The English Alphabet and Phonetic Sounds
The English alphabet consists of 26 letters: 5 vowels and 21 consonants. The letter Y can function as either a vowel or a consonant, depending on its context.
The name of the letter Z is different in British and American English: in Britain, it is pronounced as [ zɛd ] "zed," and in the USA, it is pronounced as [ zi: ] "zee."
The English Alphabet
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Aa[ eɪ ]
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Bb[ bi: ]
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Cc[ si: ]
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Dd[ di: ]
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Ee[ i: ]
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Ff[ ɛf ]
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Gg[ dʒi: ]
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Hh[ eɪʧ ]
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Ii[ aɪ ]
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Jj[ dʒeɪ ]
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Kk[ keɪ ]
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Ll[ ɛl ]
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Mm[ ɛm ]
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Nn[ ɛn ]
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Oo[ əʊ ]
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Pp[ pi: ]
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Qq[ kju: ]
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Rr[ ɑ: ]
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Ss[ ɛs ]
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Tt[ ti: ]
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Uu[ ju: ]
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Vv[ vi: ]
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Ww[ ˈdʌblju: ]
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Xx[ ɛks ]
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Yy[ waɪ ]
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Zz[ zɛd ] / [ zi: ]
The Phonetic Structure of the English Language
English has 44 sounds represented by 26 letters. Due to this, letters can vary in pronunciation based on their position and combinations within words. Phonetic transcription uses special symbols to represent each sound precisely, aiding in accurate pronunciation and language learning.
Vowel Sounds
| iː |
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| ɪ |
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| ʊ |
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| uː |
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| e |
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| ə |
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| ɜː |
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| ɔː |
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| æ |
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| ʌ |
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| ɑː |
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| ɒ |
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| ɪə |
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| eɪ |
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| ɔɪ |
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| əʊ |
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| eə |
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| aɪ |
|
| aʊ |
|
Consonant Sounds
| p |
|
| b |
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| t |
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| d |
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| dʒ |
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| k |
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| ɡ |
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| f |
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| v |
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| θ |
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| ð |
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| s |
|
| z |
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| ʃ |
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| ʒ |
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| m |
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| n |
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| ŋ |
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| h |
|
| l |
|
| w |
|
| j |
|