Editing Help:IPA/English

{{this|the pronunciation of words in English|sounds not found in English|Help:IPA|a basic introduction to the IPA|Help:IPA/Introduction|a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#Entering IPA characters}}
{{pp-template|small=yes}}
{{IPA key|H:IPA-EN|H:IPAE|H:IPAEN}}
On Wikipedia, the pronunciation of words is shown using the '''[[International Phonetic Alphabet]]''' ('''IPA'''). The tables below provide a key to the IPA symbols used for English pronunciations. Please note that some of these symbols are used in ways specific to Wikipedia, and may differ from their usage in dictionaries.

If IPA symbols do not display correctly in your browser, see the [[Help:IPA/English#See also|troubleshooting links below]].

Editors should use [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#IPA templates on Wikipedia|IPA templates]] such as {{tl|IPAc-en}} when adding IPA to Wikipedia articles, see [[MOS:PRON#Entering IPA characters|Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters]] for guidance. These templates ensure accessibility and tooltip functionality, see [[Template:IPAc-en|the documentation page]] for usage instructions.

{{Horizontal TOC|nonum=y}}

==Key==
If you are looking for an IPA symbol that does not appear in the pronunciation key below, see [[Help:IPA]], which provides a more comprehensive list. For a table showing how the sounds on this page correspond to English spellings, see {{section link|English orthography|Sound-to-spelling correspondences}}. For assistance in converting spellings to pronunciations, refer to {{section link|English orthography|Spelling-to-sound correspondences}}.

In some cases, words given as examples for different symbols may sound the same to you. For instance, you might pronounce [[Cot–caught merger|''cot'' and ''caught'']], [[Do–dew merger|''do'' and ''dew'']], or [[Marry merry mary|''marry'' and ''merry'']] the same. This typically results from dialect variation (see our articles [[English phonology]] and [[International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects]]). If so, you will likely pronounce those symbols the same in other words as well.{{refn|name=localterms|This rule is generally employed in the pronunciation guide of our articles, even for local terms such as place names. However, be aware that not all editors may have followed this consistently, so for example if a pronunciation of an English town ending in ‑ford reads /‑fəd/, it doesn't mean that the /r/ would be absent in a rhotic dialect.}} Whether this applies to all words or only in certain contexts depends on the specific [[sound merger]].<ref>For example, if you have the ''marry–merry'' merger, you probably only merge {{IPA|/æ/}} and {{IPA|/ɛ/}} before {{IPA|/r/}}. You would still distinguish ''man'' and ''men''.</ref> The footnotes provide further explanation of these cases.

{| style="background:none"
| style="vertical-align:top" |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:90%"
! colspan="2"| [[Consonant]]s
|-
! style="width:3em" | IPA !! Examples
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|b}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''b'''uy, ca'''b'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|d}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''d'''ye, ca'''d''', la'''dd'''er{{refn|name=flapping|In varieties with [[flapping]], {{IPA|/t/}} and sometimes also {{IPA|/d/}} between a vowel and a weak or word-initial vowel may be pronounced with a voiced tap {{IPAblink|ɾ}}, making ''latter'' sound similar or identical to ''ladder''. Some dictionaries transcribe {{IPA|/t/}} subject to this process as {{angbr IPA|d}} or {{angbr IPA|t̬}}, but they are not distinguished in this transcription system. In those varieties, the sequence {{IPA|/nt/}} in the same environment may also be realized as a [[nasalized]] tap {{IPAblink|ɾ̃}}, making ''winter'' sound similar or identical to ''winner''. This is also not distinguished in this system.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|dj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''d'''ew{{refn|name=yod|In dialects with [[yod dropping]], {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/juː/}}, {{IPA|/ju/}}, or {{IPA|/jʊər/}} is not pronounced after [[coronal consonant]]s ({{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/θ/}}, and {{IPA|/l/}}) in the same syllable, so that ''dew'' {{IPA|/djuː/}} is pronounced the same as ''do'' {{IPA|/duː/}}. In dialects with [[yod coalescence]], {{IPA|/tj/}} and {{IPA|/dj/}} mostly merge with {{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒ/}}, so that ''dew'' {{IPA|/djuː/}} is pronounced the same as ''Jew'' {{IPA|/dʒuː/}}. In some dialects {{IPA|/sj/}} and {{IPA|/zj/}} are also affected and frequently merge with {{IPA|/ʃ/}} and {{IPA|/ʒ/}}. Where {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/juː/}}, {{IPA|/ju/}}, or {{IPA|/jʊər/}} following a coronal is still pronounced in yod-dropping accents, place a syllable break before it: ''menu'' {{IPA|/ˈmɛn.juː/}}.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|dʒ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''j'''ive, ba'''dg'''e
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ð}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''th'''y, brea'''th'''e, fa'''th'''er
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|f}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''f'''ind, lea'''f'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɡ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''g'''uy, ba'''g'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|h}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''h'''igh, a'''h'''ead
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|hw}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''wh'''ine{{refn|The phoneme {{IPA|/hw/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/w/}} in the many dialects with the [[Wine–whine merger|''wine''–''whine'' merger]], such as RP and most varieties of General American. For more information on this sound, see [[voiceless labialized velar approximant]].}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|j}}}}{{refn|The IPA value of the letter {{angbr IPA|j}} may be counterintuitive to English speakers, but the spelling is found even in some common English words like ''[[hallelujah]]'' and ''[[fjord]]''. Some dictionaries use {{angbr IPA|y}} instead, although it represents a [[close front rounded vowel]] in official IPA.}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''y'''es, hallelu'''j'''ah
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|k}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''k'''ind, s'''k'''y, '''c'''ra'''ck'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|l}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Not a typo|'''l'''ie, p'''l'''y, ga'''l'''}}{{refn|{{IPA|/l/}} in the [[syllable coda]], as in the words ''all'', ''cold'', or ''bottle'', is pronounced as {{IPAblink|o}}, {{IPAblink|u}}, {{IPAblink|w}} or a similar sound in many dialects through [[L-vocalization]].}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|lj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''l'''ute{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|m}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''m'''y, s'''m'''ile, ca'''m'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|n}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''n'''igh, s'''n'''ide, ca'''n'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|nj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''n'''ew{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ŋ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | sa'''ng''', si'''n'''k, si'''ng'''er
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|p}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Not a typo|'''p'''ie, s'''p'''y, ca'''p'''}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|r}}}}{{refn|In most varieties of English, {{IPA|/r/}} is pronounced as a [[Voiced alveolar and postalveolar approximants|voiced postalveolar approximant]] {{angbr IPA|ɹ̠}}. Although the IPA symbol {{angbr IPA|r}} represents the [[alveolar trill]], {{angbr IPA|r}} is widely used instead of {{angbr IPA|ɹ̠}} in broad transcriptions of English for convenience.}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''r'''ye, t'''r'''y, ve'''r'''y
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|s}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''s'''igh, ma'''ss'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|sj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | con'''s'''ume{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ʃ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''sh'''y, ca'''sh''', emo'''ti'''on
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|t}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{No wrap|{{Not a typo|'''t'''ie, s'''t'''y, ca'''t''', la'''tt'''er}}{{refn|name=flapping}}}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|tj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''t'''une{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|tʃ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''Ch'''ina, ca'''tch'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|θ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''th'''igh, pa'''th'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|θj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | en'''th'''use{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|v}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Not a typo|'''v'''ie, lea'''v'''e}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|w}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''w'''ine, s'''w'''ine
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|z}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''z'''oo, ha'''s'''
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|zj}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | '''Z'''eus, re'''s'''ume{{refn|name=yod}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ʒ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | plea'''s'''ure, bei'''g'''e{{refn|A number of English words, such as ''genre'' and ''garage'', may be pronounced with either {{IPA|/ʒ/}} or {{IPA|/dʒ/}}.}}
|}

| style="vertical-align: top" |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4"| [[Vowel]]s
|-
! colspan="2" | Strong vowels !! colspan="2" | ...followed by R{{refn|In [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non-rhotic accents]] like RP, {{IPA|/r/}} is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel.}}
|-
! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɑː}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|P'''A'''LM}}, br'''a''', f'''a'''ther
| {{big|{{IPA|ɑːr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|ST'''AR'''T}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɒ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|L'''O'''T}}, b'''o'''ther, c'''o'''t, bl'''o'''ckade{{refn|In dialects with the [[Father–bother merger|''father''–''bother'' merger]] such as General American, {{IPA|/ɒ/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ɒr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | m'''or'''al{{refn|In most of the United States, {{IPA|/ɒr/}} is merged with {{IPA|/ɔːr/}}, except for a handful of words such as ''borrow'', ''tomorrow'' and ''sorry'', which instead have {{IPA|/ɑːr/}}. In some parts of the Southern and Northeastern US, it is always merged with {{IPA|/ɑːr/}}. In Canada, it is always merged with {{IPA|/ɔːr/}}.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|æ}}}}{{refn|Some British sources, such as the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], use {{angbr IPA|a}} instead of {{IPA|/æ/}} to transcribe this vowel. This more closely reflects the actual vowel quality in contemporary [[Received Pronunciation]].{{efn|{{cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/information/understanding-entries/pronunciation/british-english-pronunciations/|title=British English Pronunciations|publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|accessdate=4 September 2023}}}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|TR'''A'''P}}, b'''a'''g, s'''a'''ng, t'''a'''ttoo{{refn|In North America, {{IPA|/æ/}} is often pronounced like a diphthong {{IPA|[eə~ɛə]}} before nasal consonants and, in some particular regional dialects, other environments. See [[:/æ/ raising|{{IPA|/æ/|cat=no}} raising]].}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ær}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | m'''arr'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry|Many North American accents have the [[Mary–marry–merry merger|''Mary''–''marry''–''merry'' merger]] and therefore don't distinguish between the corresponding sounds {{IPA|/ɛər/}}, {{IPA|/ær/}}, and {{IPA|/ɛr/}}. Some speakers merge only two of the sounds (most typically {{IPA|/ɛər/}} with one of the short vowels), and less than a fifth of speakers of American English make a full three-way distinction like in RP and similar accents.{{efn|{{cite web|last1=Vaux|first1=Bert|last2=Golder|first2=Scott|year=2003|url=http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_15.html|title=How do you pronounce Mary/merry/marry?|work=Harvard Dialect Survey|publisher=Harvard University Linguistics Department}}}}}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|aɪ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|PR'''I'''CE}}, p'''ie'''{{refn|name=CanadianRaising|In much of North America, {{IPA|/aɪ/}} or {{IPA|/aʊ/}} may have a slightly different quality when it precedes a [[voiceless]] consonant, as in ''price'' or ''mouth'', from that in ''ride/pie'' or ''loud/how'', a phenomenon known as [[Canadian raising]]. Since this occurs in a predictable fashion, it is not distinguished in this transcription system.}}
| {{big|{{IPA|aɪər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | h'''ire'''{{refn|name=triphthong|Some speakers pronounce ''higher, flower'' and ''coyer'' ("more coy") with two syllables, and ''hire, flour'' and ''coir'' with one. Most pronounce them the same. For the former group of words, make use of syllable breaks, as in {{IPA|/ˈhaɪ.ər/, /ˈflaʊ.ər/, /ˈkɔɪ.ər/}}, to differentiate from the latter. Before vowels, the distinction between {{IPA|/aɪər, aʊər, ɔɪər/}} and {{IPA|/aɪr, aʊr, ɔɪr/}} is not always clear; choose the former if the second element may be omitted (as in {{IPA|[ˈdaəri]}} ''diary'').}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|aʊ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|M'''OU'''TH}}, h'''ow'''{{refn|name=CanadianRaising}}
| {{big|{{IPA|aʊər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | fl'''our'''{{refn|name=triphthong}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɛ}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/ɛ/}} is transcribed with {{angbr IPA|e}} in many dictionaries. However, {{IPA|/eɪ/}} is also sometimes transcribed with {{angbr IPA|e}}, especially in North American literature, so {{angbr IPA|ɛ}} is chosen here.}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|DR'''E'''SS}}, b'''e'''g, l'''e'''ngth, pr'''e'''stige
| {{big|{{IPA|ɛr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | m'''err'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|eɪ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''A'''CE}}, v'''a'''gue
| {{big|{{IPA|ɛər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|SQU'''ARE'''}}, M'''ar'''y{{refn|name=marymarrymerry}}{{refn|name=centering|{{IPA|/ɛə/}}, {{IPA|/ɪə/}}, or {{IPA|/ʊə/}} may be separated from {{IPA|/r/}} only when a stress follows it. The [[Template:IPAc-en|IPAc-en]] template supports {{IPA|/ɛəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ɪəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ʊəˈr/}}, {{IPA|/ɛəˌr/}}, {{IPA|/ɪəˌr/}}, and {{IPA|/ʊəˌr/}} as distinct diaphonemes for such occasions.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɪ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|K'''I'''T}}, b'''i'''g, s'''i'''ng, h'''i'''storic{{refn|name=strong-weak|{{angbr IPA|ɪ}} and {{angbr IPA|oʊ}} represent strong vowels in some words and weak vowels in others. It will not always be clear which they are.{{efn|{{harvp|Flemming|Johnson|2007|pp=91–2}}.}}{{efn|{{cite web|last=Wells|first=John|date=25 March 2011|url=http://phonetic-blog.blogspot.com/2011/03/strong-and-weak.html|title=strong and weak|work=John Wells's phonetic blog}}}}}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ɪr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | m'''irr'''or, S'''ir'''ius
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|iː}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|FL'''EE'''CE}}, l'''ea'''gue, pedigr'''ee''', id'''e'''a{{refn|name=smoothing|Words like ''idea, real,'' and ''theatre'' may be pronounced with {{IPA|/ɪə/}} and ''cruel'' with {{IPA|/ʊə/}} in non-rhotic accents such as Received Pronunciation, and some dictionaries transcribe them with {{IPA|/ɪə, ʊə/}},{{efn|name=wells-smoothing|{{harvp|Wells|1982|p=240}}.}} but since they are not pronounced with {{IPA|/r/}} in rhotic accents, they are transcribed with {{IPA|/iːə, uːə/}}, not with {{IPA|/ɪə, ʊə/}}, in this transcription system.}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ɪər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''EAR'''}}, s'''er'''ious{{refn|name=centering}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|oʊ}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/oʊ/}} is often transcribed with {{angbr IPA|əʊ}}, particularly in British literature, based on its modern realization in Received Pronunciation. It is also transcribed with {{angbr IPA|o}}, particularly in North American literature.}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|G'''OA'''T}}{{refn|name=strong-weak}}
| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|ɔːr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''OR'''CE}}, h'''oar'''se{{refn|name=horse|Some accents, such as [[Scottish English]], many forms of [[Irish English]] and some conservative [[American English|American]] accents, make a distinction between the vowels in ''horse'' and ''hoarse'' (i.e. they lack the [[horse–hoarse merger|''horse''–''hoarse'' merger]]). Since most modern dictionaries do not differentiate between them, neither does this key.}}

|-
| | {{big|{{IPA|ɔː}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|TH'''OUGH'''T}}, c'''augh'''t, '''au'''dacious{{refn|{{IPA|/ɔː/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɒ/}} in dialects with the [[Cot–caught merger|''cot''–''caught'' merger]] such as Scottish English, Canadian English and many varieties of General American. In North America, the two vowels most often fall together with {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''OR'''TH}}, h'''or'''se{{refn|name=horse}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɔɪ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|CH'''OI'''CE}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ɔɪər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | c'''oir'''{{refn|name=triphthong}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ʊ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|F'''OO'''T}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ʊr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | c'''our'''ier
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|uː}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|G'''OO'''SE}}, cr'''u'''el{{refn|name=smoothing}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ʊər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | t'''our''', {{nowrap|{{sc2|C'''URE'''}} {{small|({{IPA|/ˈkjʊər/}})}}}}{{refn|{{IPA|/ʊər/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɔːr/}} in dialects with the [[cure–force merger|''cure''–''force'' merger]], including many younger speakers. In England, the merger may not be fully consistent and may only apply to more common words. In conservative RP and Northern England English {{IPA|/ʊər/}} is much more commonly preserved than in modern RP and Southern England English. In Australia and New Zealand, {{IPA|/ʊər/}} does not exist as a separate phoneme and is replaced either by the sequence {{IPA|/uːər/}} ({{IPA|/uːr/}} before vowels within the same word, save for some compounds) or the monophthong {{IPA|/ɔːr/}}.}}{{refn|name=centering}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|ʌ}}}}{{refn|Some, particularly North American, dictionaries notate {{IPA|/ʌ/}} with the same symbol as {{IPA|/ə/}}, which is found only in unstressed syllables, and distinguish it from {{IPA|/ə/}} by marking the syllable as stressed. Also note that although {{angbr IPA|ʌ}}, the IPA symbol for the [[open-mid back unrounded vowel|open-mid back vowel]], is used, the typical modern pronunciation is rather close to the [[near-open central unrounded vowel|near-open central vowel]] {{IPA|[ɐ]}} in some dialects, including Received Pronunciation.}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|STR'''U'''T}}, s'''u'''ng, '''u'''ntidy, tr'''u'''stee{{refn|{{IPA|/ʌ/}} is not used in the dialects of the northern half of England and some parts of Ireland and Wales. These words would take the {{IPA|/ʊ/}} vowel: there is no [[Foot–strut split|''foot''–''strut'' split]].}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ɜːr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{sc2|N'''UR'''SE}}, bl'''urr'''y, '''ur'''bane, forew'''or'''d{{refn|In Received Pronunciation, {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} is pronounced as a lengthened schwa, {{IPA|[əː]}}. In General American, it is phonetically identical to {{IPA|/ər/}}. Some dictionaries therefore use {{angbr IPA|əː, ər}} instead of the conventional notations {{angbr IPA|ɜː, ɜr}}. When {{angbr IPA|ər}} is used for {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}, it is distinguished from {{IPA|/ər/}} by marking the syllable as stressed.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ʌr}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | h'''urr'''y{{refn|{{IPA|/ʌr/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} in dialects with the [[Hurry–furry merger|''hurry''–''furry'' merger]] such as General American.}}
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Stress and vowel reduction in English|Weak vowels]]
|-
! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ə}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | comm{{sc2|'''A'''}}, abb'''o'''t, b'''a'''zaar
| {{big|{{IPA|ər}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | lett{{sc2|'''ER'''}}, forw'''ar'''d, hist'''or'''y{{refn|name=syllabic}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɪ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | rabb'''i'''t, b'''i'''zarre, Lat'''i'''n{{refn|name=strong-weak}}{{refn|{{angbr IPA|ɪ}} represents a strong vowel in some contexts and a weak vowel in others. In accents with the [[weak vowel merger]] such as most Australian and American accents, weak {{IPA|/ɪ/}} is not distinguished from schwa {{IPA|/ə/}}, making ''rabbit'' and ''abbot'' rhyme and ''Lenin'' and ''Lennon'' homophonous. (Pairs like ''roses'' and ''Rosa's'' are kept distinct in American accents because of the difference in morphological structure,{{efn|{{harvp|Flemming|Johnson|2007|pp=94–5}}.}} but may be homophonous in Australian.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|p=601}}.}}) In these accents, weak {{IPA|/ɪl, ɪn, ɪm/}} merge with {{IPA|/əl, ən, əm/}}, so that the second vowel in ''Latin'' may be lost and ''cabinet'' may be disyllabic (see the previous note).}}
| {{big|{{IPA|oʊ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | mott'''o''', retr'''o'''active, foll'''ow'''er{{refn|name=strong-weak}}{{refn|name=schwa-w|{{IPA|/oʊ/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} in unstressed, prevocalic positions are transcribed as {{IPA|/əw/}} by Merriam-Webster, but no other dictionary uniformly follows this practice.{{efn|{{cite web |last=Windsor Lewis |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Windsor Lewis |date=10 April 2009 |url=http://www.yek.me.uk/archive18.html#blog174 |title=The Elephant in the Room |work=PhonetiBlog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250306085850/http://www.yek.me.uk/archive18.html#blog174 |archive-date=6 March 2025}}}} Hence the difference between {{IPA|/əw/}} in Merriam-Webster and {{IPA|/oʊ/}} or {{IPA|/u/}} in another source is most likely one in notation, not in pronunciation, so {{IPA|/əw/}} in such cases may be better replaced with {{IPA|/oʊ/}} or {{IPA|/u/}} accordingly, to minimize confusion: {{IPA|/ˌsɪtʃəˈweɪʃən/}} → {{IPA|/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/}}, {{IPA|/ˈfɒləwər/}} → {{IPA|/ˈfɒloʊər/}}.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|i}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | happ{{sc2|'''Y'''}}, med'''i'''ocre{{refn|name=i-u|{{angbr IPA|i}} represents variation between {{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in unstressed prevocalic or morpheme-final positions. It is realized with a quality closer to {{IPA|/iː/}} in accents with [[Happy tensing|''happy'' tensing]], such as Australian English, General American, and modern RP, and to {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in others. {{angbr IPA|u}} likewise represents variation between {{IPA|/uː/}} and {{IPA|/ʊ/}} in unstressed prevocalic positions.}}
| {{big|{{IPA|iə}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | Californ'''ia'''{{refn|The sequence {{angbr IPA|iə}} may be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|[i.ə]}} or {{IPA|[ɪ.ə]}}, or as one, {{IPA|[jə]}} or {{IPA|[ɪə̯]}}. When pronounced as one syllable in a non-rhotic accent, it may be indistinguishable from, and identified as, the {{sc2|NEAR}} vowel ({{IPA|/ɪər/}}).{{efn|name=wells-smoothing}} This transcription system uses {{angbr IPA|iə}}, not {{angbr IPA|i.ə}}, {{angbr IPA|jə}}, {{angbr IPA|ɪə}}, etc., to cover all these possibilities.}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|u}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | fr'''u'''ition{{refn|name=schwa-w}}{{refn|name=i-u}}
| {{big|{{IPA|uə}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | infl'''ue'''nce{{refn|The sequence {{angbr IPA|uə}} may be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|[u.ə]}} or {{IPA|[ʊ.ə]}}, or as one, {{IPA|[wə]}} or {{IPA|[ʊə̯]}}. When pronounced as one syllable in a non-rhotic accent, it may be indistinguishable from, and identified as, the {{sc2|CURE}} vowel ({{IPA|/ʊər/}}).{{efn|name=wells-smoothing}} This transcription system uses {{angbr IPA|uə}}, not {{angbr IPA|u.ə}}, {{angbr IPA|wə}}, {{angbr IPA|ʊə}}, etc., to cover all these possibilities.}}
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Syllabic consonant]]s{{refn|name=syllabic|In a number of contexts, {{IPA|/ə/}} in {{IPA|/ər/}}, {{IPA|/əl/}}, {{IPA|/ən/}}, or {{IPA|/əm/}} is often omitted, resulting in a syllable with no vowel. Some dictionaries show {{IPA|/ə/}} in those contexts in parentheses, superscript, or italics to indicate this possibility, or simply omit {{IPA|/ə/}}. When followed by a weak vowel, the syllable may be lost altogether, with the consonant moving to the next syllable, so that ''doubling'' {{IPA|/ˈdʌb.əl.ɪŋ/}} may alternatively be pronounced as {{IPA|[ˈdʌb.lɪŋ]}}, and ''Edinburgh'' {{IPA|/ˈɛd.ɪn.bər.ə/}} as {{IPA|[ˈɛd.ɪn.brə]}}.<!-- Symbols are deliberately kept diaphonemic since their realizations vary. -->{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|2008|pp=173, 799}}.}} When not followed by a vowel, {{IPA|/ər/}} merges with {{IPA|/ə/}} in non-rhotic accents.}}
|-
! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|əl}}}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | bott'''le''', doub'''l'''ing {{small|({{IPA|[əl]}}, {{IPA|[l̩]}}, or {{IPA|[l]}})}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ən}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | butt'''on''', fast'''en'''er {{small|({{IPA|[ən]}}, {{IPA|[n̩]}}, or {{IPA|[n]}})}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|əm}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | rhyth'''m''', bloss'''om'''ing {{small|({{IPA|[əm]}}, {{IPA|[m̩]}}, or {{IPA|[m]}})}}
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Marginal phoneme|Marginal segments]]
|-
! IPA !! Examples !! IPA !! Examples
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|x}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | lo'''ch''', '''Ch'''anukah{{refn|In most dialects, {{IPA|/x/}} can also be replaced by {{IPA|/k/}} in most words, including ''loch''. It is also replaced with {{IPA|/h/}} in some words, particularly of Yiddish origin, such as ''Chanukah''.}}
| {{big|{{IPA|ʔ}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | uh'''-'''oh {{IPA|/ˈʔʌʔoʊ/}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɒ̃}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | b'''on''' viv'''an'''t{{refn|name=nasalvowel|{{IPA|/ɒ̃, æ̃/}} are only found in French loanwords and often replaced by another vowel and a nasal consonant: ''bon vivant'' {{IPA|/ˌbɒn viːˈvɒnt/}}, ''ensemble'' {{IPA|/ɒnˈsɒmbəl/}}, ''fin de siècle''  {{IPA|/ˌfæn də siˈɛklə/}}, ''vin blanc'' {{IPA|/væn ˈblɒŋk/}}, etc.{{efn|{{harvp|Jones|2011}}.}}}}
| {{big|{{IPA|æ̃}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | f'''in''' de siècle{{refn|name=nasalvowel}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ɜː}}}}
| style="text-align: left" | M'''ö'''bius {{small|(non-rhotic only)}}{{refn|{{IPA|/ɜː/}} is only found in loanwords and represents a situation where such an ''r''-less vowel is used only in British or Southern Hemisphere accents, and therefore a transcription that includes it must always be prefaced with a label indicating the variety of English. If ''r''-ful {{sc2|NURSE}} is used in GA too, even if spelled without {{angbr|r}}, as in ''Goethe'' and ''hors d'oeuvre'', use {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}. {{IPA|/ɜː/}} is also not the same as {{angbr|œ}} seen in some American dictionaries. {{angbr|œ}} in those dictionaries is merely a notational convention and does not correspond to any vowel in any accent of English, so a transcription containing {{angbr|œ}} cannot be converted to one that uses this key.}}
| colspan="2" |
|-
| colspan="4" style="border-left: #fff solid 1px; border-right: #fff solid 1px; background:#fff" | &nbsp;
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Stress (linguistics)|Stress]]{{refn|The IPA stress marks, {{angbr IPA|ˈ}} and {{angbr IPA|ˌ}}, come ''before'' the syllable that has the stress, in contrast to stress marking in [[Pronunciation respelling for English|pronunciation keys of some dictionaries published in the United States]].}}
! colspan="2" | [[Syllabification]]
|-
! IPA !! Examples
! IPA !! Examples
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ˈ}}}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{nowrap|'''in'''to'''na'''tion {{IPA|/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/}}}}{{refn|name=secondary stress|Scholars disagree on how to analyze [[Stress_and_vowel_reduction_in_English#Degrees_of_lexical_stress|degrees of stress]] in English. A particular unstressed syllable with phonetic prominence or a [[Stress_and_vowel_reduction_in_English#Unstressed_full_vowels|full (unreduced) vowel]] is analyzed by some scholars as having secondary stress. For simplicity, we follow British rather than American English conventions, only marking secondary stress when it occurs before, not after, the primary stress.}}
| rowspan="2" | {{big|{{IPA|.}}}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | {{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈhaɪər/}} hire}}, {{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈhaɪ.ər/}} higher}}{{refn|Syllable divisions are not usually marked, but the IPA dot {{angbr IPA|.}} may be used when it is wished to make explicit where a division between syllables is (or may be) made.}}<br>{{nowrap|{{IPA|/ˈtæks.peɪər/}} taxpayer}}
|-
| {{big|{{IPA|ˌ}}}}
|}
|}

'''Notes'''
* Words in {{sc2|SMALL CAPITALS}} are the standard [[lexical set]]s. Not all of the sets are used here. In particular, we excluded words in the lexical sets {{sc2|BATH}} and {{sc2|CLOTH}}, which may be given two transcriptions, the former either with {{IPA|/ɑː/}} or {{IPA|/æ/}}, the latter with {{IPA|/ɒ/}} or {{IPA|/ɔː/}}.
* The length mark {{angbr IPA|ː}} does not mean that the vowels transcribed with it are always longer than those without it. When unstressed, followed by a voiceless consonant, or in a [[polysyllabic]] word, a vowel in the former group is frequently shorter than the latter in other environments (see {{section link|Clipping (phonetics)|English}}). {{IPA|/i, u/}} likewise do not mean shorter versions of {{IPA|/iː, uː/}} but represent a situation in which some speakers have {{IPA|/iː, uː/}} and others {{IPA|/ɪ, ʊ/}} (see [[Happy tensing|''Happy'' tensing]]).

==Dialect variation==
{{further|English phonology|Sound correspondences between English accents}}
This key represents [[diaphoneme]]s, abstractions of speech sounds that accommodate [[General American]], British [[Received Pronunciation]] (RP) and to a large extent also [[Australian English|Australian]], [[Canadian English|Canadian]], [[Irish English|Irish]] (including [[Ulster English|Ulster]]), [[New Zealand English|New Zealand]], [[Scottish English|Scottish]], [[South African English|South African]] and [[Welsh English]] pronunciations. Therefore, not all of the distinctions shown here are relevant to a particular dialect.

=== Fewer distinctions ===
These are cases where the diaphonemes express a distinction that is not present in some accents. Most of these are historical [[Phonological change#Merger|mergers]], but some are notational conventions (e.g. {{IPA|/i/}}), some represent accents which do not exhibit splits into the sets defined here (e.g. those without a {{IPA|[[Foot–strut split|/ʊ/–/ʌ/]]}} distinction), and some represent significant deviations from the broad transcription symbols used here (e.g. ''squ'''are''''' & ''d'''ayr'''oom'' in some rhotic accents).
* {{angbr IPA|i}} (happ{{Sc2|Y}}): this symbol does not represent a phoneme but a variation between {{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in unstressed positions. Speakers of dialects with [[happy tensing|''happy'' tensing]] (Australian English, General American, modern RP) should read it as an unstressed {{IPA|/iː/}}, whereas speakers of other dialects (e.g. some Northern England English) should treat it the same as {{IPA|/ɪ/}}. In Scotland, this vowel can be considered the same as the short allophone of {{IPA|/eɪ/}}, as in ''take''. Before {{IPA|/ə/}} within the same word, another possible pronunciation is {{IPA|/j/}} as in '''''y'''et''.
* Speakers of some [[Rhoticity in English|rhotic]] dialects, for instance in Ireland and Scotland, may not distinguish between the relevant vowels in ''n'''ear''''' {{IPA|/ˈnɪər/}} & ''fr'''eer'''unning'' {{IPA|/ˈfriːrʌnɪŋ/}}, ''c'''ure''''' {{IPA|/ˈkjʊər/}} & '''''Q-r'''ating'' {{IPA|/ˈkjuːreɪtɪŋ/}}, and ''squ'''are''''' {{IPA|/ˈskwɛər/}} & ''d'''ayr'''oom'' {{IPA|/ˈdeɪruːm/}}. If you speak such a dialect, read {{IPA|/ɪər, ʊər, ɛər/}} as {{IPA|/iːr, uːr, eɪr/}}.
* [[Cot–caught merger|''Cot''–''caught'' merger]]: Many speakers of American, Canadian, Scottish and Irish English pronounce ''cot'' {{IPA|/ˈkɒt/}} and ''caught'' {{IPA|/ˈkɔːt/}} the same.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=473–6, 493, 499}}.}} You may simply ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɒ/}} and {{IPA|/ɔː/}},  just as you ignore the distinction between the written vowels ''o'' and ''au'' when pronouncing them.
* [[Father–bother merger|''Father''–''bother'' merger]]: Most speakers of North American English (with the exception of [[Eastern New England English|Eastern New England]]) do not distinguish between the vowels in ''f'''a'''ther'' {{IPA|/'fɑːðər/}} and ''b'''o'''ther'' {{IPA|/'bɒðər/}}, pronouncing the two words as rhymes. If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɑː/}} and {{IPA|/ɒ/}}.
* In Northern Ireland, Scotland and many North American dialects the distinction between {{IPA|/ʊr/}} as in ''c'''our'''ier'' and the aforementioned {{IPA|/ʊər/}} and {{IPA|/uːr/}} does not exist. If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between {{IPA|/ʊr/}}, {{IPA|/ʊər/}} and {{IPA|/uːr/}}.
** [[Foot–goose merger|''Foot''–''goose'' merger]]: in Northern Ireland and Scotland this merger occurs in all environments, which means that ''foot'' {{IPA|/ˈfʊt/}} and ''goose'' {{IPA|/ˈɡuːs/}} also have the same vowel.{{efn|{{harvp|Stuart-Smith|2004|p=58}}.}}{{efn|{{harvp|Corrigan|2010|pp=33–5}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between {{IPA|/ʊ/}} and {{IPA|/uː/}} in all contexts.
** [[Cure–north merger|''Cure''–''north'' merger]] & [[cure–nurse merger|''cure''–''nurse'' merger]]: in North America, the {{IPA|/ʊr/}} of ''c'''our'''ier'' and the {{IPA|/ʊər/}} of ''cure'' may instead merge with {{IPA|/ɔːr/}} as in ''north'' or {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} as in ''nurse''. No such merger is possible in the case of the sequence which we transcribe as {{IPA|/uːr/}} as there is an implied morpheme boundary after the length mark.
** [[Mirror–nearer merger|''Mirror''–''nearer'' merger]]: in North American dialects that do not distinguish between {{IPA|/ʊr/}}, {{IPA|/ʊər/}} and {{IPA|/uːr/}} there is also no distinction between the {{IPA|/ɪr/}} of ''m'''irr'''or'' and the aforementioned {{IPA|/ɪər/}} and {{IPA|/iːr/}}. If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between {{IPA|/ɪr/}}, {{IPA|/ɪər/}} and {{IPA|/iːr/}}.
** [[Merry–marry–Mary merger|''Merry''–''marry''–''Mary'' merger]]: In many North American dialects there is also no distinction between the vowels in ''m'''err'''y'' {{IPA|/ˈmɛri/}}, ''m'''arr'''y'' {{IPA|/ˈmæri/}}, and ''M'''ar'''y'' {{IPA|/ˈmɛəri/}}. If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between {{IPA|/ɛr/}}, {{IPA|/ær/}}, and {{IPA|/ɛər/}}. Some speakers keep ''m'''arr'''y'' and/or ''m'''err'''y'' separate from the rest, but in the General American accent all three vowels are the same and may not be distinct from {{IPA|/eɪr/}} as in ''d'''ayr'''oom'' {{IPA|/ˈdeɪruːm/}}.
** [[Nurse–letter merger|''Nurse''–''letter'' merger]]: in rhotic North American English there is no distinction between the vowels in ''nurse'' {{IPA|/ˈnɜːrs/}} and ''lett'''er''''' {{IPA|/ˈlɛtər/}}. If you speak such a dialect, read {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} as {{IPA|/ər/}}. The {{IPA|/ʌr/}} of ''hurry'' often joins this neutralization; if you have it in your speech, read {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}, {{IPA|/ər/}} and {{IPA|/ʌr/}} as {{IPA|/ər/}}.
* [[Square–nurse merger|{{Sc2|SQUARE–NURSE}}]] [[Square–nurse merger|merger]]: some speakers from Northern England do not distinguish the vowel of ''square'' {{IPA|/ˈskwɛər/}} and ''nurse'' {{IPA|/ˈnɜːrs/}}.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=361, 372}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɛər/}} and {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}.
* [[Kit–comma merger|{{Sc2|KIT–commA}} merger]]: In New Zealand English, the vowels of ''kit'' {{IPA|/ˈkɪt/}} and ''foc'''u'''s'' {{IPA|/ˈfoʊkəs/}} have the same [[schwa]]-like quality.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=605–7}}.}}{{efn|{{harvp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|pp=98–9}}.}} If you are from New Zealand, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɪ/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}}.
* [[Near–square merger|{{Sc2|NEAR–SQUARE}} merger]]: in contemporary New Zealand English and some other dialects, the vowels of ''near'' {{IPA|/ˈnɪər/}} and ''square'' {{IPA|/ˈskwɛər/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|p=98}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ɪər/}} and {{IPA|/ɛər/}}.
* Lack of [[Foot–strut split|{{Sc2|FOOT–STRUT}} split]]: In Northern England English and some varieties of Irish and Welsh English, the vowels of ''foot'' {{IPA|/ˈfʊt/}} and ''strut'' {{IPA|/ˈstrʌt/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=351–3, 363–4}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ʊ/}} and {{IPA|/ʌ/}}.
* [[Sam–psalm merger|''Sam''–''psalm'' merger]]: In some varieties of Scottish English and in Northern Irish English, the vowels of ''trap'' {{IPA|/ˈtræp/}} and ''palm'' {{IPA|/ˈpɑːm/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=400, 439}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/æ/}} and {{IPA|/ɑː/}}.
* [[Strut–comma merger|{{Sc2|STRUT–}}comm{{Sc2|A}} merger]]: in Welsh English and some other dialects, the vowels of '''''u'''northodoxy'' {{IPA|/ʌnˈɔːrθədɒksi/}} and '''''a'''n orthodoxy'' {{IPA|/ən ˈɔːrθədɒksi/}} are not distinguished.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=380–1}}.}} If you speak such a dialect, ignore the difference between the symbols {{IPA|/ʌ/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}}.
* [[English-language vowel changes before historic /l/|Changes before historic /l/]]: depending on the dialect, vowels can be subject to various mergers before {{IPA|/l/}}, so that e.g. ''fill'' {{IPA|/ˈfɪl/}} and ''feel'' {{IPA|/ˈfiːl/}} or ''pull'' {{IPA|/ˈpʊl/}} and ''pool'' {{IPA|/ˈpuːl/}} may not be distinguished. [[L-vocalization]] may trigger even more mergers, so that e.g. ''cord'' {{IPA|/ˈkɔːrd/}} and ''called'' {{IPA|/ˈkɔːld/}} may be homophonous as {{IPA|/ˈkɔːd/}} in non-rhotic dialects of South East England.
* [[Rhoticity in English|Rhoticity]]: In many dialects, {{IPA|/r/}} occurs only before a vowel; if you speak such a dialect, simply ignore {{IPA|/r/}} in the pronunciation guides where you would not pronounce it, as in ''cart'' {{IPA|/kɑːrt/}}.
* [[Yod-dropping]]: in other dialects, {{IPA|/j/}} ('''y'''es) cannot occur after {{IPA|/t, d, n/}}, etc., within the same syllable; if you speak such a dialect, then ignore the {{IPA|/j/}} in transcriptions such as ''new'' {{IPA|/njuː/}}. For example, ''New York'' is transcribed {{IPA|/njuː ˈjɔːrk/}}. For most people from England and for some New Yorkers, the {{IPA|/r/}} in {{IPA|/jɔːrk/}} is not pronounced; for most people from the United States, including some New Yorkers, the {{IPA|/j/}} in {{IPA|/njuː/}} is not pronounced and may be ignored.

=== More distinctions ===
On the other hand, there are some distinctions which you might make but which this key does not encode, as they are seldom reflected in the dictionaries used as sources for Wikipedia articles:
* The vowels of ''kit'' and ''bit'', distinguished in South Africa.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=612–3}}.}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɪ/}} in stressed syllables and as {{IPA|/ɪ/}} or {{IPA|/ə/}} in unstressed syllables.
* The difference between the vowels of ''fir'', ''fur'' and ''fern'', maintained in some [[Scottish English|Scottish]] and [[Hiberno-English|Irish English]] but lost elsewhere.{{efn|name=scottishprer|{{harvp|Stuart-Smith|2004|p=56}}.}} All of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɜːr/}}.
* The vowels of ''north'' and ''force'', distinguished in Scottish English, Irish English and by a minority of American speakers.{{efn|name=scottishprer}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɔːr/}}.
* The vowels of ''pause'' and ''paws'', distinguished in Cockney and by some Estuary English speakers.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=304, 310–1}}.}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/ɔː/}} when the spelling does not contain {{angbr|r}} and {{IPA|/ɔːr/}} or {{IPA|/ʊər/}} (depending on the word) when it does.
* The vowels of ''manning'' and ''Manning'', distinguished in some parts of the United States (see [[:/æ/ raising|{{IPA|/æ/|cat=no}} raising]]). Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/æ/}}.
* The difference between the vowels of ''pain'' and ''pane'' found in some English, Welsh, and Newfoundland dialects. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/eɪ/}}.
* The difference between the vowels of ''toe'' and ''tow'' found in some English, Welsh, and Newfoundland dialects. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/oʊ/}}.
* The difference between the vowels of ''holy'' and ''wholly'' found in Cockney and many Estuary English speakers.{{efn|{{harvp|Wells|1982|pp=304, 312–3}}.}} Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/oʊ/}}.
* Any [[allophone|allophonic]] distinctions, such as:
** The vowels of ''bad'' and ''lad'', distinguished in many parts of [[Australian English|Australia]] and [[English language in Southern England|Southern England]]. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/æ/}}.
** The vowels of ''spider'' and ''spied her'', distinguished in many parts of Scotland,{{efn|{{harvp|Stuart-Smith|2004|p=57}}.}} plus many parts of North America. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/aɪ/}}.
** The vowels of ''rider'' and ''writer'', distinguished in most parts of Canada and many parts of the United States. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/aɪ/}}.
** The vowels of ''powder'' and ''pouter'' distinguished in most parts of Canada and some parts of the United States. Both of them are transcribed as {{IPA|/aʊ/}}.
** Allophonic vowel length (including the [[Scottish vowel length rule]]), as in ''knife'' {{IPA|/ˈnaɪf/}} vs. ''knives'' {{IPA|/ˈnaɪvz/}}. Phonemic vowel length, which exists in some dialects and involves pairs such as {{IPA|/ɛ/}} vs. {{IPA|/ɛər/}} and {{IPA|/ə/}} vs. {{IPA|/ɜːr/}} is also not marked explicitly. {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} do not represent phonemes; see above.
** [[Flapping]] in words such as ''better'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈbɛtər/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbɛdər/}}.
** [[Glottalization]] in words such as ''jetlag'' and, in some accents, ''daughter'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈdʒɛtlæɡ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈdɔːtər/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈdʒɛʔlæɡ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈdɔːʔər/}}. In this system, {{IPA|/ʔ/}} is used only for [[paralanguage]] or in loanwords where it occurs phonemically in the original language.
** [[L-vocalization]] in words such as ''bottle'' and ''Alps'', which we write {{IPA|/ˈbɒtəl/}} and {{IPA|/ˈælps/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbɒtʊ/}} and {{IPA|/ˈæwps/}}.
** The difference between allophones of {{IPA|/ə/}} in ''bal'''a'''nce'' ({{IPAblink|ə}}) vs. the ones in '''''a'''bout'' and ''Russi'''a''''' (and, in non-rhotic dialects, ''bett'''er'''''), both of which may be closer to {{IPA|/ʌ/}} in dialects with the foot–strut split (that is, {{IPAblink|ɐ}}) vs. the one in ''butt'''o'''n'' (the [[syllabic consonant|syllabicity]] of the following consonant). All are transcribed as {{IPA|/ə/}} in our system.
** The difference between the phonetic realization of English sounds (mostly vowels) in various dialects. ''Let's pick some grapes for Betty'' should be transcribed {{IPA|/lɛts ˈpɪk səm ˈɡreɪps fər ˈbɛti/}} regardless of the variety of English and everyone should interpret that transcription according to their own dialect. Thus, a person from South East England will read it as something like {{IPA|[lɛʔs ˈpʰɪk səm ˈɡɹɛɪps fə ˈbɛtˢɪi]}}, a Scot as {{IPA|[ɫɛts ˈpʰɪk səm ˈɡɾeps fɚ ˈbɛte]}}, whereas someone from New Zealand will interpret that transcription as {{IPA|[ɫɪts ˈpʰək səm ˈɡɹæɪps fə ˈbɪɾi]}}. Because we are transcribing [[diaphoneme]]s rather than [[Phone_(phonetics)|phones]] (actual sounds), it is irrelevant that, for example, the vowel in ''let's'' as pronounced by someone from New Zealand overlaps with how people with England and Scotland typically pronounce the first vowel in ''pick'', or that the Scottish realization of {{IPA|/r/}} after {{IPA|/ɡ/}} overlaps with the New Zealand realization of {{IPA|/t/}} between vowels. In other words, the symbol {{angbr IPA|ɛ}} does not stand specifically for the [[open-mid front unrounded vowel]] in our system but ''any'' vowel that can be identified as the vowel in ''let's'', depending on the accent. This is also why we use the simple symbol {{angbr IPA|r}} for the second sound in ''grapes''.

Other words may have different vowels depending on the speaker.

For more extensive information on dialect variations, you may wish to see the [[International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects|IPA chart for English dialects]].

Note that place names are not generally exempted from being transcribed in this abstracted system, so rules such as the above must be applied in order to recover the local pronunciation. Examples include place names in much of England ending ''-{{zwj}}ford'', which although locally pronounced {{IPA|[-fəd]}} are transcribed {{IPA|/-fərd/}}. This is best practice for editors. However, readers should be aware that not all editors may have followed this consistently, so for example if {{IPA|/-fəd/}} is encountered for such a place name, it should not be interpreted as a claim that the {{IPA|/r/}} would be absent even in a [[rhoticity in English|rhotic]] dialect.

==Other transcriptions==
If you feel it is necessary to add a pronunciation respelling using another convention, then please use the conventions of [[Help:Pronunciation respelling key|Wikipedia's pronunciation respelling key]].
* To compare the following IPA symbols with non-IPA American dictionary conventions that may be more familiar, see [[Pronunciation respelling for English]], which lists the pronunciation guides of fourteen English dictionaries published in the United States.
* To compare the following IPA symbols with other IPA conventions that may be more familiar, see [[Help:IPA/Conventions for English]], which lists the conventions of eight English dictionaries published in Britain, Australia, and the United States.

==See also==
* If your browser does not display IPA symbols, you probably need to install a font that includes the IPA (for good, free IPA fonts, see the download links in the articles for [[Gentium]], and the more complete [[Charis SIL]]; for a monospaced font, see the complete [[Everson Mono]]).
* For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation|Entering IPA characters}}.
* [[Help:IPA/Conventions for English]]
* [[Help:Pronunciation respelling key]]
* [[Pronunciation respelling for English]]
* {{clc|Pages with English IPA|pages}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{notelist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite journal
|last1=Bauer
|first1=Laurie
|last2=Warren
|first2=Paul
|last3=Bardsley
|first3=Dianne
|last4=Kennedy
|first4=Marianna
|last5=Major
|first5=George
|title=New Zealand English
|journal=[[Journal of the International Phonetic Association]]
|year=2007
|volume=37
|issue=1
|pages=97–102
|doi=10.1017/S0025100306002830
|s2cid=145584883
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Corrigan
|first=Karen P.
|year=2010
|title=Irish English, volume 1 – Northern Ireland
|publisher=Edinburgh University Press
|isbn=978-0-7486-3429-3
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zv2qBgAAQBAJ
}}
* {{cite journal
|last1=Flemming
|first1=Edward
|last2=Johnson
|first2=Stephanie
|year=2007
|title=''Rosa's roses'': reduced vowels in American English
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=37
|issue=1
|pages=83–96
|doi=10.1017/S0025100306002817
|s2cid=145535175
|url=http://web.mit.edu/flemming/www/paper/rosasroses.pdf
|archive-date=2018-09-19
|access-date=2019-06-23
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919182406/http://web.mit.edu/flemming/www/paper/rosasroses.pdf
|url-status=live
}}
* {{Cite EPD|18}}
* {{cite book
|last=Stuart-Smith
|first=Jane
|chapter=Scottish English: phonology
|year=2004
|editor-last=Schneider
|editor-first=Edgar W.
|editor2-last=Burridge
|editor2-first=Kate
|editor3-last=Kortmann
|editor3-first=Bernd
|editor4-last=Mesthrie
|editor4-first=Rajend
|editor5-last=Upton
|editor5-first=Clive
|title=A Handbook of Varieties of English
|volume=1: Phonology
|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter
|pages=47–67
|doi=10.1515/9783110175325.1.47
|isbn=3-11-017532-0
}}
* {{Accents of English}}
* {{cite book
|last=Wells
|first=John C.
|year=2008
|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
|edition=3rd
|publisher=Longman
|isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10/blogs/gotunicode/2008/09/getting-jaws-61-to-recognize-e.html Getting JAWS 6.1 to recognize "exotic" Unicode symbols] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617004313/http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10/blogs/gotunicode/2008/09/getting-jaws-61-to-recognize-e.html |date=2015-06-17 }} – for help on getting the [[screen reader]] [[JAWS (screen reader)|JAWS]] to read IPA symbols
* [http://ipa-reader.com/ IPA Reader] – web-based IPA synthesizer using [[Amazon Polly]]
* [https://itinerarium.github.io/phoneme-synthesis/ Phoneme Synthesis] – web-based IPA synthesizer using [[eSpeak]]

{{IPA keys}}
{{Wikipedia help pages}}