a nerveless manner.
- nervousness nounThe state or quality of being nervous.
- Nero's crown nounSynonym of pinwheel flower
- nerve center noun(anatomy) A point at which nerves come together for the processing of signals.
- nerve centre noun(British spelling, Canadian spelling) Standard spelling of nerve center.
- nerve ending nounThe termination of a nerve, at the distal end of an axon
- nervus vagus nounSynonym of vagus nerve.
- nerve impulse noun(physiology) The signal transmitted along a nerve fibre, either in response to a stimulus (such as touch, pain or heat), or as an instructi…
- nerve-racking adjectiveIntensely irritating or distressing to the nerves.
- nervelessness nounThe characteristic of being nerveless; cowardliness.
- nerve-wracking adjective(proscribed) Alternative form of nerve-racking.
- nervous system nounAn organ system whose principal constituent is nervous tissue that coordinates the activities of muscles, monitors organs, constructs and p…
- nervous tissue noun(neurology) The principal constituent of the central and peripheral nervous system comprising neurons and neuroglia cells.
- nervous breakdown nounAn attack of a psychological disorder such as anxiety or depression which is so severe that it prevents a person from continuing to functio…
- nerve growth factor noun(biochemistry) a functional protein complex required for the survival, growth and specialization of certain types of neurons in vertebrates.
- boner noun, proper noun(vulgar, slang) An erect penis.
- diner nounSomeone who dines.