Help:IPA/English: Difference between revisions

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{{IPA key|H:IPA-EN|H:IPAE|H:IPAEN}}

ThroughoutOn Wikipedia, the pronunciation of words is indicatedshown using the '''[[International Phonetic Alphabet]]''' ('''IPA'''). The following tables listbelow provide a key to the IPA symbols used for English words and pronunciations. Please note that severalsome of these symbols are used in ways that are specific to Wikipedia, and may differ from thosetheir usedusage byin dictionaries.

If the IPA symbols aredo not displayeddisplay properlycorrectly byin your browser, see the [[Help:IPA/English#See also|troubleshooting links below]].

Editors should use [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#IPA templates on Wikipedia|IPA templates]] such as {{tl|IPAc-en}} when adding IPA to Wikipedia articles, see [[MOS:PRON#Entering IPA characters|Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters]] for guidance. These templates ensure accessibility and tooltip functionality, see [[Template:IPAc-en|the documentation page]] for usage instructions.

If you are adding a pronunciation using this key, such pronunciations should generally be formatted using the template {{t|IPAc-en}}. The template provides tooltips for each symbol in the pronunciation. See the template page for instructions.

{{Horizontal TOC|nonum=y}}

==Key==

If thereyou isare looking for an IPA symbol youthat aredoes lookingnot forappear thatin youthe dopronunciation not seekey herebelow, see [[Help:IPA]], which isprovides a more completecomprehensive list. For a table listingshowing all spellings ofhow the sounds on this page correspond to English spellings, see {{section link|English orthography|Sound-to-spelling correspondences}}. For helpassistance in converting spellingspellings to pronunciationpronunciations, seerefer to {{section link|English orthography|Spelling-to-sound correspondences}}.

TheIn some cases, words given as examples for two different symbols may sound the same to you. For exampleinstance, you maymight pronounce [[Cot–caught merger|''cot'' and ''caught'' the same]], [[Do-dew merger|''do'' and ''dew'']], or [[Marry merry mary|''marry'' and ''merry'']] the same. This oftentypically happensresults because offrom dialect variation (see our articles [[English phonology]] and [[International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects]]). If this is the caseso, you will likely pronounce those symbols the same forin other words as well.{{refn|name=localterms|This rule is generally employed in the pronunciation guide of our articles, even for local terms such as place names. However, be aware that not all editors may have followed this consistently, so for example if a pronunciation of an English town ending in ‑ford reads /‑fəd/, it doesn't mean that the /r/ would be absent in a rhotic dialect.}} Whether this isapplies true forto all words, or just when the sounds occuronly in thecertain same context,contexts depends on the specific [[sound merger]].<ref>For example, if you have the ''marry–merry'' merger, you probably only merge {{IPA|/æ/}} and {{IPA|/ɛ/}} before {{IPA|/ɹr/}}. You would still distinguish ''man'' and ''men''.</ref> The footnotes explainprovide somefurther explanation of these cases.

{| style="background:none"

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|-

| {{big|{{IPA|dʒ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | '''gj'''iantive, ba'''dg'''e

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ð}}}}

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| style="text-align: left" | '''h'''igh, a'''h'''ead

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ʍhw}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | '''wh'''ine{{refn|The phoneme {{IPA|/ʍhw/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/w/}} in the many dialects with the [[Wine–whine merger|''wine''–''whine'' merger]], such as RP and most varieties of General American. For more information on this sound, see [[voiceless labialized velar approximant]].}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|j}}}}{{refn|The IPA value of the letter {{angbr IPA|j}} may be counterintuitive to English speakers, but the spelling is found even in some common English words like ''[[hallelujah]]'' and ''[[fjord]]''. Some dictionaries use {{angbr IPA|y}} instead, although it represents a [[close front rounded vowel]] in official IPA.}}

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| style="text-align: left" | {{Not a typo|'''p'''ie, s'''p'''y, ca'''p'''}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɹr}}}}{{refn|In most varieties of English, {{IPA|/r/}} is pronounced as an [[Voiced alveolar and postalveolar approximants|Voiced postalveolar approximant]] {{IPAblinkangbr IPA|ɣ̞˞ˤʷɹ̠}}. Although the IPA symbol {{angbr IPA|r}} represents the [[alveolar trill]], {{angbr IPA|r}} is widely used instead of {{angbr IPA|ɹɹ̠}} in broad transcriptions of English for convenience.}}

| style="text-align: left" | '''r'''ye, t'''r'''y, ve'''r'''y

|-

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| {{big|{{IPA|ɑː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|P'''A'''LM}}, br'''a''', f'''a'''ther

| {{big|{{IPA|ɑːɹɑːr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|ST'''AR'''T}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɒ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|L'''O'''T}}, blb'''o'''ckadether, c'''o'''t, bbl'''o'''therckade{{refn|In dialects with the [[Father–bother merger|''father''–''bother'' merger]] such as General American, {{IPA|/ɒ/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ɒɹɒr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | m'''or'''al{{refn|In most of the United States, {{IPA|/ɒɹɒr/}} is merged with {{IPA|/ɔːɹɔːr/}}, except for a handful of words such as ''borrow'', ''tomorrow'' and ''sorry'', which instead have {{IPA|/ɑːɹɑːr/}}. In some parts of the Southern and Northeastern US, it is always merged with {{IPA|/ɑːɹɑːr/}}. In Canada, it is always merged with {{IPA|/ɔːɹɔːr/}}.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|æ}}}}{{refn|Some British sources, such as the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], use {{angbr IPA|a}} instead of {{IPA|/æ/}} to transcribe this vowel. This more closely reflects the actual vowel quality in contemporary [[Received Pronunciation]].{{efn|{{cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/information/understanding-entries/pronunciation/british-english-pronunciations/|title=British English Pronunciations|publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|accessdate=4 September 2023}}}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|TR'''A'''P}}, b'''a'''g, s'''a'''ng, t'''a'''ttoo{{refn|In North America, {{IPA|/æ/}} is often pronounced like a diphthong {{IPA|[eə~ɛə]}} before nasal consonants and, in some particular regional dialects, other environments. See [[:/æ/ raising|{{IPA|/æ/|cat=no}} raising]].}}

| {{big|{{IPA|æɹær}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | m'''arr'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry|Many North American accents have the [[Mary–marry–merry merger|''Mary''–''marry''–''merry'' merger]] and therefore don't distinguish between the corresponding sounds {{IPA|/ɛəɹɛər/}}, {{IPA|/æɹær/}}, and {{IPA|/ɛɹɛr/}}. Some speakers merge only two of the sounds (most typically {{IPA|/ɛəɹɛər/}} with one of the short vowels), and less than a fifth of speakers of American English make a full three-way distinction like in RP and similar accents.{{efn|{{cite web|last1=Vaux|first1=Bert|last2=Golder|first2=Scott|year=2003|url=http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_15.html|title=How do you pronounce Mary/merry/marry?|work=Harvard Dialect Survey|publisher=Harvard University Linguistics Department}}}}}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|aɪ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|PR'''I'''CE}}, p'''ie'''{{refn|name=CanadianRaising|In much of North America, {{IPA|/aɪ/}} or {{IPA|/aʊ/}} may have a slightly different quality when it precedes a [[voiceless]] consonant, as in ''price'' or ''mouth'', from that in ''ride/pie'' or ''loud/how'', a phenomenon known as [[Canadian raising]]. Since this occurs in a predictable fashion, it is not distinguished in this transcription system.}}

| {{big|{{IPA|aɪəɹaɪər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | h'''ire'''{{refn|name=triphthong|Some speakers pronounce ''higher, flower'' and ''coyer'' ("more coy") with two syllables, and ''hire, flour'' and ''coir'' with one. Most pronounce them the same. For the former group of words, make use of syllable breaks, as in {{IPA|/ˈhaɪ.ər/, /ˈflaʊ.ər/, /ˈkɔɪ.ər/}}, to differentiate from the latter. Before vowels, the distinction between {{IPA|/aɪər, aʊər, ɔɪər/}} and {{IPA|/aɪr, aʊr, ɔɪr/}} is not always clear; choose the former if the second element may be omitted (as in {{IPA|[ˈdaəri]}} ''diary'').}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|aʊ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|M'''OU'''TH}}, h'''ow'''{{refn|name=CanadianRaising}}

| {{big|{{IPA|aʊəɹaʊər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | fl'''our'''{{refn|name=triphthong}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɛ}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/ɛ/}} is transcribed with {{angbr IPA|e}} in many dictionaries. However, {{IPA|/eɪ/}} is also sometimes transcribed with {{angbr IPA|e}}, especially in North American literature, so {{angbr IPA|ɛ}} is chosen here.}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|DR'''E'''SS}}, b'''e'''g, l'''e'''ngth, pr'''e'''stige

| {{big|{{IPA|ɛɹɛr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | m'''err'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|eɪ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''A'''CE}}, v'''a'''gue

| {{big|{{IPA|ɛəɹɛər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|SQU'''ARE'''}}, M'''ar'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry}}{{refn|name=centering|{{IPA|/ɛə/}}, {{IPA|/ɪə/}}, or {{IPA|/ʊə/}} may be separated from {{IPA|/r/}} only when a stress follows it. The [[Template:IPAc-en|IPAc-en]] template supports {{IPA|/ɛəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ɪəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ʊəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ɛəˌr/}}, {{IPA|/ɪəˌr/}}, and {{IPA|/ʊəˌr/}} as distinct diaphonemes for such occasions.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɪ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|K'''I'''T}}, b'''i'''g, s'''i'''ng, h'''i'''storic{{refn|name=strong-weak|{{angbr IPA|ɪ}} and {{angbr IPA|oʊ}} represent strong vowels in some words and weak vowels in others. It will not always be clear which they are.{{efn|{{harvp|Flemming|Johnson|2007|pp=91–2}}.}}{{efn|{{cite web|last=Wells|first=John|date=25 March 2011|url=http://phonetic-blog.blogspot.com/2011/03/strong-and-weak.html|title=strong and weak|work=John Wells's phonetic blog}}}}}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ɪɹɪr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | m'''irr'''or, S'''ir'''ius

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|iː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|FL'''EE'''CE}}, l'''ea'''gue, pedigr'''ee''', id'''e'''a{{refn|name=smoothing|Words like ''idea, real,'' and ''theatre'' may be pronounced with {{IPA|/ɪə/}} and ''cruel'' with {{IPA|/ʊə/}} in non-rhotic accents such as Received Pronunciation, and some dictionaries transcribe them with {{IPA|/ɪə, ʊə/}},{{efn|name=wells-smoothing|{{harvp|Wells|1982|p=240}}.}} but since they are not pronounced with {{IPA|/r/}} in rhotic accents, they are transcribed with {{IPA|/iːə, uːə/}}, not with {{IPA|/ɪə, ʊə/}}, in this transcription system.}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ɪəɹɪər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''EAR'''}}, s'''er'''ious{{refn|name=centering}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|oʊ}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/oʊ/}} is often transcribed with {{angbr IPA|əʊ}}, particularly in British literature, based on its modern realization in Received Pronunciation. It is also transcribed with {{angbr IPA|o}}, particularly in North American literature.}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|G'''OA'''T}}{{refn|name=strong-weak}}

| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|ɔːɹɔːr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''OR'''CE}}, h'''oar'''se{{refn|name=horse|Some accents, such as [[Scottish English]], many forms of [[Irish English]] and some conservative [[American English|American]] accents, make a distinction between the vowels in ''horse'' and ''hoarse'' (i.e. they lack the [[horse–hoarse merger|''horse''–''hoarse'' merger]]). Since most modern dictionaries do not differentiate between them, neither does this key.}}

|-

| | {{big|{{IPA|ɔː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|TH'''OUGH'''T}}, c'''auaugh'''dacioust, c'''aughau'''tdacious{{refn|{{IPA|/ɔː/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɒ/}} in dialects with the [[Cot–caught merger|''cot''–''caught'' merger]] such as Scottish English, Canadian English and many varieties of General American. In North America, the two vowels most often fall together with {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''OR'''TH}}, h'''or'''se{{refn|name=horse}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɔɪ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|CH'''OI'''CE}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ɔɪəɹɔɪər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | c'''oir'''{{refn|name=triphthong}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ʊ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''OO'''T}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ʊɹʊr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | c'''our'''ier

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|uː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|G'''OO'''SE}}, cr'''u'''el{{refn|name=smoothing}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ʊəɹʊər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | t'''our''', {{nowrap|{{sc2|C'''URE'''}} {{small|({{IPA|/ˈkjʊər/}})}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/ʊər/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɔːr/}} in dialects with the [[cure–force merger|''cure''–''force'' merger]], including many younger speakers. In England, the merger may not be fully consistent and may only apply to more common words. In conservative RP and Northern England English {{IPA|/ʊər/}} is much more commonly preserved than in modern RP and Southern England English. In Australia and New Zealand, {{IPA|/ʊər/}} does not exist as a separate phoneme and is replaced either by the sequence {{IPA|/uːər/}} ({{IPA|/uːr/}} before vowels within the same word, save for some compounds) or the monophthong {{IPA|/ɔːr/}}.}}{{refn|name=centering}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|ʌ}}}}{{refn|Some, particularly North American, dictionaries notate {{IPA|/ʌ/}} with the same symbol as {{IPA|/ə/}}, which is found only in unstressed syllables, and distinguish it from {{IPA|/ə/}} by marking the syllable as stressed. Also note that although {{angbr IPA|ʌ}}, the IPA symbol for the [[open-mid back unrounded vowel|open-mid back vowel]], is used, the typical modern pronunciation is rather close to the [[near-open central unrounded vowel|near-open central vowel]] {{IPA|[ɐ]}} in some dialects, including Received Pronunciation.}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|STR'''U'''T}}, s'''u'''ng, '''u'''ntidy, tr'''u'''stee{{refn|{{IPA|/ʌ/}} is not used in the dialects of the northern half of England, and some bordering parts of Wales,Ireland and some broad eastern Ireland accentsWales. These words would take the {{IPA|/ʊ/}} vowel: there is no [[Foot–strut split|''foot''–''strut'' split]].}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ɜːɹɜːr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''UR'''SE}}, bl'''urr'''y, '''ur'''bane, forew'''or'''d{{refn|In Received Pronunciation, {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} is pronounced as a lengthened schwa, {{IPA|[əː]}}. In General American, it is phonetically identical to {{IPA|/əɹər/}}. Some dictionaries therefore use {{angbr IPA|əː, əɹər}} instead of the conventional notations {{angbr IPA|ɜː, ɜɹɜr}}. When {{angbr IPA|əɹər}} is used for {{IPA|/ɜːɹɜːr/}}, it is distinguished from {{IPA|/əɹər/}} by marking the syllable as stressed.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ʌɹʌr}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | h'''urr'''y{{refn|{{IPA|/ʌr/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} in dialects with the [[Hurry–furry merger|''hurry''–''furry'' merger]] such as General American.}}

|-

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| {{big|{{IPA|ə}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|COMM'''A'''}}, abb'''o'''t, b'''a'''zaar

| {{big|{{IPA|əɹər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|LETT'''ER'''}}, forw'''ar'''d, hist'''or'''y{{refn|name=syllabic}}

|-

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| style="text-align: left" | rabb'''i'''t, b'''i'''zarre, Lat'''i'''n{{refn|name=strong-weak}}{{refn|{{angbr IPA|ɪ}} represents a strong vowel in some contexts and a weak vowel in others. In accents with the [[weak vowel merger]] such as most Australian and American accents, weak {{IPA|/ɪ/}} is not distinguished from schwa {{IPA|/ə/}}, making ''rabbit'' and ''abbot'' rhyme and ''Lenin'' and ''Lennon'' homophonous. (Pairs like ''roses'' and ''Rosa's'' are kept distinct in American accents because of the difference in morphological structure,{{efn|{{harvp|Flemming|Johnson|2007|pp=94–5}}.}} but may be homophonous in Australian.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|p=601}}.}}) In these accents, weak {{IPA|/ɪl, ɪn, ɪm/}} merge with {{IPA|/əl, ən, əm/}}, so that the second vowel in ''Latin'' may be lost and ''cabinet'' may be disyllabic (see the previous note).}}

| {{big|{{IPA|oʊ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | mott'''o''', retr'''o'''active, foll'''ow'''er{{refn|name=strong-weak}}{{refn|name=schwa-w|{{IPA|/oʊ/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} in unstressed, prevocalic positions are transcribed as {{IPA|/əw/}} by Merriam-Webster, but no other dictionary uniformly follows this practice.{{efn|{{cite web |last=Windsor Lewis |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Windsor Lewis |date=10 April 2009 |url=http://www.yek.me.uk/archive18.html#blog174 |title=The Elephant in the Room |work=PhonetiBlog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250306085850/http://www.yek.me.uk/archive18.html#blog174 |archive-date=6 March 2025}}}} Hence the difference between {{IPA|/əw/}} in Merriam-Webster and {{IPA|/oʊ/}} or {{IPA|/u/}} in another source is most likely one in notation, not in pronunciation, so {{IPA|/əw/}} in such cases may be better replaced with {{IPA|/oʊ/}} or {{IPA|/u/}} accordingly, to minimize confusion: {{IPA|/ˌsɪtʃəˈweɪʃən/}} → {{IPA|/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/}}, {{IPA|/ˈfɒləwər/}} → {{IPA|/ˈfɒloʊər/}}.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|i}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|HAPP'''Y'''}}, med'''i'''ocre{{refn|name=i-u|{{angbr IPA|i}} represents variation between {{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in unstressed prevocalic or morpheme-final positions. It is realized with a quality closer to {{IPA|/iː/}} in accents with [[Happy tensing|''happy'' tensing]], such as Australian English, General American, and modern RP, and to {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in others. {{angbr IPA|u}} likewise represents variation between {{IPA|/uː/}} and {{IPA|/ʊ/}} in unstressed prevocalic positions.}}

| {{big|{{IPA|iə}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | Californ'''ia'''{{refn|The sequence {{angbr IPA|iə}} may be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|[i.ə]}} or {{IPA|[ɪ.ə]}}, or as one, {{IPA|[jə]}} or {{IPA|[ɪə̯]}}. When pronounced as one syllable in a non-rhotic accent, it may be indistinguishable from, and identified as, the {{sc2|NEAR}} vowel ({{IPA|/ɪər/}}).{{efn|name=wells-smoothing}} This transcription system uses {{angbr IPA|iə}}, not {{angbr IPA|i.ə}}, {{angbr IPA|jə}}, {{angbr IPA|ɪə}}, etc., to cover all these possibilities.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|u}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | fr'''u'''ition{{refn|name=schwa-w}}{{refn|name=i-u}}

| {{big|{{IPA|uə}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | infl'''ue'''nce{{refn|The sequence {{angbr IPA|uə}} may be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|[u.ə]}} or {{IPA|[ʊ.ə]}}, or as one, {{IPA|[wə]}} or {{IPA|[ʊə̯]}}. When pronounced as one syllable in a non-rhotic accent, it may be indistinguishable from, and identified as, the {{sc2|CURE}} vowel ({{IPA|/ʊər/}}).{{efn|name=wells-smoothing}} This transcription system uses {{angbr IPA|uə}}, not {{angbr IPA|u.ə}}, {{angbr IPA|wə}}, {{angbr IPA|ʊə}}, etc., to cover all these possibilities.}}

|-

! colspan="4" | [[Syllabic consonant]]s{{refn|name=syllabic|In a number of contexts, {{IPA|/ə/}} in {{IPA|/ər/}}, {{IPA|/əl/}}, {{IPA|/ən/}}, or {{IPA|/əm/}} is often omitted, resulting in a syllable with no vowel. Some dictionaries show {{IPA|/ə/}} in those contexts in parentheses, superscript, or italics to indicate this possibility, or simply omit {{IPA|/ə/}}. When followed by a weak vowel, the syllable may be lost altogether, with the consonant moving to the next syllable, so that ''doubling'' {{IPA|/ˈdʌb.əl.ɪŋ/}} may alternatively be pronounced as {{IPA|[ˈdʌb.lɪŋ]}}, and ''Edinburgh'' {{IPA|/ˈɛd.ɪn.bər.ə/}} as {{IPA|[ˈɛd.ɪn.brə]}}.<!-- Symbols are deliberately kept diaphonemic since their realizations vary. -->{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|2008|pp=173, 799}}.}} When not followed by a vowel, {{IPA|/ər/}} merges with {{IPA|/ə/}} in non-rhotic accents.}}

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| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{nowrap|'''in'''to'''na'''tion {{IPA|/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/}}}}{{refn|name=secondary stress|Scholars disagree on how to analyze [[Stress_and_vowel_reduction_in_English#Degrees_of_lexical_stress|degrees of stress]] in English. A particular unstressed syllable with phonetic prominence or a [[Stress_and_vowel_reduction_in_English#Unstressed_full_vowels|full (unreduced) vowel]] is analyzed by some scholars as having secondary stress. For simplicity, we follow British rather than American English conventions, only marking secondary stress when it occurs before, not after, the primary stress.}}

| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|.}}}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈhaɪəɹˈhaɪər/}} hire}}, {{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈhaɪ.əɹər/}} higher}}{{refn|Syllable divisions are not usually marked, but the IPA dot {{angbr IPA|.}} may be used when it is wished to make explicit where a division between syllables is (or may be) made.}}<br>{{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈtæks.peɪəɹpeɪər/}} taxpayer}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ˌ}}}}

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* Some speakers from Northern England do not distinguish the vowel of ''square'' {{IPA|/ˈskwɛər/}} and ''nurse'' {{IPA|/ˈnɜːrs/}}.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=361, 372}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɛər/}} and {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}.

* In New Zealand English, the vowels of ''kit'' {{IPA|/ˈkɪt/}} and ''foc'''u'''s'' {{IPA|/ˈfoʊkəs/}} have the same [[schwa]]-like quality.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=605–7}}.}}{{efn|{{harvp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|pp=98–9}}.}} If you are from New Zealand, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɪ/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}}.

* In contemporary New Zealand English and some other dialects, the vowels of ''near'' {{IPA|/ˈnɪəɹˈnɪər/}} and ''square'' {{IPA|/ˈskwɛəɹˈskwɛər/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|p=98}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɪəɹɪər/}} and {{IPA|/ɛəɹɛər/}}.

* In Northern England English and some varieties of Irish and Welsh English, the vowels of ''foot'' {{IPA|/ˈfʊt/}} and ''strut'' {{IPA|/ˈstrʌt/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=351–3, 363–4}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ʊ/}} and {{IPA|/ʌ/}}.

* In some varieties of Scottish English and in Northern Irish English, the vowels of ''trap'' {{IPA|/ˈtræp/}} and ''palm'' {{IPA|/ˈpɑːm/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=400, 439}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/æ/}} and {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.

* In Welsh English and some other dialects, the vowels of '''''u'''northodoxy'' {{IPA|/ʌnˈɔːɹθədɒksiʌnˈɔːrθədɒksi/}} and '''''a'''n orthodoxy'' {{IPA|/ən ˈɔːrθədɒksi/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=380–1}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ʌ/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}}.

* Depending on the dialect, vowels can be subject to various mergers before {{IPA|/l/}}, so that e.g. ''fill'' {{IPA|/ˈfɪl/}} and ''feel'' {{IPA|/ˈfiːl/}} or ''pull'' {{IPA|/ˈpʊl/}} and ''pool'' {{IPA|/ˈpuːl/}} may not be distinguished. [[L-vocalization]] may trigger even more mergers, so that e.g. ''cord'' {{IPA|/ˈkɔːrd/}} and ''called'' {{IPA|/ˈkɔːld/}} may be homophonous as {{IPA|/ˈkɔːd/}} in non-rhotic dialects of South East England. See [[English-language vowel changes before historic /l/]] for more information.

* In many dialects, {{IPA|/ɹr/}} occurs only before a vowel; if you speak such a dialect, simply ignore {{IPA|/ɹr/}} in the pronunciation guides where you would not pronounce it, as in ''cart'' {{IPA|/kɑːrt/}}.

* In other dialects, {{IPA|/j/}} ('''y'''es) cannot occur after {{IPA|/t, d, n/}}, etc., within the same syllable; if you speak such a dialect, then ignore the {{IPA|/j/}} in transcriptions such as ''new'' {{IPA|/njuː/}}. For example, ''New York'' is transcribed {{IPA|/njuː ˈjɔːɹkˈjɔːrk/}}. For most people from England and for some New Yorkers, the {{IPA|/r/}} in {{IPA|/jɔːɹkjɔːrk/}} is not pronounced; for most people from the United States, including some New Yorkers, the {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/njuː/}} is not pronounced and may be ignored. (See ''[[yod-dropping]]''.)

On the other hand, there are some distinctions which you might make but which this key does not encode, as they are seldom reflected in the dictionaries used as sources for Wikipedia articles:

* The vowels of ''kit'' and ''bit'', distinguished in South Africa.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=612–3}}.}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in stressed syllables and as {{IPA|/ɪ/}} or {{IPA|/ə/}} in unstressed syllables.

* The difference between the vowels of ''fir'', ''fur'' and ''fern'', maintained in some [[Scottish English|Scottish]] and [[Hiberno-English|Irish English]] but lost elsewhere.{{efn|name=scottishprer|{{harvp|Stuart-Smith|2004|p=56}}.}} All of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɜːɹɜːr/}}.

* The vowels of ''north'' and ''force'', distinguished in Scottish English, Irish English and by a minority of American speakers.{{efn|name=scottishprer}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɔːɹɔːr/}}.

* The vowels of ''pause'' and ''paws'', distinguished in Cockney and by some Estuary English speakers.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=304, 310–1}}.}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɔː/}} when the spelling does not contain {{angbr|ɹr}} and {{IPA|/ɔːɹɔːr/}} or {{IPA|/ʊəɹʊər/}} (depending on the word) when it does.

* The vowels of ''manning'' and ''Manning'', distinguished in some parts of the United States (see [[:/æ/ raising|{{IPA|/æ/|cat=no}} raising]]). Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/æ/}}.

* The difference between the vowels of ''pain'' and ''pane'' found in some English, Welsh, and Newfoundland dialects. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/eɪ/}}.

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** The vowels of ''rider'' and ''writer'', distinguished in most parts of Canada and many parts of the United States. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/aɪ/}}.

** The vowels of ''powder'' and ''pouter'' distinguished in most parts of Canada and some parts of the United States. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/aʊ/}}.

** Allophonic vowel length (including the [[Scottish vowel length rule]]), as in ''knife'' {{IPA|/ˈnaɪf/}} vs. ''knives'' {{IPA|/ˈnaɪvz/}}. Phonemic vowel length, which exists in some dialects and involves pairs such as {{IPA|/ɛ/}} vs. {{IPA|/ɛəɹɛər/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}} vs. {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} is also not marked explicitly. {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} do not represent phonemes; see above.

** [[Flapping]] in words such as ''better'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈbɛtər/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbɛdər/}}.

** [[Glottalization]] in words such as ''jetlag'' and, in some accents, ''daughter'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈdʒɛtlæɡ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈdɔːtəɹˈdɔːtər/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈdʒɛʔlæɡ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈdɔːʔəɹˈdɔːʔər/}}. In this system, {{IPA|/ʔ/}} is used only for [[paralanguage]] or in loanwords where it occurs phonemically in the original language.

** [[L-vocalization]] in words such as ''bottle'' and ''Alps'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈbɒtəl/}} and {{IPA|/ˈælps/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbɒtʊ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈæwps/}}.

** The difference between allophones of {{IPA|/ə/}} in ''bal'''a'''nce'' ({{IPAblink|ə}}) vs. the ones in '''''a'''bout'' and ''Russi'''a''''' (and, in non-rhotic dialects, ''bett'''er'''''), both of which may be closer to {{IPA|/ʌ/}} in dialects with the foot–strut split (that is, {{IPAblink|ɐ}}) vs. the one in ''butt'''o'''n'' (the [[syllabic consonant|syllabicity]] of the following consonant). All are transcribed as {{IPA|/ə/}} in our system.

** The difference between the phonetic realization of English sounds (mostly vowels) in various dialects. ''Let's pick some grapes for Betty'' should be transcribed {{IPA|/lɛts ˈpɪk səm ˈɡreɪps fər ˈbɛti/}} regardless of the variety of English and everyone should interpret that transcription according to their own dialect. Thus, a person from South East England will read it as something like {{IPA|[lɛʔs ˈpʰɪk səm ˈɡɹɛɪps fə ˈbɛtˢɪi]}}, a Scot as {{IPA|[ɫɛts ˈpʰɪk səm ˈɡɾeps fɚ ˈbɛte]}}, whereas someone from New Zealand will interpret that transcription as {{IPA|[ɫɪts ˈpʰək səm ˈɡɹæɪps fə ˈbɪɾi]}}. Because we are transcribing [[diaphoneme]]s rather than [[Phone_(phonetics)|phones]] (actual sounds), it is irrelevant that, for example, the vowel in ''let's'' as pronounced by someone from New Zealand overlaps with how people with England and Scotland typically pronounce the first vowel in ''pick'', or that the Scottish realization of {{IPA|/r/}} after {{IPA|/ɡ/}} overlaps with the New Zealand realization of {{IPA|/t/}} between vowels. In other words, the symbol {{angbr IPA|ɛ}} does not stand specifically for the [[open-mid front unrounded vowel]] in our system but ''any'' vowel that can be identified as the vowel in ''let's'', depending on the accent. This is also why we use the simple symbol {{angbr IPA|ɹr}} for the second sound in ''grapes''.

Other words may have different vowels depending on the speaker.

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==See also==

* If your browser does not display IPA symbols, you probably need to install a font that includes the IPA (for good, free IPA fonts, see the download links in the articles for [[Gentium]], and the more complete [[Charis SIL]]; for a monospaced font, see the complete [[Everson Mono]]).

* For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation|Entering IPA characters}}.

* [[Help:IPA/Conventions for English]]

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==External links==

* [http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10/blogs/gotunicode/2008/09/getting-jaws-61-to-recognize-e.html Getting JAWS 6.1 to recognize "exotic" Unicode symbols]{{dead link}} – for help on getting the [[screen reader]] [[JAWS (screen reader)|JAWS]] to read IPA symbols

* [http://ipa-reader.xyzcom/ IPA Reader] – web-based IPA synthesizer using [[Amazon Polly]]

* [https://itinerarium.github.io/phoneme-synthesis/ Phoneme Synthesis] – web-based IPA synthesizer using [[eSpeak]]