International Phonetic Alphabet

Front 1

[i]

Back 1

eat, believe, agree

[it, bә'liv, ә'gri]

Front 2

[ɪ]

Back 2

it, think, complicity

[ɪt, өɪŋk, kәm'plɪsәtɪ]

Front 3

[e]

Back 3

ate, chaotic, hurricane

[et, ke'ɑtɪk, 'hɝɪken]

Front 4

[ɛ]

Back 4

ebb, bet, tent

[ɛb, bɛt, tɛnt]

Front 5

[æ]

Back 5

at, bat, habitat

[æt, bæt, hæbәtæt]

Front 6

[a]

Back 6

ask, dance, car [Brooklynese]

[ask, dans, ka:]

Front 7

[ɑ]

Back 7

on, father, schwa

[ɑn, 'fɑðɚ, ʃwɑ]

Front 8

[ɒ]

Back 8

watch, wander, Gotham

[wɒtʃ, 'wɒndɚ, 'gɒөәm]

Front 9

[ɔ]

Back 9

ought, gnawed, Shaw

[ɔt, nɔd, ʃɔ]

Front 10

[o]

Back 10

oboe, shrove, poncho

['obo, ʃrov, 'pɑntʃo]

Front 11

[U]

Back 11

umlaut, put, took

['UmlaUt, pUt, tUk]

Front 12

[ʌ]

Back 12

up, above, Dutch

[ʌp, ә'bʌv, dʌtʃ]

Front 13

[ә]

Back 13

above, genesis, data

[ә'bʌv, 'ʤɛnәsɪs, 'detә]

Front 14

[ɝ]

Back 14

accented syllable, r sounded

further ['fɝðә], bird [bɝd]

Front 15

[з]

Back 15

accented syllable, r not sounded

further ['fзðә], bird [bзd]

Front 16

[ɚ]

Back 16

unaccented syllable, r sounded

further ['fɝðɚ], mother ['mʌðɚ]

Front 17

[ɪә]

Back 17

beer, here, steer [Southern]

[bɪә, hɪә, stɪә]

Front 18

[ɛә]

Back 18

there, head, west [Southern]

[ðɛә, hɛәd, wɛәst]

Front 19

[eɪ]

Back 19

eight, great, weigh

[eɪt, greɪt, weɪ]

Front 20

[aɪ]

Back 20

aisle, time, cry

[aɪl, taɪm, kraɪ]

Front 21

[aU]

Back 21

ouch, how, allow

[aUtʃ, haU, ә'laU]

Front 22

[ɔɪ]

Back 22

oil, choice, employ

[ɔɪl, tʃɔɪs, ɪm'plɔɪ]

Front 23

[oU]

Back 23

oat, toad, throw

[oUt, toUd, өroU]

Front 24

[ju]

Back 24

union, you, review

['junjәn, ju, rɪ'vju]

Front 25

[k]

Back 25

kick

[kɪk]

Front 26

[ŋ]

Back 26

singing

[sɪŋɪŋ]

Front 27

[ө]

Back 27

think

[өiŋk]

Front 28

[ð]

Back 28

the, that

[ðә, ðæt]

Front 29

[ʃ]

Back 29

sheep

[ʃip]

Front 30

[ʒ]

Back 30

vision

['vɪʒәn]

Front 31

[hw]

Back 31

what

[hwɑt]

Front 32

[j]

Back 32

yet

[jɛt]

Front 33

[tʃ]

Back 33

church

[tʃɝtʃ]

Front 34

[ʤ]

Back 34

judge

['ʤʌʤ]

Front 35

[']

Back 35

Single Mark

[indicates accented syllable, PRECEDES the syllable accented]

Front 36

[:]

Back 36

Two dots

[prolonged vowel sound]

Front 37

[ɔ:]

Back 37

Fuller, rounder [ɔ]

heard in: ought, all, law, awful

Front 38

[ʔ]

Back 38

Glottal-Stop

Front 39

[~]

Back 39

Nasality [French]

Front 40

[y]

Back 40

pool, sue, just [all French]

[pyl, sy, ʒyst]

Front 41

[œ:]

Back 41

French version of [ɛr]

Front 42

[x]

Back 42

Heavy expulsion of breath [German and Scotch dialects]

Front 43

[ç]

Back 43

Heavy aspiration [German and Scotch dialects]

right, bright

[rɪçt, brɪçt]

Front 44

[ß]

Back 44

Cross between [b] and [v] [Japanese and Spanish dialects]