Pronunciation

How to read IPA transcription

Every word in this dictionary carries an IPA transcription — a one-symbol-per-sound spelling that says exactly how the word is pronounced, regardless of how it is spelled. This manual lists every symbol, stress mark, and diacritic we use. Click any example to hear it.

Reading a transcription

/ … /: Slashes hold a phonemic transcription — the meaningful sounds of the word, the everyday reading you see in our headers.
[ … ]: Square brackets hold a phonetic transcription — finer, allophonic detail (aspiration, flaps, dark l) layered on top.
US / UK: We give both accents where they differ. US is rhotic (the r in car is pronounced); UK (Received Pronunciation) usually drops a final r and uses different vowels in words like lot and bath.

symbols

Stress, length & syllables

These marks aren't sounds — they tell you how a word is timed and where the emphasis falls. They sit between or above the sound symbols.

~ Variant /iː/ ~ /ɪ/ A tilde separates acceptable alternative pronunciations.

Short (lax) vowels

Quick, relaxed vowels. They cannot be held without changing quality and never carry the length mark ː.

Long (tense) vowels

Steady, sustained vowels, usually written with the length mark ː.

Diphthongs (gliding vowels)

Two vowel qualities pronounced as a single glide — the tongue moves from the first symbol toward the second.

R-coloured vowels

In American English a vowel followed by r merges into a single r-flavoured sound. British transcriptions usually drop the r and use a plain vowel.

Consonants — stops

Airflow is briefly blocked then released.

Consonants — fricatives

Air is forced through a narrow gap, producing friction.

Consonants — affricates

A stop released into a fricative, written as two letters joined by a tie bar ͡ (or sometimes left untied) — but counted as one sound.

Consonants — nasals, liquids & glides

Voiced, freely-flowing consonants.

Diacritics & fine detail

Small marks added above, below, or beside a symbol to refine it. These appear mainly in narrow [bracketed] transcriptions.

◌̯ Non-syllabic aɪ̯ Marks the weaker, gliding half of a diphthong — it leans on the main vowel.

◌̃ Nasalization ɛ̃ A tilde above a vowel means air escapes through the nose, often near a nasal consonant.

Audio uses your browser's built-in speech synthesis, so the exact voice depends on your device. IPA symbols follow the conventions of the International Phonetic Association.