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Practice English Pronunciation

Choose a practice mode. Listen, then practice speaking — your browser will score your pronunciation.

  • play
  • house
  • water
  • school
  • family
  • hello
  • goodbye
  • please
  • sorry
  • thank you
  • yes
  • no
  • maybe
  • really
  • always
  • never
  • understand
  • question
  • answer
  • remember

English IPA Pronunciation Chart

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) gives every English sound its own symbol. Tap any example word below to hear it. Use this chart as a reference while you practice.

How to make tricky sounds

Mouth diagram for /θ/ — tongue between the teeth
/θ/think, bath
Tongue tip lightly between teeth, blow air out.
Mouth diagram for /ð/ — same as /θ/ but vibrate vocal cords
/ð/this, mother
Same as /θ/ but with voice (throat vibrates).
Mouth diagram for /r/ — tongue curls back, doesn't touch roof
/r/red, around
Tongue curls back. Don't touch the roof of your mouth.
Mouth diagram for /l/ — tongue tip touches the ridge behind upper teeth
/l/leg, feel
Tongue tip touches the ridge just behind your upper teeth.

Vowels — short

/ɪ/
short i
/e/
short e
/æ/
short a
/ʌ/
short u
/ɒ/
short o (UK)
/ʊ/
short oo
/ə/
schwa — most common vowel in English

Vowels — long

/iː/
long ee
/ɑː/
long ah
/ɔː/
long aw
/uː/
long oo
/ɜː/
long er

Diphthongs (vowel glides)

/eɪ/
as in "say"
/aɪ/
as in "I"
/ɔɪ/
as in "boy"
/aʊ/
as in "ow"
/əʊ/
as in "oh"
/ɪə/
as in "ear"
/eə/
as in "air"
/ʊə/
as in "tour"

Consonants — stops (plosives)

/p/
voiceless
/b/
voiced
/t/
voiceless
/d/
voiced
/k/
voiceless
/ɡ/
voiced

Consonants — fricatives

/f/
voiceless
/v/
voiced
/θ/
voiceless TH (tongue between teeth)
/ð/
voiced TH
/s/
voiceless
/z/
voiced
/ʃ/
sh sound
/ʒ/
zh sound
/h/
voiceless

Consonants — affricates

/tʃ/
ch sound
/dʒ/
j sound

Consonants — nasals

/m/
/n/
/ŋ/
ng sound

Consonants — approximants

/l/
/r/
/j/
y sound
/w/

💡 Tip: Tap any example word to hear it. The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel in English — it's the relaxed, neutral sound in unstressed syllables.

Browse Word-by-Word Pronunciation Guides

Tap any word below to open its full pronunciation guide — IPA, syllable breakdown, stress pattern, audio, and example sentences.

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