IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

Introduction to the IPA

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standardized system of symbols used to represent the sounds of spoken language. Unlike traditional spelling, which often varies from language to language, the IPA provides a universal set of symbols that correspond directly to specific sounds. This makes it a valuable tool for linguists, teachers, and learners because it shows exactly how a word should be pronounced.

 Monophthongs

  • i:

    sleep

  • ɪ

    slip

  • ʊ

    good

  • u:

    food

  • e

    ten

  • ə

    better

  • ɜ:

    word

  • ɔ:

    more

  • æ

    tap

  • ʌ

    cup

  • ɑ:

    bar

  • ɒ

    gone

Diphthongs
  • ɪə

    hear

  • eɪ

    game

  • ʊə

    pure

  • ɔɪ

    toy

  • əʊ

    no

  • eə

    where

  • aɪ

    mine

  • aʊ

    how

Consonant
  • p

    pen

  • f

    fig

  • t

    tip

  • θ

    thought

  • ʧ

    chip

  • s

    save

  • ʃ

    sure

  • k

    cat

  • b

    bit

  • v

    vase

  • d

    done

  • ð

    those

  • ʤ

    jam

  • z

    zoo

  • ʒ

    vision

  • g

    goal

  • h

    him

  • m

    may

  • n

    not

  • ŋ

    sing

  • r

    reach

  • l

    lie

  • w

    will

  • j

    yet



Examples with IPA Symbols and Sounds

Consonants:

/p/ → pen

/b/ → bat

/θ/ → think

/ʃ/ → she


Vowels:

/iː/ → see

/ɪ/ → sit

/æ/ → cat

/uː/ → food

/ʌ/ → cup

Each symbol represents one unique sound, which helps learners avoid confusion caused by irregular English spelling.





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