The document discusses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and its use for representing the sounds of the English language. It explains that the IPA uses symbols to represent each sound and that English words are not always pronounced as they appear since pronunciation is represented by IPA symbols. It provides examples of IPA symbols for vowels, consonants, and stressed and unstressed syllables. It encourages learners of English to use online dictionaries that include IPA transcriptions to learn the pronunciation of new words.

1. An Introduction to the IPA
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a set of symbols. The symbols represent all the sounds
in a language.
All the sounds that make up American English pronunciation can be represented by symbols.
I strongly believe that all English learners should learn the IPA. I use the IPA in many of my
pronunciation video lessons and in the transcripts of the English Teacher Melanie Podcast.
English words are not always pronounced the way they look.
"The kids in our classroom are infinitely more significant than the subject matter we
teach. Meladee McCarty"
An English word doesn’t always tell you how it is pronounced. In some languages, you can
read a word and know immediately how the word is pronounced. You can’t do that with a lot
of words in English.
However, if you know the IPA symbols that represent the sounds of American English pronunciation,
you can look up any word in the dictionary and know immediately how it is pronounced. (There is a
list of online dictionaries for English learners at the end of this post.)

2. Consonant Pairs
The mouth position for each pair of consonant sounds below is the same, but one sound is unvoiced
while the other sound is voiced.
unvoiced = only air comes out of your mouth
voiced = your vocal cords produce a sound
More Consonant Sounds

3. Here’s where things get confusing.
This is the symbol for the American R consonant sound:
However, in most dictionaries, books & on websites, this is the symbol used for the American R
consonant sound:
One of the main differences between British and American pronunciation is that Americans

4. pronounce the R after a vowel, and the British don’t. The American vowel R sound (like at the
-er end of brother) is written a few different ways.
When the American vowel R sound occurs in a one-syllable word or a stressed syllable, you will see it
written these ways:
When the American vowel R sound occurs in an unstressed syllable, you will see it written these
ways:
ÂÂ
All the major online dictionaries for English learners use the IPA. Use these dictionaries to look up
new words. You will know the correct pronunciation by reading the IPA transcription!
Cambridge Dictionaries Online
(Choose American English from the list of dictionaries.)

5. MacMillan Dictionary
(Make sure the bottom of the entry says “This is the American English definition of
________.” If it doesn’t, then click on “View American English definition of
___.”)
Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary (American)
Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Each set of symbols is the IPA transcription of a common English word. The apostrophe symbol

6. ‘ tells you which syllable is the stressed syllable.
What is the word that each set of symbols represents?
/ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/
/ˈkwestʃən/
/ˈtʃɑklət/
/ˈvɛdʒtəbəl/
/ˈθɝzˌdeɪ/
/dʒoʊk/
/jiɚ/
/ˈfeɪsbʊk/
/nɔɪz/
/kɑld/
The answers are in the first comment below.
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Tagged as: pronounciation
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