Key to the pronunciation
The pronunciations given are those in use among educated urban speakers of standard English in Britain and the United States. While avoiding strongly regionally or socially marked forms, they are intended to include the most common variants for each word. The keywords given are to be understood as pronounced in such speech.
British English
Consonants
| Symbol | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| b | as in | big /bɪg/ |
| d | ... | dig /dɪg/ |
| dʒ | ... | judge /dʒʌdʒ/ |
| ð | ... | then /ðɛn/, bathe /beɪð/ |
| f | ... | fig /fɪg/ |
| g | ... | go /gəʊ/ |
| h | ... | how /haʊ/ |
| j | ... | yes /jɛs/ |
| k | ... | keep /kiːp/, card /kɑːd/ |
| l | ... | leap /liːp/ |
| m | ... | mine /mʌɪn/ |
| n | ... | nine /nʌɪn/ |
| ŋ | ... | singing /ˈsɪŋɪŋ/, think /θɪŋk/ |
| ŋg | ... | finger /ˈfɪŋgə/ |
| p | ... | pine /pʌɪn/ |
| r | ... | run /rʌn/, hurry /ˈhʌri/ |
| s | ... | see /siː/, cease /siːs/ |
| ʃ | ... | shop /ʃɒp/, dish /dɪʃ/ |
| t | ... | tan /tan/ |
| tʃ | ... | chop /tʃɒp/, ditch /dɪtʃ/ |
| θ | ... | thin /θɪn/, path /pɑːθ/ |
| v | ... | van /van/ |
| w | ... | wear /wɛː/, where /wɛː/ |
| z | ... | zoo /zuː/ |
| ʒ | ... | vision /ˈvɪʒən/, regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ |
| x | ... | (Scots) loch /lɒx/ |
| ɬ | ... | (Welsh) penillion /pɛˈnɪɬɪən/, Llandaff /ˈɬandaf/ |
In addition, the consonants l, m, and n can take on the function of a vowel in some unstressed syllables. It should generally be clear when this interpretation is intended, but in cases of potential ambiguity, the consonant symbol appears with a diacritic, as ḷ, ṃ and ṇ, as e.g. maddle /ˈmadl/, macromodelling /ˌmakrəʊˈmɒdḷɪŋ/; macroseism /makrəʊsʌɪzm/, ransoming /ransṃɪŋ/; madden /ˈmadn/, maddening /ˈmadṇɪŋ/.
Vowels and diphthongs
| a | as in | trap /trap/, and some pronunciations of bath /baθ/ |
| aʊ | ... | mouth /maʊθ/ |
| ɑː | ... | start /stɑːt/, palm /pɑːm/, and some pronunciations of bath /bɑːθ/ |
| eɪ | ... | face /feɪs/ |
| ɛ | ... | dress /drɛs/ |
| ɛː | ... | square /skwɛː/ |
| ə | ... | another /əˈnʌðə/ |
| əː | ... | nurse /nəːs/ |
| əʊ | ... | goat /gəʊt/ |
| i | ... | happy /ˈhapi/ |
| iː | ... | fleece /fliːs/ |
| ɪ | ... | kit /kɪt/, rabbit /ˈrabɪt/ |
| ɪə | ... | near /ˈnɪə/ |
| ɔː | ... | force /fɔːs/, north /nɔːθ/, thought /θɔːt/ |
| ɔɪ | ... | choice /tʃɔɪs/ |
| ɒ | ... | lot /lɒt/, cloth /klɒθ/ |
| uː | ... | goose /guːs/ |
| ʊ | ... | foot /fʊt/ |
| ʊə | ... | cure /ˈkjʊə/, jury /ˈdʒʊəri/ |
| ʌ | ... | strut /strʌt/ |
| ʌɪ | ... | price /prʌɪs/ |
| ã | ... | fin de siècle /ˌfã dəˈsjɛklə/ |
| ɒ̃ | ... | bon mot /ˌbɒ̃ˈməʊ/, rapprochement /rəˈprɒʃmɒ̃/ |
ɪ̵ represents free variation between /ɪ/ and /ə/
ʊ̶̵ represents free variation between /ʊ/ and /ə/
Stress
The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrate /ˈsɛrɪ̵breɪt/.
The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebration /ˌsɛrɪ̵ˈbreɪʃn/.
The symbol ˈˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable may be pronounced with either primary or secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrospinal /ˈˌsɛrɪ̵brsəʊˈpʌɪnl/.
U.S. English
Consonants
The consonants of U.S. English are essentially the same as those used in British English, but they have a different distribution. In particular:
After a vowel, U.S. English can have /r/ regardless of the sound which follows, whereas British English retains the /r/ only when it is followed by a vowel.
- Compare U.S. mar /mɑr/, marring /ˈmɑrɪŋ/ with British mar /mɑː/, marring /ˈmɑːrɪŋ/
Between vowels (except at the start of a stressed syllable) U.S. English has /d/ where British English has /t/.
- Compare U.S. butter /ˈbədər/, and waiting /ˈweɪdɪŋ/ (as against wait /weɪt/) with British butter /ˈbʌtə/, waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/, wait /weɪt/
U.S. speakers are more likely than British speakers to distinguish between wear (with /w/) and where (with either /w/ or /hw/).
Vowels and diphthongs
| aɪ | as in | price /praɪs/ |
| aʊ | ... | mouth /maʊθ/ |
| ɑ | ... | lot /lɑt/, palm /pɑm/, start /stɑrt/, and some pronunciations of cloth /clɑθ/, thought /θɑt/ |
| æ | ... | trap /træp/, bath /bæθ/ |
| eɪ | ... | face /feɪs/ |
| ɛ | ... | dress /drɛs/, square /skwɛ(ə)r/, marry /ˈmɛri/ |
| ə | ... | strut /strət/, nurse /nərs/, another /əˈnəðər/, rabbit /ˈræbət/ |
| i | ... | fleece /flis/, happy /ˈhæpi/ |
| ɪ | ... | kit /kɪt/, near /ˈnɪ(ə)r/ |
| oʊ | ... | goat /goʊt/ |
| ɔ | ... | force /fɔ(ə)rs/, north /nɔrθ/, and some pronunciations of cloth /clɔθ/, thought /θɔt/ |
| ɔɪ | ... | choice /tʃɔɪs/ |
| u | ... | goose /gus/ |
| ʊ | ... | foot /fʊt/, cure /ˈkjʊ(ə)r/ |
| ɑ̃ | ... | rapprochement /ˈˌræˌprɔʃˌmɑ̃/, fin de siècle /ˌfɑ̃ dəsˈjɛkl/ |
| ɔ̃ | ... | bon mot /bɔ̃moʊ/ |
ɪ̵ represents free variation between /ɪ/ and /ə/
ʊ̶̵ represents free variation between /ʊ/ and /ə/
Where /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /ɔ/, or /ʊ/ is followed by /r/, an intervening /ə/ is often inserted, e.g. near /ˈnɪ(ə)r/, square /skwɛ(ə)r/, force /fɔ(ə)rs/, cure /ˈkjʊ(ə)r/.
Stress
The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrate /ˈsɛrəˌbreɪt/.
The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebration /ˌsɛrəˈbreɪʃən/.
The symbol ˈˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable may be pronounced with either primary or secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrospinal /ˈˌsɛrəbroʊˈspaɪnəl/.