Help:IPA/English: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:17, 21 June 2024

Revision as of 11:39, 7 July 2024

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If there is an IPA symbol you are looking for that you do not see here, see [[Help:IPA]], which is a more complete list. For a table listing all spellings of the sounds on this page, see {{section link|English orthography|Sound-to-spelling correspondences}}. For help converting spelling to pronunciation, see {{section link|English orthography|Spelling-to-sound correspondences}}.

The words given as examples for two different symbols may sound the same to you. For example, you may pronounce [[Cot–caught merger|''cot'' and ''caught'' the same]], ''do'' and ''dew'', or ''marry'' and ''merry''. This often happens because of dialect variation (see our articles [[English phonology]] and [[International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects]]). If this is the case, you will pronounce those symbols the same for 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 is true for all words, or just when the sounds occur in the same context, depends on the merger.<ref>For example, if you have the ''marry–merry'' merger, you probably only merge {{IPA| /æ/|æ}} and {{IPA| /ɛ/|ɛ}} before {{IPA| /r/|r}}. You would still distinguish ''man'' and ''men''.</ref> The footnotes explain some of these cases.

{| style="background:none"

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|-

| {{big|{{IPA|dj}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | '''d'''ew{{refn|name=yod|In dialects with [[yod dropping]], {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/juː/}}, {{IPA|/ju/}}, or {{IPA|/jʊər/}} is not pronounced after [[coronal consonant]]s ({{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/θ/}}, and {{IPA|/l/}}) in the same syllable, so that ''dew'' {{IPA|/djuː/}} is pronounced the same as ''do'' {{IPA|/duː/}}. In dialects with [[yod coalescence]], {{IPA|/tj/}} and {{IPA|/dj/}} mostly merge with {{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒ/}}, so that the first syllable in ''Tuesday'' is pronounced the same as ''choose''. In some dialects {{IPA|/sj/}} and {{IPA|/zj/}} are also affected and frequently merge with {{IPA|/ʃ/}} and {{IPA|/ʒ/}}. Where {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/juː/}}, {{IPA|/ju/}}, or {{IPA|/jʊər/}} following a coronal is still pronounced in yod-dropping accents, place a syllable break before it: ''menu'' {{IPA| //|ˈmɛn.juː/}}.}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|dʒ}}}}

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! colspan="4"| [[Vowel]]s

|-

! colspan="2" | Strong vowels !! colspan="2" | ...followed by R{{refn|In [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non-rhotic accents]] like RP, {{IPA| /r/|r}} is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel.}}

|-

! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples

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| 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|aɪər}}}}

| 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}}}}

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

| {{big|{{IPA|ɛər}}}}

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

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɪ}}}}

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|-

| {{big|{{IPA|iː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|FL'''EE'''CE}}, 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|ɪər}}}}

| 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}}<br>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}}}} 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/|ˌsɪtʃəˈweɪʃən}} → {{IPA| /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/|ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən}}, {{IPA| /ˈfɒləwər/|ˈfɒləwər}} → {{IPA| /ˈfɒloʊər/|ˈfɒloʊər}}.}}

| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|ɔːr}}}}

| 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.}}

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

| {{big|{{IPA|ʊər}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | t'''our''', {{nowrap|{{sc2|C'''URE'''}} {{small|({{IPA| /ˈkjʊər/|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.}}

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| 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|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/|ər}}, {{IPA| /əl/|əl}}, {{IPA| /ən/|ən}}, or {{IPA| /əm/|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.}}

|-

! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples

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| style="text-align: left" | lo'''ch''', '''Ch'''anukah{{refn|In most dialects, {{IPA|/x/}} can also be replaced by {{IPA|/k/}} in most words, including ''loch''. It is also replaced with {{IPA|/h/}} in some words, particularly of Yiddish origin, such as ''Chanukah''.}}

| {{big|{{IPA|ʔ}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | uh'''-'''oh {{IPA| /ˈʌʔoʊ/|ˈʌʔoʊ}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɒ̃}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | b'''on''' viv'''an'''t{{refn|name=nasalvowel|{{IPA| //|ɒ̃, æ̃/}} are only found in French loanwords and often replaced by another vowel and a nasal consonant: ''bon vivant'' {{IPA|/ˌbɒn viːˈvɒnt/}}, ''ensemble'' {{IPA|/ɒnˈsɒmbəl/}}, etc.{{efn|{{harvp|Jones|2011}}.}}}}

| {{big|{{IPA|æ̃}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | f'''in''' de siècle{{refn|name=nasalvowel}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ɜː}}}}

| style="text-align: left" | M'''ö'''bius {{small|(non-rhotic only)}}{{refn|{{IPA| /ɜː/|ɜː}} is only found in loanwords and represents a situation where such an ''r''-less vowel is used only in British or Southern Hemisphere accents, and therefore a transcription that includes it must always be prefaced with a label indicating the variety of English. If ''r''-ful {{sc2|NURSE}} is used in GA too, even if spelled without {{angbr|r}}, as in ''Goethe'' and ''hors d'oeuvre'', use {{IPA| /ɜːr/|ɜːr}}. {{IPA| /ɜː/|ɜː}} is also not the same as {{angbr|œ}} seen in some American dictionaries. {{angbr|œ}} in those dictionaries is merely a notational convention and does not correspond to any vowel in any accent of English, so a transcription containing {{angbr|œ}} cannot be converted to one that uses this key.}}

| colspan="2" |

|-

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|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ˈ}}}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{nowrap|'''in'''to'''na'''tion {{IPA| /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/|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| /ˈhaɪər/|ˈhaɪər}} hire}}, {{nowrap|{{IPA| //|ˈhaɪ.ər/}} 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.peɪər/}} taxpayer}}

|-

| {{big|{{IPA|ˌ}}}}

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'''Notes'''

* Words in {{sc2|SMALL CAPITALS}} are the standard [[lexical set]]s. Not all of the sets are used here. In particular, we excluded words in the lexical sets {{sc2|BATH}} and {{sc2|CLOTH}}, which may be given two transcriptions, the former either with {{IPA| /ɑː/|ɑː}} or {{IPA| /æ/|æ}}, the latter with {{IPA| /ɒ/|ɒ}} or {{IPA| /ɔː/|ɔː}}.

* The length mark {{angbr IPA|ː}} does not mean that the vowels transcribed with it are always longer than those without it. When unstressed, followed by a voiceless consonant, or in a [[polysyllabic]] word, a vowel in the former group is frequently shorter than the latter in other environments (see {{section link|Clipping (phonetics)|English}}). {{IPA| //|i, u/}} likewise do not mean shorter versions of {{IPA|/iː, uː/}} but represent a situation in which some speakers have {{IPA|/iː, uː/}} and others {{IPA|/ɪ, ʊ/}} (see [[Happy tensing|''Happy'' tensing]]).

==Dialect variation==