English IPA Chart | 48 International Phonetic Symbols Pronunciation & Symbols

The English IPA chart is a fundamental tool for English phonetic learning, containing 20 vowel phonetic symbols and 28 consonant phonetic symbols. Vowels are further divided into 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs. Consonants are divided into plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, laterals, and semivowels. These phonetic symbols are based on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system and serve as an important reference for accurately mastering the English phonetic pronunciation chart. This page not only includes all 48 standard English phonetic symbols but also provides approximate Chinese pronunciation techniques, example words, and pronunciation type descriptions for each symbol. The pronunciation methods, symbol origins, and usage notes for each phonetic symbol are detailed below in the order of vowels and consonants.

🔤 Long Vowels (5)

/iː/ (Long Vowel / "ee") : /iː/ is called the long vowel 'i'. It is the most common front high vowel. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, the lips are spread, and the sound is long. Commonly found in words like see, tea, key. Note not to confuse it with the short vowel /ɪ/.

/ɑː/ (Long Vowel / "ah") : /ɑː/ is called the long vowel 'a'. When pronouncing, the mouth is wide open, the tongue body retracts, the tip of the tongue leaves the lower teeth, and the sound is long. Commonly found in words like car, father, park. Note it is common in British English; in American English, it is often pronounced as /æ/ or /ɑr/.

/ɔː/ (Long Vowel / "aw") : /ɔː/ is called the long vowel 'o'. When pronouncing, the lips are rounded and protruding, the tongue body retracts, and the sound is long. Commonly found in words like door, more, law. Note the distinction from /ɒ/; the mouth shape is rounder and tenser.

/uː/ (Long Vowel / "oo") : /uː/ is called the long vowel 'u'. When pronouncing, the lips are rounded and protruding, the back of the tongue is raised, and the sound is long. Commonly found in words like food, moon, blue. Note the distinction from /ʊ/; the mouth shape is smaller and tenser.

/ɜː/ (Long Vowel / "er") : /ɜː/ is called the long vowel 'er'. When pronouncing, the middle of the tongue is raised, the mouth is half open, and the sound is long. Commonly found in words like bird, her, work. Note in American English, it often carries an r sound, written as /ɝ/.

🔤 Short Vowels (7)

/ɪ/ (Short Vowel / Short "i") : /ɪ/ is called the short vowel 'i'. It is slightly more relaxed than /iː/, with a slightly lower tongue position and a slightly open mouth. Commonly found in words like sit, big, city. Note the distinction from the long vowel /iː/.

/e/ (Short Vowel / "eh") : /e/ is called the short vowel 'e'. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the front of the tongue is slightly raised, and the mouth is moderately open, between /i/ and /ɛ/. Commonly found in words like bed, pen, head. Note many English textbooks may write it as /e/, but the actual pronunciation is closer to /ɛ/.

/æ/ (Short Vowel / "a" as in cat) : /æ/ is called the 'ash' vowel. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, the mouth is wide open, and two fingers can fit between the upper and lower teeth. Commonly found in words like cat, map, bad. Note the 'ash' vowel is a very typical sound in English and requires a fully opened mouth.

/ɒ/ (Short Vowel / "o") : /ɒ/ is called the short vowel 'o'. When pronouncing, the mouth is wide open, the tongue body is lowered and retracted, and the lips are slightly rounded. Commonly found in words like hot, dog, box (British English). Note in American English, it is usually pronounced as /ɑ/.

/ʊ/ (Short Vowel / Short "oo") : /ʊ/ is called the short vowel 'u'. When pronouncing, the tongue body retracts, the back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate, and the lips are rounded but relaxed. Commonly found in words like book, good, put. Note not to pronounce it as the long /uː/.

/ʌ/ (Short Vowel / "uh") : /ʌ/ is called the 'wedge' vowel. When pronouncing, the middle of the tongue is raised, the mouth is half open, between /ɑ/ and /ə/. Commonly found in words like cup, bus, love. Note the distinction from /ɑː/; the pronunciation is shorter and lighter.

/ə/ (Short Vowel / "uh") : /ə/ is called the schwa. When pronouncing, the middle of the tongue is relaxed, and the mouth is naturally half open. It is the most common reduced vowel in English, found in words like about, banana, sofa. Note the schwa appears with extremely high frequency in unstressed syllables.

🔤 Diphthongs (8)

/eɪ/ (Diphthong / "ay") : /eɪ/ is called the diphthong 'ei'. It glides from /e/ to /ɪ/, with the mouth changing from half-open to spread. Commonly found in words like day, make, name. Note the pronunciation should be smooth and natural, with the first sound longer and the second shorter.

/aɪ/ (Diphthong / "eye") : /aɪ/ is called the diphthong 'ai'. It glides from /a/ to /ɪ/, with the mouth changing from large to small. Commonly found in words like my, time, high. Note the starting sound /a/ is more fronted than the standalone /æ/.

/ɔɪ/ (Diphthong / "oy") : /ɔɪ/ is called the diphthong 'oi'. It glides from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/, with the lips changing from rounded to spread. Commonly found in words like boy, coin, toy. Note the starting sound is the rounded /ɔ/.

/aʊ/ (Diphthong / "ow") : /aʊ/ is called the diphthong 'ou'. It glides from /a/ to /ʊ/, with the mouth changing from large to rounded. Commonly found in words like now, house, mouth. Note the glide ends at /ʊ/, not /uː/.

/əʊ/ (Diphthong / "oh") : /əʊ/ is called the diphthong 'ou'. It glides from /ə/ to /ʊ/, with the tongue position moving from mid to back and the lips gradually rounding. Commonly found in words like go, no, boat. Note in American English, it is often written as /oʊ/.

/ɪə/ (Diphthong / "ear") : /ɪə/ is called the diphthong 'ea'. It glides from /ɪ/ to /ə/, with the tongue position moving from front to mid. Commonly found in words like ear, here, idea. Note it is common in British English; American English often carries an r sound.

/eə/ (Diphthong / "air") : /eə/ is called the diphthong 'air'. It glides from /e/ to /ə/, with the mouth changing from half-open to natural. Commonly found in words like air, care, bear. Note it is common in British English; American English often carries an r sound.

/ʊə/ (Diphthong / "ure") : /ʊə/ is called the diphthong 'ure'. It glides from /ʊ/ to /ə/, with the lips changing from rounded to spread. Commonly found in words like tour, sure, poor (in some accents). Note this diphthong tends to merge with /ɔː/ in contemporary English.

📜 Plosives (6)

/p/ (Voiceless Plosive / "p") : /p/ is called the voiceless plosive 'p'. The lips close, air bursts out, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like pen, apple, top. Note it is different from pinyin 'p'; English /p/ is aspirated at the beginning of words.

/b/ (Voiced Plosive / "b") : /b/ is called the voiced plosive 'b'. The lips close, air bursts out, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like book, baby, cab. Note the distinction from /p/; voiced sounds require vocal cord vibration.

/t/ (Voiceless Plosive / "t") : /t/ is called the voiceless plosive 't'. The tip of the tongue touches the upper alveolar ridge, air bursts out, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like time, water, hat. Note in American English, the letter 't' between vowels often becomes voiced as /d/.

/d/ (Voiced Plosive / "d") : /d/ is called the voiced plosive 'd'. The tip of the tongue touches the upper alveolar ridge, air bursts out, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like day, red, bed. Note the distinction from /t/; voiced sounds require vocal cord vibration.

/k/ (Voiceless Plosive / "k") : /k/ is called the voiceless plosive 'k'. The back of the tongue touches the soft palate, air bursts out, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like cat, key, black. Note it is similar to pinyin 'k' but with stronger aspiration.

/ɡ/ (Voiced Plosive / "g") : /ɡ/ is called the voiced plosive 'g'. The back of the tongue touches the soft palate, air bursts out, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like good, bag, egg. Note the symbol /ɡ/ is slightly different from the letter 'g'.

📜 Fricatives (9)

/f/ (Voiceless Fricative / "f") : /f/ is called the voiceless fricative 'f'. The upper teeth lightly touch the lower lip, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like fish, coffee, if. Note it is similar to pinyin 'f'.

/v/ (Voiced Fricative / "v") : /v/ is called the voiced fricative 'v'. The upper teeth lightly touch the lower lip, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like very, seven, love. Note this sound does not exist in Chinese; it requires deliberate vocal cord vibration.

/s/ (Voiceless Fricative / "s") : /s/ is called the voiceless fricative 's'. The tip of the tongue is close to the upper alveolar ridge, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like sun, city, bus. Note it is similar to pinyin 's', but do not pronounce it as a retroflex sound.

/z/ (Voiced Fricative / "z") : /z/ is called the voiced fricative 'z'. The tip of the tongue is close to the upper alveolar ridge, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like zoo, music, is. Note vocal cord vibration is required; it is more voiced than pinyin 'z'.

/θ/ (Voiceless Fricative / "th") : /θ/ is called the voiceless fricative 'th'. The tip of the tongue lightly touches the upper teeth or is placed between the teeth, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like think, three, mouth. Note this is a signature English sound that does not exist in Chinese.

/ð/ (Voiced Fricative / "th") : /ð/ is called the voiced fricative 'th'. The tip of the tongue lightly touches the upper teeth or is placed between the teeth, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like this, mother, clothe. Note the distinction from /θ/; vocal cord vibration is required.

/ʃ/ (Voiceless Fricative / "sh") : /ʃ/ is called the voiceless fricative 'sh'. The tongue body is raised towards the upper palate, the lips are slightly rounded, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like she, nation, fish. Note not to confuse it with Chinese 'x'.

/ʒ/ (Voiced Fricative / "zh") : /ʒ/ is called the voiced fricative 'zh'. The tongue body is raised towards the upper palate, the lips are slightly rounded, air is forced through the gap, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like vision, leisure, beige. Note vocal cord vibration is required; it is more voiced than pinyin 'r'.

/h/ (Voiceless Fricative / "h") : /h/ is called the voiceless fricative 'h'. Air is forced through the glottis, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like house, hello, who. Note it is different from pinyin 'h'; English /h/ is lighter and weaker.

📜 Affricates (6)

/tʃ/ (Voiceless Affricate / "ch") : /tʃ/ is called the voiceless affricate 'ch'. It consists of /t/ and /ʃ/. Air first bursts out and then creates friction, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like chair, watch, future. Note the pronunciation is quick and connected.

/dʒ/ (Voiced Affricate / "j") : /dʒ/ is called the voiced affricate 'j'. It consists of /d/ and /ʒ/. Air first bursts out and then creates friction, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like judge, age, bridge. Note the distinction from /tʃ/; vocal cord vibration is required.

/tr/ (Voiceless Affricate / "tr") : /tr/ is called the voiceless affricate 'tr'. It consists of /t/ and /r/. Air first bursts out and then the tongue curls, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like try, tree, country. Note the tip of the tongue curls quickly during pronunciation.

/dr/ (Voiced Affricate / "dr") : /dr/ is called the voiced affricate 'dr'. It consists of /d/ and /r/. Air first bursts out and then the tongue curls, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like dream, drive, hundred. Note the distinction from /tr/; vocal cord vibration is required.

/ts/ (Voiceless Affricate / "ts") : /ts/ is called the voiceless affricate 'ts'. It consists of /t/ and /s/. Air first bursts out and then creates friction, and the vocal cords do not vibrate. Commonly found in words like cats, students, sits. Note it usually appears at the end of plural or third-person singular words.

/dz/ (Voiced Affricate / "dz") : /dz/ is called the voiced affricate 'dz'. It consists of /d/ and /z/. Air first bursts out and then creates friction, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like beds, friends, reads. Note it usually appears at the end of plural or third-person singular words.

📜 Nasals (3)

/m/ (Nasal / "m") : /m/ is called the nasal 'm'. The lips close, air passes through the nasal cavity, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like man, name, summer. Note the lips must be tightly closed during pronunciation.

/n/ (Nasal / "n") : /n/ is called the nasal 'n'. The tip of the tongue touches the upper alveolar ridge, air passes through the nasal cavity, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like no, name, sun. Note the distinction from /m/; the tip of the tongue must touch the upper alveolar ridge.

/ŋ/ (Nasal / "ng") : /ŋ/ is called the nasal 'ng'. The back of the tongue touches the soft palate, air passes through the nasal cavity, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like sing, long, bank. Note this is the only consonant in English that cannot appear at the beginning of a word.

📜 Lateral, R-colored Sound, and Semivowels (4)

/l/ (Lateral / "l") : /l/ is called the lateral 'l'. The tip of the tongue touches the upper alveolar ridge, air passes through the sides of the tongue, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like like, ball, leg. Note the word-final /l/ has a more retracted tongue position, called dark l.

/r/ (R-colored Sound / "r") : /r/ is called the r-colored sound 'r'. The tip of the tongue is curled towards the upper palate, air passes through the gap, and the vocal cords vibrate. Commonly found in words like red, car, run. Note in American English, the r sound is distinctly curled; in British English, it is often silent.

/j/ (Semivowel / "y") : /j/ is called the semivowel 'y'. The front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, air passes through, and the vocal cords vibrate, quickly gliding into a vowel. Commonly found in words like yes, you, new. Note /j/ is a consonant symbol; do not confuse it with the vowel /i/.

/w/ (Semivowel / "w") : /w/ is called the semivowel 'w'. The lips are rounded and protruding, air passes through, and the vocal cords vibrate, quickly gliding into a vowel. Commonly found in words like we, water, when. Note the distinction from /v/; /w/ does not involve the lips touching the teeth.

📌 Notes for Learning Phonetic Symbols

First, the English IPA chart varies slightly across different textbooks. For example, the vowel symbols in British and American phonetic systems differ. This page primarily uses the British broad transcription (DJ phonetic symbols); for American English, refer to KK phonetic symbols. Second, long vowels are indicated by two dots (ː), but in practice, they are often omitted, such as /iː/ written as /i/. Third, diphthongs require natural gliding, with the first sound longer and the second shorter, the first stressed and the second unstressed. Fourth, voiceless and voiced consonants appear in pairs, such as /p//b/, /t//d/, distinguished by whether the vocal cords vibrate. Fifth, if you need to input IPA symbols in LaTeX, it is recommended to use the tipa package: \textipa{...}. Sixth, English phonetic learning should be combined with words and sentences, paying attention to stress, linking, and intonation.

💡 Tips for Learning Phonetic Symbols

Click the pronunciation button on any English phonetic symbol card to play the standard pronunciation of that symbol using the Web Speech API. For English phonetic symbol learners and teachers, it is recommended to use this page as a quick reference tool for the English IPA chart, combined with audio resources for practice. Remembering the standard pronunciation techniques for each phonetic symbol helps to precisely correct pronunciation. The approximate Chinese sound annotations on this page will provide you with a reliable reference. During practice, you can repeatedly listen and compare easily confused sounds such as /θ/ and /s/, /v/ and /w/, /iː/ and /ɪ/.