Place of Articulation: Indicates where in the vocal tract the sound is produced (e.g.

,
bilabial, alveolar, velar, etc.).

Manner of Articulation: Describes how airflow is modified (e.g., plosive, nasal, fricative,
etc.).

Voicing: Whether the vocal cords vibrate during the production of the sound (voiced vs.
voiceless).

Vowels (Classified by IPA)

Vowel Height Backness Roundedness

Close Front Unrounded /i/ (as in "meet")

Close Front Rounded /y/ (as in French "lune")

Close Back Rounded /u/ (as in "boot")

Close Back Unrounded /ɯ/ (as in Korean "물")

Close-Mid Front Unrounded /e/ (as in "bait")

Close-Mid Front Rounded /ø/ (as in French "peur")

Close-Mid Back Rounded /o/ (as in "go")

Close-Mid Back Unrounded /ɤ/ (as in Mandarin "歌")

Open-Mid Front Unrounded /ɛ/ (as in "bed")

Open-Mid Front Rounded /œ/ (as in French "coeur")

Open-Mid Back Rounded /ɔ/ (as in "saw")

Open-Mid Back Unrounded /ʌ/ (as in "cup")

Open Front Unrounded /a/ (as in "cat")

Open Back Unrounded /ɑ/ (as in "father")

Open Back Rounded /ɒ/ (as in British "lot")

Short vowels in the IPA are /ɪ/-pit, /e/-pet, /æ/-pat, /ʌ/-cut, /ʊ/-put, /ɒ/-dog, /ə/-
about. Long vowels in the IPA are /i:/-week, /ɑ:/-hard,/ɔ:/-fork,/ɜ:/-heard, /u:/-boot.

Consonants (Full Classification)

Place of Manner of
Consonant Voicing Example IPA Symbol
Articulation Articulation

Plosives (Stops)

/p/ Bilabial Stop Voiceless "pat"

/b/ Bilabial Stop Voiced "bat"

/t/ Alveolar Stop Voiceless "top"

/d/ Alveolar Stop Voiced "dog"

/k/ Velar Stop Voiceless "cat"

/ɡ/ Velar Stop Voiced "go"

(glottal stop, e.g.,

/ʔ/ Glottal Stop Voiceless
"uh-oh")

Nasals

/m/ Bilabial Nasal Voiced "man"

/n/ Alveolar Nasal Voiced "no"

/ŋ/ Velar Nasal Voiced "sing"

(e.g., in some Indic

/ɳ/ Retroflex Nasal Voiced
languages)

Fricatives

/f/ Labiodental Fricative Voiceless "fish"

/v/ Labiodental Fricative Voiced "very"

/θ/ Dental Fricative Voiceless "thin"

/ð/ Dental Fricative Voiced "then"

/s/ Alveolar Fricative Voiceless "sun"

/z/ Alveolar Fricative Voiced "zoo"

/ʃ/ Postalveolar Fricative Voiceless "shoe"

 Place of Manner of
Consonant Voicing Example IPA Symbol
Articulation Articulation

/ʒ/ Postalveolar Fricative Voiced "measure"

/h/ Glottal Fricative Voiceless "house"

A<ricates

/tʃ/ Postalveolar A<ricate Voiceless "chess"

/dʒ/ Postalveolar A<ricate Voiced "judge"

Approximants

/ɹ/ Alveolar Approximant Voiced "red"

/j/ Palatal Approximant Voiced "yes"

/w/ /ju/ Bilabial Approximant Voiced "win"

(as in Scottish
/ʍ/ Bilabial Approximant Voiceless
"whine")

Taps/Flaps

/ɾ/ Alveolar Tap/Flap Voiced (American "butter")

(in some Indic

/ɽ/ Retroflex Tap/Flap Voiced
languages)

Trills

(rolled "r", as in
/r/ Alveolar Trill Voiced
Spanish "perro")

(as in French or
/ʀ/ Uvular Trill Voiced
German)

Lateral
Approximants

Lateral
/l/ Alveolar Voiced "light"
Approximant

Velarized Lateral
/ɫ/ Voiced (dark "l", as in "full")
Alveolar Approximant

Lateral Fricatives
 Place of Manner of
Consonant Voicing Example IPA Symbol
Articulation Articulation

/ɬ/ Alveolar Lateral Fricative Voiceless (as in Welsh "Llan")

/ɮ/ Alveolar Lateral Fricative Voiced (less common)

a) Typical Transcription for Words Ending in -ion

• Words ending in -ion often use the transcription /ʃən/ or /ʒən/:

o Examples:

 Nation → /ˈneɪʃən/

 Vision → /ˈvɪʒən/

o -ion usually reduces to a schwa /ə/ in unstressed syllables and may

involve /ʃ/ (voiceless) or /ʒ/ (voiced) depending on the word.

b) Typical Transcription for Words Ending in d/t/ch + ed

• The pronunciation of -ed depends on the preceding sound:

1. /ɪd/ after /t/ or /d/ (e.g., wanted, landed).

 2. /t/ after voiceless sounds (e.g., hoped → /hoʊpt/).

3. /d/ after voiced sounds (e.g., played → /pleɪd/).

o "ID Before T and D" to remember when /ɪd/ applies. Practice contrasting
examples like walked vs. needed.

c) Typical Transcription of the "u" Sound

• English "u" varies significantly depending on context: /ju/

1. /uː/: Long "u" as in rule → /ruːl/.

2. /ʊ/: Short "u" as in put → /pʊt/.

3. /juː/: "Yod" pronunciation as in music → /ˈmjuːzɪk/.

o Highlight the contrast between /uː/ and /ʊ/, as Spanish does not
distinguish them. Use minimal pairs like pool /puːl/ vs. pull /pʊl/.

d) Diphthongs

• English diphthongs are moving vowel sounds (e.g., /aɪ/, /eɪ/, /oʊ/, /aʊ/). Common
examples:

o /aɪ/: my → /maɪ/

o /eɪ/: day → /deɪ/

o /oʊ/: go → /ɡoʊ/

o /aʊ/: now → /naʊ/

e) Minimal Pairs

• Use minimal pairs to illustrate small distinctions that change meaning. Examples:

o /iː/ vs. /ɪ/: sheep vs. ship.

o /æ/ vs. /ʌ/: cat vs. cut.

o /eɪ/ vs. /aɪ/: face vs. fice (hypothetical).

f) When is /dʒ/ or /ʒ/ More Frequent?

• /dʒ/ (voiced aBricate): Found in initial or medial positions, often before vowels.

o Examples: job → /dʒɒb/, bridge → /brɪdʒ/.

• /ʒ/ (voiced fricative): Rare in English but occurs in:

1. Borrowed words: measure → /ˈmɛʒər/.

2. In unstressed suBixes like -sion: vision → /ˈvɪʒən/.

g) When Do We Use /ə/?

• /ə/ (schwa) is used in:

1. Unstressed syllables: about → /əˈbaʊt/.

2. Reduced vowels: sofa → /ˈsoʊfə/.

o schwa is the most frequent vowel sound in English and that it does not
exist in Spanish, requiring extra practice.

In most cases, unstressed vowels in English reduce to /ə/ (schwa). Examples:

• banana → /bəˈnænə/.
• support → /səˈpɔːrt/.
o

h) When Do We Use /ʌ/?

• /ʌ/ occurs in stressed syllables, primarily in:

o Words like cup → /kʌp/, fun → /fʌn/.

• Contrast /ʌ/ with /æ/ (e.g., cut vs. cat) and /u/ (e.g., full vs. fool).

• • "Y" as /j/: Appears in words like yes → /jɛs/ or yawn → /jɔːn/.

• • "W" as /w/: Occurs in win → /wɪn/ or swim → /swɪm/.
• Colonel: /ˈkɜːrnəl/
• Women: /ˈwɪmɪn/
• Gauge: /ɡeɪdʒ/
• Choir: /kwaɪər/
• Tour: /tʊər/ or /tɔːr/ (depending on accent)
• Debris: /ˈdeɪbriː/ or /ˈdɛbriː/
• Pearl: /pɜːrl/
• Chaos: /ˈkeɪɒs/
• Bureau: /ˈbjʊərəʊ/ or /ˈbjʊroʊ/ (depending on accent)
• Leisure: /ˈlɛʒər/ (British) or /ˈliːʒər/ (American)
IPA Symbols and Their Etymological Names

Name in
Symbol Etymology (Greek/Latin)
Phonetics

/ʌ/ "Turned V" Derived from the Latin V, rotated.

/ɤ/ "Ram's Horn" From Greek γ (gamma), resembling a ram's horn.

/ɛ/ "Epsilon" Greek εἶ (epsilon), meaning "simple E".

Latin æsc, from Old English æsc (ash tree); represents a

/æ/ "Ash"
ligature of a and e.

From Middle English esh, the long S shape resembling the old
/ʃ/ "Esh"
"ſ".

Derived from a variant of Latin z. Possibly from Old French or

/ʒ/ "Ezh"
Old English forms.

/θ/ "Theta" Greek θῆτα (theta), meaning "theta character".

/ð/ "Eth" Old English ðæt, symbol derived from a crossed D.

/ŋ/ "Eng" Named after its nasal sound, derived from Latin n and g.

/ɾ/ "Flap R" Latin r, related to "flapping" or "tapping" articulation.

/ɹ/ "Turned R" Derived from Latin R, rotated.

/ɫ/ "Dark L" From Latin l, with the diacritic signifying velarization.

No specific Greek or Latin term; symbol represents the action

/ʔ/ "Glottal Stop"
of closing the glottis.

/u/ "U" Latin U, representing the "oo" sound.

/i/ "I" Latin I, representing the high front vowel.