The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Why we need it
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides an accurate phonetic representation of English sounds. Because English spelling is non-phonetic, it often leads to confusion when words look identical but sound completely different.
For example, many English words share the exact same spelling but change pronunciation depending on whether they are used as a noun or a verb (such as ‘export’, ‘record’, or ‘present’).
The IPA removes the guesswork. It provides total clarity for ESL students, language teachers, actors, narrators, and voice coaches looking to master standard accent patterns.
Examples
Unfamiliar Place Names
Consider London Underground stations like Holborn or Southwark. Without local knowledge, their pronunciations can be completely unpredictable.
We can use the International Phonetic Alphabet to show their exact pronunciations:
Holborn:
/ˈhəʊbən/Southwark:
/ˈsʌðək/
Comparing British & American Pronunciation
Non-rhotic accents like Received Pronunciation (RP) omit the /r/ sound at the end of words unless followed by a vowel sound.
For example, compare the word ‘brother’:
- RP (British): /ˈbrʌðə/ (silent final ‘r’)
- General American:
/ˈbrʌðər/(pronounced final ‘r’)
The 20 Vowel Sounds
The 20 vowel sounds of British English pronunciation can be categorised by:
- Monophthongs vs. Diphthongs (single vs. gliding vowel sounds)
- Length (short vs. long vowels)
- Tongue Position (height and front/back position)
- Lip Shape (rounded, unrounded)
- 7 Short Vowels: /æ/, /ɪ/, /ʊ/, /e/, /ɒ/, /ʌ/, /ə/
- 5 Long Vowels: /iː/, /ɜː/, /ɔː/, /uː/, /ɑː/
- 8 Diphthongs: /eɪ/, /ɔɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɪə/, /ʊə/, /eə/, /əʊ/, /aʊ/
The 24 Consonant Sounds
The 24 consonant sounds of British English pronunciation can be categorised by how and where airflow is obstructed:
- Plosive Sounds: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/
- Fricative Sounds: /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /h/
- Affricate Sounds: /tʃ/, /dʒ/
- Nasal Sounds: /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
- Lateral & Approximant Sounds: /r/, /l/, /w/, /j/
Voiced & Voiceless
Consonant sounds are also classified as either voiced or voiceless. Voiced consonants are produced with vibrating vocal cords, while voiceless consonants are produced with no vocal cord vibration.
Voiced consonants:
Plosives:
/b/,/d/,/g/Fricatives:
/v/,/ð/,/z/,/ʒ/Affricates:
/dʒ/Nasals:
/m/,/n/,/ŋ/Approximants & Laterals:
/r/,/l/,/w/,/j/
Voiceless consonants:
Plosives:
/p/,/t/,/k/Fricatives:
/f/,/θ/,/s/,/ʃ/,/h/Affricates:
/tʃ/
Definitions
Phoneme: The smallest unit of speech sound that distinguishes one word from another.
Monophthong: A single, pure vowel sound articulated without moving the mouth during production.
Diphthong: A gliding vowel sound where the voice transitions smoothly from one vowel target to another within the same syllable.
Short Vowels: Vowels produced with a brief duration and without a length mark.
Long Vowels: Vowels produced with a extended duration, indicated by a length mark (
ː) to the right of the symbol.