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 “heck”
- heckle verb, noun(transitive) To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
- heckler noun, proper nounOne who heckles; somebody who insults, makes fun of, or teases.
- heckling nounThe act of one who heckles.
- heckelphone nounA musical instrument resembling the oboe, but pitched an octave lower.
- check noun, verb, interjection, adjective, proper nounAn inspection or examination.
- checked adjectiveMarked with a check mark.
- checker noun, verbOne who or that which checks or verifies something.
- checkup nounA routine visit to the doctor, dentist, or the like.
- check in verbTo announce or record one's own arrival at a hotel, airport etc.
- check-in nounThe act of checking in at a hotel, airport, etc.
- checkers noun(board games, US, Canada, in the singular) A game for two players played on a chessboard; the players have 12 pieces each, and the object i…
- checkout nounThe process of checking out of a hotel, or the latest time to vacate a room in one.
- checkrow verb(agriculture) To plant seeds at the intersections of a criss-cross pattern previously marked out on the ground.
- checksum noun, verb(mathematics, computing) A number, derived by applying a suitable algorithm to some data, used to check whether errors have occurred in tra…
- paycheck noun(US) A periodic payment, usually in the form of a paper check, received by an employee from an employer for work performed.
- bad check nounA check/cheque written against a bank account with insufficient funds to pay the bearer the amount of the check.
- bed check noun(chiefly US) In a dormitory, as in the military or at a children's campground or in a boarding school, an inspection after bedtime by autho…
- check off verb(US, Philippines, often used without "off") To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for ke…
- check out verb(transitive) To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
- checkbook nounAlternative form of chequebook.
- checkered adjectiveDivided into a grid of squares of alternating colours or shades, or into light and dark patches.
- checklist noun, verbA list of tasks to be completed, names to be consulted, conditions to be verified and similar.
- checkmate interjection, noun, verb(chess) Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
- checkrein nounA strap used to keep horses' heads high, fashionable in Victorian England but painful and damaging to horses' necks.
- checkroom noun(US) A room where outdoor clothing or luggage may be temporarily stored.
- unchecked adjectiveUnrestrained, not held back.
- check into verb(transitive) To formally announce one's arrival at a location or event (usually a hotel) to a proprietor or employee of that location or ev…
- check mark noun(Canada, US, Philippines) A mark (✓) made to indicate confirmation of verification, completeness, correctness, choice, agreement, or acknow…
- check over verb, noun(transitive) To read or inspect, looking for errors or problems.
- checkpoint noun, verb, proper nounA point or place where a check is performed, especially a point along a road or on a frontier where travellers are stopped for inspection.
- crosscheck noun, verbA verification (of information, data, or calculations) by using an alternative source or method.
- rain check noun(originally US baseball) A reissue, at no extra charge, of a ticket for a baseball game or other outdoor event postponed or interrupted bec…
- spot check noun, verb(idiomatic) A cursory inspection or examination, especially of a sample of something.
- spot-check noun, verbAlternative form of spot check.
- blank check noun(literal) A signed check of the type used to draw money from a bank account, containing no information as to the amount to be paid with it,…
- check up on verbTo examine or inspect something in order to determine its condition; to check out.
- cross-check verbTo verify (information, data, or calculations) by using an alternative source or method.
- uncheckable adjectiveNot possible to check; unable to be checked.
- checkerberry nounThe teaberry, Gaultheria procumbens.
- checkerbloom nounAny of the flowering plants in the genus Sidalcea.
- checkerboard noun, verb(board games) A square board divided into sixty-four equal squares arranged in eight rows and eight columns, with adjacent squares alternat…
- countercheck noun, verbA restriction or limit.
- double check verb, noun(transitive) To check a second time; to check twice with extra caution or attention; to verify or make sure.
- double-check verbAlternative form of double check.
- counter check nounA check (draft) that is printed ex tempore, as for an accountholder who has no printed checks available to him.
- hatcheck girl nounA woman who works at a hatcheck.
- reality check nounA check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.
- spell-checker nounAlternative form of spell checker.
- cashier's check noun(banking, finance) A check guaranteed by a bank, drawn on the bank's own funds and signed by a cashier.
- certified check noun(US) A check (cheque) for which the bank verifies that sufficient funds exist in the account to cover the check, and so certifies, at the t…