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 “per”
- peri noun, proper noun(Iranian mythology) A sprite or supernatural being.
- perk noun, verb, adjective(informal) Perquisite.
- perm verb, noun, proper nounTo give hair a perm, using heat, chemicals etc.
- pert adjective, verb, noun(of a person) Attractive.
- Peru proper nounA country in South America. Official name: Republic of Peru. Capital and largest city: Lima.
- perca nountype genus of the Percidae
- perch noun, verb, proper nounAny of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.
- percy noun, proper noun(slang) A unit of Percocet.
- Perga proper nounA proper name in the King James New Testament (first at ACT 13:13).
- peril noun, verbA situation of serious and immediate danger.
- perky adjectiveLively and often cheerful and enthusiastic.
- Peron proper nounA surname.
- perry noun, proper nounA fermented alcoholic beverage made from pears, similar to hard apple cider.
- Perth proper nounA city in Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, historically in Perthshire.
- per se adverb, adjectiveWithout determination by or involvement of extraneous factors; by its very nature.
- perdix nouna genus of Perdicinae
- period noun, adjective, interjection, verbA length of time.
- perish verb(intransitive) To decay and disappear; to waste away to nothing.
- permed adjectiveThat has been given a perm (permanent wave)
- Permic proper nounA group of Finno-Ugric languages spoken in the northwest Urals, including Komi and Udmurt.
- permit verb, noun(transitive) To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for.
- pernio noun(countable, uncountable) Synonym of chilblain.
- pernis nouna common European bird of prey; dull brown with white-streaked underparts
- Pernod nounAn anise-flavoured pastis apéritif made by the Pernod Ricard company.
- Persea proper nounObsolete form of Persia.
- Persia proper noun(historical, otherwise archaic) Iran, a country in West Asia.
- Persis proper noun(historical) A region of ancient Iran in its southwest; modern Fars province.
- person noun, verb, proper nounAn individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
- pertly adverbIn a manner that is lively or high-spirited
- peruke nounA wig, especially one with long hair on the sides and back, worn mainly by men in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- peruse verb, noun(transitive) To examine or consider with care.
- perutz nounEnglish biochemist (born in Austria); studied the molecular structure of blood (1914-2002)
- percale noun(textiles) A fine, closely woven fabric, made from cotton, polyester or a mix of these, and used for sheets and clothing.
- percent adverb, noun, prepositional phrase(American spelling) For every hundred (used with preceding numeral to form a noun phrase expressing a proportion).
- percept noun, verb(philosophy, psychology, now rare) Something perceived; the object of perception.
- percher nounOne who fishes for perch.
- percina nouna genus of Percidae
- percoid adjective, nounOf or belonging to Percoidea, a taxonomic superfamily in the order Perciformes.
- percuss verb(transitive) To strike; to hit; to knock; to give a blow to.
- perejil nouna small uninhabited Mediterranean islet claimed by both Morocco and Spain
- perfect adjective, noun, verbFitting its definition precisely.
- perfidy nounA state or act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust.
- perform verb(transitive) To do (something); to execute.
- perfume noun, verbA pleasant smell; the scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor.
- perfuse verb(transitive) To permeate or suffuse something, especially with a liquid or with light.
- pergola noun, proper nounA framework in the form of a passageway of columns that supports a trelliswork roof; used to support and train climbing plants.
- perhaps adverb, nounPossibly.
- peridot nounA transparent olive green form of olivine, used as a gem.
- perigee noun(astronomy) The point, in an orbit about the Earth, that is closest to the Earth: the periapsis of an Earth orbiter.
- perigon noun(geometry) A round angle; a full circle.