The charts below show the way in which theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) representsIrish-language pronunciations in Wiktionary entries.
SeeIrish phonology for detailed discussion of the phonology of Irish.
| Consonants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| broad[1] | slender[2] | English approximations | |||
| IPA | Example | IPA | Example | ||
| bˠ | bain,scuab | bʲ | béal,cnáib | boot;beautiful | |
| d̪ˠ | dorn,nead | dʲ | dearg,cuid | do (but dental),though in Hiberno-English;dew | |
| fˠ | fós,graf pholl | fʲ | fíon,stuif phríosún | fool;fuel | |
| ɡ | gasúr,bog | ɟ | geata,carraig | goose; argue | |
| ɣ | dhorn ghasúr | j | dhearg gheata | (no equivalent);yellow | |
| h[3] | Shasana,shean thaisce,theanga hata,nahéisc | hand | |||
| k | cáis,mac | c | ceist,mic | coot;cute | |
| l̪ˠ[4] | labhair,balla | l̠ʲ[4] | leabhair,goilleadh | filth; million | |
| lˠ[4] | fhlaith,bealach | lʲ[4] | fhleasc,goile | pool;leaf | |
| mˠ | mór,am | mʲ | milis,im | moot;mute | |
| n̪ˠ[5] | naoi,donna | n̠ʲ[5] | ní,bainne | tenth; inch | |
| nˠ[5] | dona | nʲ[5] | bainis | noon;new | |
| ŋ | ngasúr | ɲ | ngeata | long; angular | |
| pˠ | poll,stop | pʲ | príosún,truip | poor;pure | |
| ɾˠ | rí,cuairt,barr,cairr | ɾʲ | fhréamh,tirim | rule (but tapped);real (but tapped) | |
| sˠ | Sasana,tús,speal | ʃ | sean,cáis | soon;sheet | |
| t̪ˠ | taisce,ceart | tʲ | tír,beirt | tool (but dental),thorn in Hiberno-English;tune | |
| w[6] | bhain,dubh mhór,léamh vóta | vʲ | bhéal,sibh mhilis,nimh veidhlín | woo;view | |
| x[7] | cháis,taoiseach | ç | cheist,deich | loch (Scottish English);hue (pronounced strongly) | |
| Vowels | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | Examples | English approximation | |
| a | cead | trap | |
| aː | meán | tar(Boston); tie(Southern U.S.) | |
| ɑ | cad | cod(General American) | |
| ɑː | mán | llama | |
| ɛ | ceist | best | |
| ɞ | cois | word(Hiberno-English) | |
| eː | mé,Gael | pay | |
| ɪ | ith,duine | kit | |
| iː | mín | mean | |
| ɔ | olc,deoch | cloth | |
| oː | bó,ceol | roll | |
| ʊ | dubh,fliuch | good | |
| uː | tú | too | |
| ə | solas,milis | sofa | |
| iə[8] | bia | fear (non-rhotic accent) | |
| uə[8] | fuar | tour (non-rhotic accent) | |
| əi[8] | saghas | light | |
| əu[8] | leabhar | about | |
| Supersegmentals | ||
|---|---|---|
| IPA | Explanation | |
| ˈ | Primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable); usually the first syllable except in Munster | |
| ˌ | Secondary stress (usually found only incompounds) | |
Materials published elsewhere use somewhat different conventions from those used at Wiktionary. For example, it is a longstanding tradition to leavevelarized ("broad") consonants unmarked and markpalatalized ("slender") consonants with theprime, although this is not standard IPA usage.
This section compares the IPA system used at Wiktionary(which is based on that used by Ailbhe Ní Chasaide in her description of Irish in theHandbook of the International Phonetic Association,→ISBN) with the system used in some other works.
| IPA | Ní Chasaide (1999)[9] (Gweedore) | Quiggin (1906)[10] (Glenties) | Breatnach (1947)[11] (Ring) | Ó Sé (2000)[12] (Dingle Peninsula) | Mhac an Fhailigh (1968)[13] (Erris) | Ó Siadhail (1988)[14] (Cois Fhairrge) | Foclóir Póca (1993)[15] (Lárchanúint) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | a | æ, α | a | a | a | æ꞉, a꞉[16] | a |
| aː | æ | α꞉ | a꞉ | ɑː | a꞉ | ɑ꞉ | a꞉ |
| bˠ | bˠ | b | b | b | b | b | b |
| bʲ | bʲ | bʹ | bʹ | bʹ | bʹ | bʹ | bʹ |
| c | c | kʹ | kʹ | kʹ | kʹ | kʹ | kʹ |
| ç | ç | ç | ç | xʹ | ç | xʹ | xʹ |
| d̪ˠ | d̪ˠ | d | d | d | d | d | d |
| dʲ | d̠ʲ | dʹ | dʹ | dʹ | dʹ | dʹ | dʹ |
| eː | e | e꞉ | e꞉ | eː | e꞉ | e꞉ | e꞉ |
| ɛ | ɛ | ɛ, e | e | e | e | e | e |
| ə | ə | ə | ə | ə, ɪ | ə | ə | ə |
| əi | — | αi | əi | ai | əi | ai | ai |
| əu | au | αu | əu | ou | əu | au | au |
| fˠ | fˠ | f | f | f | f | f | f |
| fʲ | fʲ | fʹ | fʹ | fʹ | fʹ | fʹ | fʹ |
| ɡ | ɡ | g | g | ɡ | g | g | g |
| ɣ | ɣ | ꬶ | γ | ɣ | ɣ | ɣ | γ |
| h | h | h | h, hʹ | h | h | h | h |
| iː | i | i꞉ | i꞉ | iː | i꞉ | i꞉ | i꞉ |
| ɪ | ɪ | ï, i, y | i | i | i | i | i |
| iə | ia | iə | iə | iːə | iə | i꞉ə | iə |
| j | j | j | j | ɣʹ | j | ɣʹ | γʹ |
| ɟ | ɟ | gʹ | gʹ | ɡʹ | gʹ | gʹ | gʹ |
| k | k | k | k | k | k | k | k |
| l̪ˠ | l̪ˠ | L | l | l | L | L | l |
| lˠ | l | l | |||||
| l̠ʲ | l̠ʲ | Lʹ | lʹ | lʹ | Lʹ | Lʹ | lʹ |
| lʲ | l | lʹ | lʹ | lʹ | |||
| mˠ | mˠ | m | m | m | m | m | m |
| mʲ | mʲ | mʹ | mʹ | mʹ | mʹ | mʹ | mʹ |
| n̪ˠ | n̪ˠ | N | n | n | N | N | n |
| nˠ | n | n | n | ||||
| n̠ʲ | n̠ʲ | Nʹ | nʹ | nʹ | Nʹ | Nʹ | nʹ |
| nʲ | nʹ | nʹ | nʹ | ||||
| ɲ | ɲ | ɲ | ŋʹ | ŋʹ | ŋʹ | ŋʹ | ŋʹ |
| ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ |
| oː | o | o꞉, ɔ꞉ | o꞉ | oː | o꞉ | o꞉ | o꞉ |
| ɔ | ʌ | ɔ, o̤ | o | o | o | o | o |
| pˠ | pˠ | p | p | p | p | p | p |
| pʲ | pʲ | pʹ | pʹ | pʹ | pʹ | pʹ | pʹ |
| ɾˠ | ɾˠ | r, R | r | r | r | r | r |
| ɾʲ | ɾʲ | rʹ | rʹ | rʹ | rʹ | rʹ | rʹ |
| sˠ | sˠ | s | s | s | s | s | s |
| ʃ | ɕ | ʃ | ʃ | ʃ | ʃ | sʹ | sʹ |
| t̪ˠ | t̪ˠ | t | t | t | t | t | t |
| tʲ | t̠ʲ | tʹ | tʹ | tʹ | tʹ | tʹ | tʹ |
| uː | u | u꞉ | u꞉ | uː | u꞉ | u꞉ | u꞉ |
| ʊ | ɤ | U | u | u | u | u | u |
| uə | ua | uə | uə | uːə | uə | u꞉ə | uə |
| vʲ | vʲ | v | vʹ | vʹ | vʹ | wʹ | vʹ |
| w | w | w | v | v | w | w | v |
| x | x | χ | x | x | x | x | x |