This document provides tips for guessing the pronunciation of English words based on their spelling patterns. It lists common letter combinations and the sounds they typically make, such as "-ough" making an "uff" sound and "-tion" making a "shun" sound. It also provides two word lists for readers to practice applying the spelling-sound rules to guess pronunciations. The document aims to help readers better understand the complex relationship between English spelling and pronunciation.

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TRANSCRIPTIONTRANSCRIPTION
Prepared by Khoa Anh Viet, M.A.

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Why is spelling so hard?
• Blame the alphabet. You can never tell
what sound a letter is going to make.
• Blame the dictionary.
• Blame is on the history of the English.
Sourceː
William, E. (2008). The challenge of spelling in English.
English Teaching Forum, 46(1), 2-11.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ai’ /eɪ/ː cocaine, McCain, rain, etc.
(except with ‘air’, Thai, naïve, )
/ˈsenɪt/
• ‘-ate’ (v) /eɪ/ː graduate, communicate, etc.
• ‘-ate’ (n) /ət/ (usually more than three
syllable nouns or adjectives)ː graduate,
chocolate, etc.
Noteː Senate ???
• ‘-aze’ /eɪz/ː haze, maze, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-al’ /əl/ (su x)ː arrival, industrial, etc.
• ‘ad-’
/æd/ (when stressed)ː advertise, adverb, etc.
/əd/ (when unstressed)ː advise, advance, etc.
• ‘-able’ /əbl/: comfortable, portable, etc.
• ‘-ar (consonant -r, stressed or one-
syllable)’ /ɑː/: car, start, etc.
• ‘-ash’ /æʃ/: flash, trash, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ese’ /iː/ː Vietnamese, Japanese, etc.
• ‘ex-’ /eks/ (when stressed)ː export (n), ex-
wife, execute, etc.
• ‘ex-’
/ɪks/ (when unstressed before a consonant)ː
export (v), exceed, etc.
/ɪɡz/ (when unstressed before a vowel)ː
example, executive, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ect’
/ekt/ (when stressed)ː subject (v), object
(v), inject, etc.
/ɪkt/ (when unstressed)ː subject (n), object
(n), etc.
• ‘-en’ /ən/ (v, su x)ː widen, strengthen,
etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-eer’ /ɪə/ (suffix): engineer, volunteer,
etc.
• ‘-ette’ /et/: launderette, cigarette, etc.
• ‘-ed’
/t/ after voiceless sounds except /t/
/d/ after voiced sounds except /d/
/ɪd/ after /t/ and /d/ sounds.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-er’ /ə(r)/ (unstressed)ː teacher, speaker,
etc.
• ‘ee’ /iː/: employee, refugee, etc. (not
before r - /ɪə/ː sneer)
• ‘-er (-consonant -r, stressed or one-
syllable)’ /ɜː/ː mermaid, fern, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ish’ /ɪʃ/ː English, astonish, etc.
• ‘-ise/-ize’ (v) /aɪz/ː realize, organize, etc.
Expertise??? /ˌekspɜːˈtiːz/
• ‘-ity’ /əti/ or /ɪti/: ability, university, etc.
• ‘-ic’ /ɪk/: heroic, ironic, etc.
• ‘-ing’ /ɪŋ/ː learning, doing.
• ‘-ist or -ism’ /ɪst or ɪzm/ː tourist, tourism.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ir’ (consonant -r, stressed or one-syllable)’
/ɜː/ː birdie, birth, etc.
• ‘-ie’ (stressed)’ /iː/ː achieve, relief, relieve,
retrieve, etc.
• ‘-ice’ (stressed or one-syllable)’ /aɪs/ː rice,
suffice, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ful’ /fl/ (suffix): awful, careful, etc.
• ‘dis-’ /dɪs/ (prefix): dislike, disco, etc.
• ‘-ly’ /li/ (suffix): happily, merely, etc.
• ‘-ment’ /mənt/ (unstressed): enjoyment,
moment, etc.
• ‘-fy’ (v) /faɪ/ː beautify, satisfy, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ous’ /əs/: serious, adventurous, etc.
• ‘-oir’ /wɑː(r)/ː abattoir, reservoir, etc.
• ‘-or (-consonant -r, stressed or one-
syllable)’ /ɔː/ː torment, sort, etc.
• ‘-ory, -ery, ’ /əri/ (unstressed)ː history,
surgery, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-tive’ /tɪv/: competitive, festive, etc.
• ‘-sive’ /sɪv/: expensive, intensive, etc.
• ‘-tion’ /ʃən/ː action, nation, etc.
• ‘-some’ /səm/ (unstressed): troublesome,
lonesome, etc.
• ‘post-’ /pəʊst/ (pre x)ː post-war, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-ual’ (v) (> 1 syllable) /uəl/ː actual,
usual, etc.
• ‘un-’ (pre x) /ʌn/ː unhappy, unusual, etc.
• ‘-ur-(consonant -r, stressed or one-
syllable)’ /ɜː/ː surname, surf, purr, etc.
• ‘-ur-(r, stressed)’ /ʌ/ː burrow, curry, etc.

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
• ‘-uce’ /juːs/ (stressed)ː seduce, produce,
etc.
• ‘-usk’ /ʌsk/ː tusk, busk, etc.
• ‘-ust’ /ʌst/ː must, lust, etc. (sustain
unstressed)

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You can guess the pronunciation when …
Weak form /ə/
‘a’ attend ‘ar’ particular
‘o’ carrot ‘e’ violet
‘u’ autumn ‘er’ perhaps
‘ough’ thorough

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Pronunciation can be fun!!!
The following list of words was collected by
Khoa Anh Viet, M.A. and
Hoang Tat Truong, M.A.

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
gauge
bouquet
/ɡeɪdʒ/
abalone
/bʊˈkeɪ/
/ˌæbəˈləʊni/
Chicago /ʃɪˈkɑːɡəʊ/
entrepreneur /ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː/
soften /ˈsɒfən/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
advertisement
butcher
/ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt/
canal
/ˈbʊtʃə/
/kəˈnæl/
clerk /klɑːk/ (BE) /klɜːrk/ (AE)
colonel /ˈkɜːnəl/
determine /dɪˈtɜːmɪn/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
develop
guitar
/dɪˈveləp/
/ɡɪˈtɑː/
industry /ˈɪndəstri/
island /ˈaɪlənd/
/fəˈtɒɡrəfə/photographer
interpreter /ɪnˈtɜːprɪtə(r)/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
receipt
recipe
/rɪˈsiːt/
says
/ˈresəpi/
/sez/
tomb /tuːm/
creature /ˈkriːtʃə/
height /haɪt/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
infamous /ˈɪnfəməs/
luxury /ˈlʌkʃəri/
luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəriəs/
pizza /ˈpiːtsə/
pajamas /pəˈdʒɑːməs/
explanation /ˌekspləˈneɪʃn/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
television /ˈtelɪvɪʒn/
competent /ˈkɒmpɪtənt/
diarrhoea /ˌdaɪəˈrɪə/
chaos /ˈkeɪɒs/
gaol /dʒeɪl/
gourmet /ˈɡʊəmeɪ/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
preferable /ˈprefərəbl/
suite /swiːt/
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/
debt /det/
embarrass /ɪmˈbærəs/
stomach /ˈstʌmək/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
simile /ˈsɪmɪli/
sesame /ˈsesəmi/
suffice /səˈfaɪs/
quay /ki:/
distribute /dɪˈstrɪbjuːt/
contribute /kənˈtrɪbjuːt/
specific /spəˈsɪfɪk/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
Nepal /nəˈpɔːl/
sew /səʊ/
linen /ˈlɪnɪn/
naive /naɪˈiːv/
lure /lʊə(r)/
Senegal /ˌsenɪˈɡɔːl/
Nicholas /ˈnɪkələs/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
southern /ˈsʌðən/
Israel /ˈɪzreɪl/
karate /kəˈrɑːti/
thesis /ˈθiːsɪs/
Haiti /ˈheɪti/
Uruguay /ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/
/ˈjʊərəɡweɪ/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
Brunei /bruːˈnaɪ/
attaché /əˈtæʃeɪ/
personnel /ˌpɜːsəˈnel/
lichen /ˈlaɪkən/
asylum /əˈsaɪləm/
thesaurus /θɪˈsɔːrəs/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
vehicle /ˈviːɪkl/
education /ˌedʒʊˈkeɪʃn/
colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/
fortune /ˈfɔːtʃuːn/
Achilles /əˈkiːlɪs/
Eiffel /ˈaɪfl/
police /pəˈlɪs/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
maternal /məˈtɜːnəl/
paternal, fraternal, internal, etc.
assassin /əˈsæsɪn/
albeit /ɔːlˈbiːɪt/
archaic /ɑːˈkeɪɪk/
courteous /ˈkɜːtiəs/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
diabetes /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/
Latino /ləˈtiːnəʊ/
leopard /ˈlepəd/
moustache /məˈstɑːʃ/ or /ˈmʌstæʃ/
Palestine /ˈpæləstaɪn/
idea /aɪˈdɪə/

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Can you guess the pronunciation of these words?
individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/
piano /piˈænəʊ/
yacht /jɒt/
bow /bəʊ/ or /baʊ/
oven dove stove
pharaoh /ˈfeərəʊ/
/ˈʌvən/ /dʌv/ /stəʊv/