The following table shows the 24 consonant phonemes found in most dialects of English, plus /x/, whose distribution is more limited. The pronunciation keys used in dictionaries generally contain a slightly greater number of symbols than this, to take account of certain sounds used in foreign words and certain noticeable distinctions that may not be-strictly speaking-phonemic. The number of vowels is subject to greater variation in the system presented on this page there are 20–25 vowel phonemes in Received Pronunciation, 14–16 in General American and 19–21 in Australian English. The number of consonant phonemes is generally put at 24 (or slightly more depending on the dialect). The number and distribution of phonemes in English vary from dialect to dialect, and also depend on the interpretation of the individual researcher. The phonemes in that and many other English words do not always correspond directly to the letters used to spell them (English orthography is not as strongly phonemic as that of many other languages).

For example, the English word through consists of three phonemes: the initial 'th' sound, the 'r' sound, and a vowel sound. Information about these standardized accents functions only as a limited guide to all of English phonology, which one can later expand upon once one becomes more familiar with some of the many other dialects of English that are spoken.Ī phoneme of a language or dialect is an abstraction of a speech sound or of a group of different sounds that are all perceived to have the same function by speakers of that particular language or dialect. Nevertheless, many other dialects of English are spoken, which have developed independently from these standardized accents, particularly regional dialects. Phonological analysis of English often concentrates on or uses, as a reference point, one or more of the prestige or standard accents, such as Received Pronunciation for England, General American for the United States, and General Australian for Australia. Among other things, most dialects have vowel reduction in unstressed syllables and a complex set of phonological features that distinguish fortis and lenis consonants ( stops, affricates, and fricatives).

In general, however, the regional dialects of English share a largely similar (but not identical) phonological system. Like many other languages, English has wide variation in pronunciation, both historically and from dialect to dialect. For the distinction between, / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.Įnglish phonology is the system of speech sounds used in spoken English. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

English alphabet phonentic spelling