In the Received Pronunciation accent of English, there are 12 pure vowels and 8 diphthongs (also called gliding vowels). [2] X Research source Vowels are spoken with an unobstructed vocal tract. When making a vowel sound, your tongue should not touch your lips, teeth, or roof of the mouth.
[ɪ]: “bit” [bɪt], “ship” [ʃɪp], “grip” [grɪp] [i]: “sheep” [ʃip], “treat” [trit], and “reap” [rip] [ɛ]: “bed” [bɛd], “head” [hɛd], “instead” [ɪnstɛd] [æ]: “cat” [kæt], “bat” [bæt], “sand” [sænd][4] X Research source
[ɜ:]: “curve” [kɜ:rv], “bird” [bɜ:rd], “stir” [stɜ:r] [ə]: “syllable” [sɪləbəl], “moment” [momənt], “felony” [fɛləni] [ʌ]: “cut” [kʌt], “glove” [glʌv], “gun” [gʌn][6] X Research source
[uː]: “you” [ju:], “chew” [tʃu:], “tool” [tu:l] [ʊ]: “put” [pʊt], “could” [kʊd], “full” [fʊl] [ɔ]: “saw” [sɔ], “dawn” [dɔn], “wall” [wɔl] [ɑ]: “bra” [bra], “calm” [faðər], “dark” [dark][8] X Research source
[eɪ]: “wait” [weɪt], “pray” [preɪ], “say” [sei] [aɪ]: “like” [laɪk], “sight” [saɪt], “pie” [paɪ] [ɔɪ]: “coin” [kɔɪn], “oil” [ɔɪl], “voice” [vɔɪs] [aʊ]: “mouth” [maʊθ], “found” [faʊnd], “count” [kaʊnt] [oʊ]: “show” [ʃoʊ], “boat” [boʊt], “coat” [koʊt][10] X Research source
Plosive sounds, and many other classes as well, like fricatives, are usually divided into pairs of voiced (v+) and unvoiced (v-) sounds. The only difference between the 2 is that voiced sounds, like [b], cause the throat to vibrate, whereas unvoiced sounds, like [p], do not. [12] X Research source
Examples of [p] include the words “pet” [pɛt], “pea” [pi], and “lip” [lɪp]. Examples of [b] include “boat” [boʊt], “bet” [bɛt], and “trouble” [trʌbəl]. [14] X Research source
The [t] sound occurs in words like “tree” [tri], “ten” [tɛn], and “lot” [lɑt]. Words that use the [d] sound include “den” [dɛn], “dog” [dɔg], and “dint” [dɪnt]. [16] X Research source
Words that use [k] sounds include “kit” [kɪt], “coin” [kɔɪn], and “cuckoo” [kuku]. Words that exemplify [g] include “go” [goʊ], “give” [gɪv], and “toggle” [tɑgəl]. [17] X Research source
Some languages have nasalized vowels or consonants. These are usually marked by a special symbol called a diacritic. Nasalized sounds are marked with a tilde (~) above the sound symbol, as in [ẽ]. [19] X Research source Some languages may not have a large pool of nasal sounds. For example, the sound used to represent “-ing,” [ŋ], is relatively uncommon when compared to other nasal sounds, like [m] or [n].
Some examples of the [m] sound include “mouse” [maʊs], “me” [mi], and “minimal” [mɪnəməl]. [20] X Research source
Words using [n] include “now” [naʊ], “neat” [nit], and “tint” [tɪnt].
Examples of [ŋ] include “thing” [θɪŋ], “hung” [hʌŋ], and “bringing” [brɪŋɪŋ]. [22] X Research source
In some situations, the terms “spirant” and “strident” may be used as a synonym for the word “fricative. ”
Some examples of [f] include “free” [fri], “briefly” [brifli], and “affluent” [æfluənt]. Examples of [v] can be found in words like “vine” [vajn], “revere” [rɪvɪr] and “relieve” [rəliv]. [24] X Research source
[θ]: “think” [θɪŋk], “thing” [θɪŋ], “math” [mæθ] [ð]: “this” [ðɪs], “father” [faðər], “then” [ðɛn]
The [s] sound can be found in words like “tense” [tɛns], “lace” [les], and “steel” [stil]. Look for [z] in words like “zoo” [zu], “zigzag” [zɪgzæg], and “zone” [zon]. [26] X Research source
Voiced examples of [ʒ] can be found in words like “azure” [æʒər], “television” [tɛləvɪʒən], and “revision” [rivɪʒən].
For examples of [tʃ], look to to words like “chill” [tʃɪl], “leech” [litʃ], and “inch” [ɪntʃ]. For examples of [ʤ], take a look at “jet” [dʒɛt], “judges” [dʒədʒəz], and “enjoy” [ɛnʤɔɪ]. [29] X Research source It is common for sounds in this class to be called “affricates. ” The key feature of affricate sounds is a brief stop followed by the release of that stop. [30] X Research source
[ɸ], a voiceless bilabial fricative. [β], a voiced bilabial fricative. [x], a voiceless velar fricative. [ɣ], a voiced velar fricative. [χ], a voiceless uvular fricative. [ħ], a voiceless pharyngeal fricative. [32] X Research source
In some situations, you may hear [r] and [l] described as “liquids” and [w] and [y] sounds described as “glides. ”[34] X Research source Instances where the [r] or [l] sound are made by a tap of the tongue on the roof of the mouth are sometimes called taps or flaps, like in the words “pity” and “water. ”[35] X Research source Some languages utilize trills where an articulator, like the tongue, vibrates when producing sound. Trills are considered distinct from taps and flaps.
Some words that use this sound include “read” [rid], “arrival” [ərajvəl], and “deer” [dɪr].
Some words that employ this lateral include “leaf” [lif], “relax” [rəlæks], and “curl” [kərl].
For examples of [w], look at “will” [wɪl], “towel” [tawəl], “owl” [awl]. For examples of [j], look at “yes” [jɛs], “toy” [tɔj], and “envoy” [ɛnvɔj].
