Symbol | Examples | Description |
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A |
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[a]( listen) | GermanMann, Frenchgare | For many English speakers, the first part of theow sound incow. Found in some dialects of English incat orfather. |
[ä]( listen) | Mandarin 他tā, American Englishfather, Spanishcasa, Frenchpatte | |
[ɐ]( listen) | RPcut, GermanKaiserslautern | (In transcriptions of English,[ɐ] is usually written ⟨ʌ⟩.) |
[ɑ]( listen) | RPfather, Frenchpâte, Dutchbad | |
[ɑ̃]( listen) | FrenchCaen,sans,temps | Nasalized[ɑ]. |
[ɒ]( listen) | RPcot | Like[ɑ], but with the lips slightly rounded. |
[ʌ]( listen) | American Englishcut | Like[ɔ], but without the lips being rounded. (When ⟨ʌ⟩ is used for English, it may really be[ɐ] or[ɜ].) |
[æ]( listen) | RPcat | |
B |
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[b]( listen) | Englishbabble | |
[ɓ]( listen) | Swahilibwana | Like a[b] said with a gulp. Seeimplosive consonants. |
[β]( listen) | SpanishlaBamba, Kinyarwandaabana "children", Korean 무궁화 [muɡuŋβwa̠]mugunghwa | Like[b], but with the lips not quite closed. |
[ʙ]( listen) | Niassimbi [siʙi] "lower jaw" | Sputtering. |
C |
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[c]( listen) | Turkishkebap "kebab", Czech stín "shadow", Greekκαι "and" | Between Englishtune (RP) andcute. Sometimes used instead for[tʃ] in languages like Hindi. |
[ç]( listen) | GermanIch | More of a y-coloration (more palatal) than[x]. Some English speakers have a similar sound inhuge. To produce this sound, try whispering loudly the word "ye" as in "Hear ye!". |
[ɕ]( listen) | Mandarin 西安Xi'an, Polishściana | More y-like than[ʃ]; something like Englishshe. |
[ɔ]( listen) | see underO | |
D |
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[d]( listen) | Englishdad | |
[ɗ]( listen) | SwahiliDodoma | Like[d] said with a gulp. |
[ɖ]( listen) | American Englishharder | Like[d] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
[ð]( listen) | Englishthe, bathe | |
[dz]( listen) | Englishadds, Italianzero | |
[dʒ]( listen) | Englishjudge | |
[dʑ]( listen) | Polishniedźwiedź "bear" | Like[dʒ], but with more of a y-sound. |
[dʐ]( listen) | Polishdżem "jam" | Like[dʒ] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
E |
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[e]( listen) | Spanishfe; Frenchclé, GermanKlee | Similar to Englishhey, before the y sets in. |
[ɘ]( listen) | Australian Englishbird | |
[ə]( listen) | Englishabove, Hindi ठग[ʈʰəɡ](thug) "thief" | (Only occurs in English when not stressed.) |
[ɚ]( listen) | American Englishrunner | |
[ɛ]( listen) | Englishbet | |
[ɛ̃]( listen) | FrenchSaint-Étienne,vin,main | Nasalized[ɛ]. |
[ɜ]( listen) | RPbird (long) | |
[ɝ]( listen) | American Englishbird | |
F |
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[f]( listen) | Englishfun | |
[ɟ]( listen) | see underJ | |
[ʄ]( listen) | see underJ | |
G |
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[ɡ]( listen) | Englishgag | (Should look like . No different from a Latin "g") |
[ɠ]( listen) | SwahiliUganda | Like[ɡ] said with a gulp. |
[ɢ]( listen) | | Like[ɡ], but further back, in the throat. Found inPersian and some Arabic dialects for/q/, as inMuammar Gaddafi. |
[ʒ]( listen) | see underZ | Englishbeige. |
H |
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[h]( listen) | American Englishhouse | |
[ɦ]( listen) | Englishahead, when said quickly. | |
[ʰ] | | The extra puff of air in Englishtop[tʰɒp] compared tostop [stɒp], or to French or Spanish[t]. |
[ħ]( listen) | Arabic مُحَمَّدMuhammad | Far down in the throat, like[h], but stronger. |
[ɥ]( listen) | see underY | |
[ɮ]( listen) | see underL | |
I |
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[i]( listen) | Englishsea, Frenchville, SpanishValladolid | |
[ɪ]( listen) | Englishsit | |
[ɨ]( listen) | Russian ты "you" | Often used for unstressed Englishroses. |
J |
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[j]( listen) | Englishyes, hallelujah, GermanJunge | |
[ʲ] | In RussianЛенин[ˈlʲenʲɪn] | Indicates a sound is more y-like. |
[ʝ]( listen) | Spanishcayo (some dialects) | Like[j], but stronger. |
[ɟ]( listen) | Turkishgör "see", Czechdíra "hole" | Between Englishdew (RP) andargue. Sometimes used instead for[dʒ] in languages like Hindi. |
[ʄ]( listen) | Swahilijambo | Like[ɟ] said with a gulp. |
K |
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[k]( listen) | Englishkick, skip | |
L |
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[l]( listen) | Englishleaf | |
[ɫ]( listen) | Englishwool Russian малый[ˈmɑɫɨj] "small" | "Dark" el. |
[ɬ]( listen) | Welshllwyd[ɬʊɪd] "grey" Zuluhlala[ɬaːla] "sit" | By touching roof of mouth with tongue and giving a quick breath out. Found inWelsh placenames likeLlangollen andLlanelli andNelson Mandela's Xhosa nameRolihlahla. |
[ɭ]( listen) | | Like[l] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
[ɺ]( listen) | | A flapped[l], like[l] and[ɾ] said together. |
[ɮ]( listen) | Zuludla "eat" | Rather like[l] and[ʒ], or[l] and[ð], said together. |
[ʟ]( listen) | | |
M |
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[m]( listen) | Englishmime | |
[ɱ]( listen) | Englishsymphony | Like[m], but lips touch teeth as they do in[f]. |
[ɯ]( listen) | see underW | |
[ʍ]( listen) | see underW | |
N |
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[n]( listen) | Englishnun | |
[ŋ]( listen) | Englishsing, Māoringa | |
[ɲ]( listen) | SpanishPeña, Frenchchampagne | Rather like Englishcanyon (/nj/ said quickly). |
[ɳ]( listen) | Hindi वरुण[ʋəruɳ]Varuna | Like[n] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
[ɴ]( listen) | Castilian SpanishDon Juan[doɴˈχwan] | Like[ŋ], but further back, in the throat. |
O |
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[o]( listen) | Spanishno, Frencheau, GermanBoden | Somewhat reminiscent of American Englishno. |
[ɔ]( listen) | GermanOldenburg, FrenchGaronne | |
[ɔ̃]( listen) | FrenchLyon,son | Nasalized[ɔ]. |
[ø]( listen) | Frenchfeu,bœufs, GermanGoethe | Like[e], but with the lips rounded like[o]. |
[ɵ]( listen) | Dutchhut, Frenchje, Swedishdum | Halfway between[o] and[ø]. Similar to[ʊ] but with the tongue slightly more down and front. The Dutch vowel is often transcribed with ⟨ʏ⟩ or ⟨œ⟩, whereas the French vowel is typically transcribed with ⟨ə⟩. |
[œ]( listen) | Frenchbœuf,seul, GermanGöttingen | Like[ɛ], but with the lips rounded like[ɔ]. |
[œ̃]( listen) | Frenchbrun,parfum | Nasalized[œ]. |
[ɶ]( listen) | | |
[θ]( listen) | see underOthers | |
[ɸ]( listen) | see underOthers | |
P |
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[p]( listen) | Englishpip | |
Q |
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[q]( listen) | Arabic قُرْآنQur’ān | Like[k], but further back, in the throat. |
R |
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[r]( listen) | Spanishperro, Scotsborrow | "Rolled R". (Often used for other rhotics, such as English[ɹ], when there's no ambiguity.) |
[ɾ]( listen) | Spanishpero, Tagalogdaliri, Malaykabar, American Englishkitty/kiddie | "Flapped R". |
[ʀ]( listen) | Dutchrood and Germanrot (some speakers) | A trill in the back of the throat. Found for /r/ in some conservative registers of French. |
[ɽ]( listen) | Hindi साड़ी[sɑːɽiː] "sari" | Like flapped[ɾ], but with the tongue curled back. |
[ɹ]( listen) | RPborrow | |
[ɻ]( listen) | Mandarin 人民日报RénmínRìbào "People's Daily", American Englishborrow, butter | Like[ɹ], but with the tongue curled or pulled back, as pronounced by many English speakers. |
[ʁ]( listen) | FrenchParis, GermanRiemann (some dialects) | Said back in the throat, but not trilled. |
S |
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[s]( listen) | Englishsass | |
[ʃ]( listen) | Englishshoe | |
[ʂ]( listen) | Mandarin 少林(Shàolín), Russian Пушкин(Pushkin) | Acoustically similar to[ʃ], but with the tongue curled or pulled back.
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T |
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[t]( listen) | Englishtot, stop | |
[ʈ]( listen) | Hindi ठग[ʈʰəɡ](thug) "thief" | Like[t], but with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
[ts]( listen) | Englishcats, Russianцарьtsar | |
[tʃ]( listen) | Englishchurch | |
[tɕ]( listen) | Mandarin 北京 Běijīng ( listen), Polishciebie "you" | Like[tʃ], but with more of a y-sound. |
[tʂ]( listen) | Mandarin 真正zhēnzhèng, Polishczas | Like[tʃ] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
U |
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[u]( listen) | American Englishfood, Frenchvous "you", GermanSchumacher | |
[ʊ]( listen) | Englishfoot, GermanBundesrepublik | |
[ʉ]( listen) | Australian Englishfood (long) | Like[ɨ], but with the lips rounded as for[u]. |
[ɥ]( listen) | see underY | |
[ɯ]( listen) | see underW | |
V |
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[v]( listen) | Englishverve | |
[ʋ]( listen) | Hindi वरुण[ʋəruɳə] "Varuna" | Between[v] and[w]. Used by some Germans and Russians forv/w, and by some speakers of British English forr. |
[ɤ]( listen) | see underY | |
[ɣ]( listen) | see underY | |
[ʌ]( listen) | see underA | |
W |
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[w]( listen) | Englishwow | |
[ʷ] | | Indicates a sound has lip rounding, as in Englishrain |
[ʍ]( listen) | what (some dialects) | like[h] and[w] said together |
[ɯ]( listen) | Turkishkayık "caïque",Scottish Gaelicgaol | Like[u], but with the lips flat; something like[ʊ]. |
[ɰ]( listen) | Spanishagua | Like [w], but with the lips flat. |
X |
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[x]( listen) | Scottish Englishloch, GermanBach, Russianхороший[xɐˈroʂɨj] "good", Spanishjoven | between[k] and[h] |
[χ]( listen) | northern Standard DutchScheveningen, Castilian SpanishDonJuan[doɴˈχwan] | Like[x], but further back, in the throat. Some German and Arabic speakers have[χ] for[x]. |
Y |
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[y]( listen) | Frenchrue, GermanBülow | Like[i], but with the lips rounded as for[u]. |
[ʏ]( listen) | GermanDüsseldorf | Like[ɪ], but with the lips rounded as for[ʊ]. |
[ɣ]( listen) | Arabic غَالِيghālī and Swahilighali "expensive", Spanishsuegro | Sounds rather like French[ʁ] or between[ɡ] and[h]. |
[ɤ]( listen) | Mandarin 河南Hénán,Scottish Gaelictaigh | Like[o] but without the lips rounded, something like a cross of[ʊ] and[ʌ]. |
[ʎ]( listen) | Italiantagliatelle | Like[l], but more y-like. Rather like Englishvolume. |
[ɥ]( listen) | Frenchlui | Like[j] and[w] said together. |
Z |
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[z]( listen) | Englishzoo | |
[ʒ]( listen) | Englishvision, Frenchjournal | |
[ʑ]( listen) | old-styled Russian позже[ˈpoʑːe] "later", Polishźle | More y-like than[ʒ], something likebeigey. |
[ʐ]( listen) | Russianжир "fat" | Like[ʒ] with the tongue curled or pulled back. |
[ɮ]( listen) | see underL | |
Others |
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[θ]( listen) | Englishthigh, bath | |
[ɸ]( listen) | Japanese 富士[ɸɯdʑi]Fuji, Māori[ˌɸaːɾeːˈnuiː]wharenui | Like[p], but with the lips not quite touching |
[ʔ]( listen) | Englishuh-oh, Hawai‘i, Germandie Angst | The 'glottal stop', a catch in the breath. For some people, found inbutton[ˈbʌʔn̩], or between vowels across words:Deus ex machina[ˌdeɪəsˌʔɛksˈmɑːkɪnə]; in some nonstandard dialects, ina apple[əˈʔæpl̩]. |
[ʕ]( listen) | Arabic عَرَبِيّʻarabī "Arabic" | A light, voiced sound deep in the throat, articulated with the root of the tongue against the pharynx (back of the throat). |
[ǀ]( listen) | Englishtsk-tsk! ortut-tut!, Zuluicici "earring" | (The English click used for disapproval.) Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including[kǀ], [ɡǀ], [ŋǀ]. The Zimbabwean MPNcube has this click in his name, as didCetshwayo. |
[ǁ]( listen) | Englishtchick! tchick!, Zuluixoxo "frog" | (The English click used to urge on a horse.) Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including[kǁ], [ɡǁ], [ŋǁ]. Found in the name of theXhosa. |
[ǃ]( listen) | Zuluiqaqa "polecat" | (The English click used to imitate the trotting of a horse.) A hollow popping sound, like a cork pulled from a bottle. Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including[kǃ], [ɡǃ], [ŋǃ]. |
[ʘ]( listen) | ǂ’Amkoeʘoa "two" | Like a kissing sound. |
[ǂ]( listen) | Khoekhoeǂgā-amǃnâ [ǂàʔám̀ᵑǃã̀] "to put in the mouth" | Like an imitation of a chewing sound. |