| Letter | Letter name +Pronunciation |
Possible sounds | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| A,a | ay /eɪ/ |
/ɑ:/ | car, father |
| /æ/ | cat, man | ||
| /e/ | many, vary | ||
| /eɪ/ | name, make | ||
| /ɔ:/ | all, ball, talk, walk | ||
| /ə/ | sofa, away, ago | ||
| B,b | bee /biː/ |
/b/ | |
| C,c | cee /siː/ |
/k/ (ca, co, cu, end of syllable) | car, come, accent, fabric |
| /s/ (ce, ci, cy) | accent, acid, emergency | ||
| /ʃ/ (ci) | ferocious, efficient | ||
| D,d | dee /diː/ |
/d/ | |
| E,e | e /iː/ |
/e/ | bed, red, eleven, element |
| /ɜ:/ | mercy, nerve | ||
| /ɪ/ | eleven, delete | ||
| /iː/ | we, eve, delete | ||
| /ə/ | eleven, element | ||
| F,f | ef /ɛf/ |
/f/ | |
| G,g | gee /ʤiː/ |
/g/ in ga, gui, go, gu | gate, go, guitar |
| /g/ in ge, gi | gear, geek; gild, git | ||
| /ʤ/ in ge, gi, gy | general, giant, energy | ||
| H,h | aitch /eɪtʃ/ |
∅ | hour, honest |
| /h/ | hit, hot | ||
| I,i | i /aɪ/ |
/ɪ/ | it, bit |
| /i/ | radio, idiom | ||
| /iː/ | machine, unique | ||
| /aɪ/ | island, night | ||
| /ɜ:/ | bird, first | ||
| /ə/ | pencil, Basil | ||
| J,j | jay /ʤeɪ/ |
/ʤ/ | |
| K,k | kay /keɪ/ |
/k/ | |
| L,l | el /ɛl/ |
/l/ | |
| M,m | em /ɛm/ |
/m/ | |
| N,n | en /ɛn/ |
/n/ | |
| O,o | o /oʊ/ |
/ɔ:/ | for, coffee |
| /ɒ/ | on, hot, dog | ||
| /ʌ/ | son, mother, color | ||
| /uː/ | to, do | ||
| /əʊ/ | go, old, cold | ||
| /wʌ/ | one, once | ||
| /ɜ:/ | word, work | ||
| /ə/ | harmony, color | ||
| P,p | pee /piː/ |
/p/ | |
| Q,q | cue /kjuː/ |
/kw/ | queen, equal |
| /k/ | antique, unique | ||
| R,r | ar /ɑr/ |
/r/ | |
| S,s | ess /ɛs/ |
/s/ | soap, soup, fast |
| /z/ | cheese, is, easy, reason | ||
| /ʃ/ | sure, sensual | ||
| /ʒ/ | usual, casual, illusion | ||
| T,t | tee /tiː/ |
/t/ | tea, top, tantrum, torture |
| /tʃ/ | nature, future, torture | ||
| U,u | u /juː/ |
/ʊ/ | put, full, pull |
| /uː/ | ruse, lunar | ||
| /jʊ/ | music, future | ||
| /a/ | buy, guy | ||
| /ʌ/ | up, sun, fun, shut | ||
| /ɜ:/ | burn, bury | ||
| /ə/ | minus, medium, fulcrum | ||
| V,v | vee /viː/ |
/v/ | |
| W,w | double-u /ˈdʌbəljuː/ |
/w/ | |
| X,x | ex /ɛks/ |
/ks/ | |
| Y,y | wy or wye /waɪ/ |
/j/ with vowels | yes, boy |
| /i/ | very, many | ||
| Z,z | zed or zee /zɛd/ /ziː/ |
/z/ | zero, zebra |
| /ʒ/ | seizure |
Expected conclusions:
| Letter combination | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| th | /θ/ | thaw, think, thumb |
| /ð/ | the, brother | |
| ng | /ŋ/ | sing, thing |
| Pairs | Other | |
|---|---|---|
| Unvoiced | Voiced | |
| /p/ | /b/ | m |
| /k/ | /g/ | n |
| /t/ | /d/ | l |
| /f/ | /v/ | r |
| /s/ | /z/ | h |
| /ʃ/ | /ʒ/ | w |
| /tʃ/ | /ʤ/ | j |
| /θ/ | /ð/ | ŋ |
| wide ← lips → round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| closed ↑ jaw ↓ open |
/iː/ | /ɪ/ | /ʊ/ | /uː/ |
| /e/ | /ə/ | /ɜ:/ | /ɔ:/ | |
| /æ/ | /ʌ/ | /ɑ:/ | /ɒ/ | |
| /ɪə/ | /eə/ | /ʊə/ |
| /əʊ/ | /aʊ/ | |
| /eɪ/ | /ɑɪ/ | /ɔɪ/ |
With 12 different vowel sounds, (12*11/2) = 66 different diphthongs are theoretically possible; however only 8 of them appear in current English, and one of them, /ʊə/, appears to be increasingly rare.
Due to real life voicing and devoicing, sometimes learners can be unable to distinguish phonemes in voiced and unvoiced pairs, or even worse, not properly learn them in the early stages. Learners are more likely to have problems when only one of the phonemes in these pairs exists in their language. Practicing first the pairs that do may help them to gain control of the voicing/devoicing mechanism to work later on the 'missing' ones.
Because producing and hearing single sounds is notoriously difficult, it is useful to find words that differ only in the sounds to study, if possible. Having them at the beginning, the end, and in middle positions of different words, and in the same word is even better.
| Sounds | Examples |
|---|---|
| /p/ /b/ | par, bar; cob, cop; |
| /k/ /g/ | come, gum; tack, tag |
| /t/ /d/ | tall, doll; patty, paddy; wet, wed |
| /f/ /v/ | fan, van; defy, devise; relief, relieve |
| /s/ /z/ | sip, zip; grace, graze; seize, zealous; sleazy, zest |
| /ʃ/ /ʒ/ | pressure, pleasure; fission, vision |
| /tʃ/ /ʤ/ | cheap, jeep; itch, edge; itchy, edgy |
| /θ/ /ð/ | thigh, thy; brothel, brother; myth |
| Sounds | Examples |
|---|---|
| /b/ /v/ | ban, van; Abe, grave; beaver, verbal |
| /d/ /ð/ | day, they |
| /s/ /ʃ/ | sell, shell; assume, assure; crass, crash |
| /s/ /ʒ/ | set, vision, seizure |
| /z/ /ʃ/ | zip, ship; wiz, wish |
| /z/ /ʒ/ | laser, leisure; visualize |
| /tʃ/ /ʃ/ | cheap, sheep; which, wish |
| /n/ /ŋ/ | ban, bang; thin, thing |
| /ŋ/ /nk/ | bang, bank; thing, think |
| /j/ /ʤ/ | yet, jet; yoke, joke; you, Jew |
| /s/ /θ/ | sin, thin; myth, miss |
| Sounds | Examples |
|---|---|
| /ɑ:/ /æ/ | ant, arc, Antarctic |
| /ɑ:/ /ə/ | laugh, laughter, laughable |
| /æ/ /e/ | man, men; than, then; fanfare |
| /æ/ /ə/ | flat, flatter; ballad, cabal |
| /e/ /ɜ:/ | bed, bird |
| /e/ /ə/ | bet, better, burial |
| /ɜ:/ /ə/ | verse, version, vermin |
| /e/ /ɪ/ | men, min, many, fame |
| /ɪ/ /i/ | mini, mickey, idiom |
| /ɪ/ /iː/ | kin, keen; live, leave; relieve, relive |
| /iː/ /i/ | free, freely, greedy |
| /ɔ:/ /ɒ/ | four hot coffees |
| /ɒ/ /ʌ/ | pot luck; hot hut |
| /ɔ:/ /ʌ/ | floor, flourish |
| /ɔ:/ /ə/ | call, caller |
| /ɒ/ /ə/ | doll, dollar; hot, hotter |
| /ʌ/ /ə/ | but, butter; color, fulcrum |
| /ʊ/ /uː/ | pull, pool; look, Luke |