Pronunciation Guide

Spelled Pronunciation

Stress marks: [all capitals] indicates the primary stressed syllable, as in news‧pa‧per [nooz-PEY-per] and in‧for‧ma‧tion [in-fer-MEY-shuhn]

CONSONANTS

• [b] boy, baby, rob
• [d] do, ladder, bed
• [f] food, offer, safe
• [g] get, bigger, dog
• [h] happy, ahead
• [j] jump, budget, age
• [k] can, speaker, stick
• [l] let, follow, still
• [m] make, summer, time
• [n] no, dinner, thin
• [ng] singer, think, long
• [p] put, apple, cup
• [r] run, marry, far, store
• [s] sit, city, passing, face
• [sh] she, station, push
• [t] top, better, cat
• [ch] church, watching, nature, witch
• [th] thirsty, nothing, math
• [th] this, mother, breathe
• [v] very, seven, love
• [w] wear, away
• [hw] where, somewhat
• [y] yes, onion
• [z] zoo, easy, buzz
• [zh] measure, television, beige

VOWELS

• [a] apple, can, hat
• [ey] aid, hate, day
• [ah] arm, father, aha
• [air] air, careful, wear
• [aw] all, or, talk, lost, saw
• [e] ever, head, get
• [ee] eat, see, need
• [eer] ear, hero, beer
• [er] teacher, afterward, murderer
• [i] it, big, finishes
• [eye] I, ice, hide, deny
• [o] odd, hot, waffle
• [oh] owe, road, below
• [oo] ooze, food, soup, sue
• [oo] good, book, put
• [oi] oil, choice, toy
• [ou] out, loud, how
• [uh] up, mother, mud
• [uh] about, animal, problem, circus
• [ur] early, bird, stirring

FOREIGN SOUNDS

• [a] Fr. ami
• [kh] Scot. loch, Ger. ach or ich
• [œ] Fr. feu, Ger. schön
• [r] Fr. au revoir, Yiddish rebbe
• [uh] Fr. oeuvre
• [y] Fr. tu, Ger. über

SAMPLE NASALIZED VOWELS

• [an] Fr. bien
• [ahn] Fr. croissant
• [awn] Fr. bon
• [œn] Fr. parfum
• [in] Port. Prīncipe