BBC Learning English | Pronunciation Tips

The sounds of English

Learning the sounds

Short vowels

Short vowel / i /

Short vowel / ʊ /



Short vowel / ʌ /



Short vowel /ɒ /



Short vowel /ə /



Short vowel /e /



Short vowel / æ /

Long Vowels

Long vowel /iː/

Long vowel /uː/



Long vowel /ɑː /



Long vowel /ɔː/



Long vowel /ɜː/

Diphthongs (double vowel sounds)

8 Diphthongs

Diphthong / ɪə / near, here, weary

Diphthong /ʊə / poor, jury, cure



Diphthong / aɪ / price, high, try



Diphthong /ɔɪ / choice, boy



Diphthong / əʊ / goat, show, no




Diphthong / eə / square. fair, various




Diphthong / aʊ / mouth, now




Diphthong / eɪ / face, day, break

24 Consonants

[Voiceless consonants]

Voiceless Consonant Sound / p / - pen, copy, happen

Voiceless Consonant Sound /t / - tea, tight, button




Voiceless Consonant Sound / tʃ / -church, match, nature




Voiceless Consonant Sound / k / -key, clock, school




Voiceless Consonant Sound /f / -fat, coffee, rough, photo




Voiceless Consonant Sound / θ / -thing, author, path




Voiceless Consonant Sound / s / -soon, cease, sister




Voiceless Consonant Sound / ʃ / -ship, sure, national

Voiced consonants

Voiced Consonant Sound / b / - back, baby, job




Voiced Consonant Sound /d / - day, ladder, odd




Voiced Consonant Sound / dʒ / -judge, age, soldier




Voiced Consonant Sound / g / - get, giggle, ghost




Voiced Consonant Sound /v / -view, heavy, move




Voiced Consonant Sound / ð / -this, other, smooth




Voiced Consonant Sound / z / -zero, music, roses, buzz




Voiced Consonant Sound / ʒ / -pleasure, vision

Other Consonant Sound

Other Consonant Sound /m / -more, hammer, sum




Other Consonant Sound /n / -nice, know, funny, sun




Other Consonant Sound /ŋ / -ring, anger, thanks, sung




Other Consonant Sound / h / -hot, whole, ahead




Other Consonant Sound / l / -light, valley, feel




Other Consonant Sound / r / -right, wrong, sorry, arrange




Other Consonant Sound / w / -wet, one, when, queen




Other Consonant Sound / j / -yet, use, beauty, few

The Phonetic Chart

There are 44 Sounds in English

12 Pure Vowels

8 Diphthongs

24 Consonants