Traditional Respelling Systems
The following chart matches the IPA symbols used to represent the sounds of the English language with the phonetic symbols used in several dictionaries, a majority of which transcribe American English.
These works adhere (for the most part) to the one-symbol-per-sound principle. Other works not included here, such as Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language (unabridged, 2nd ed.), do not, and thus have several different symbols for the same sound (partly to allow for different phonemic mergers and splits).
The full titles of abbreviated column headings in the following table are viewable in interactive media (as opposed to hard copy), using the pointer. To see the full titles, hover over the abbreviations. On touch screens, a long press and cancel may show them.
Consonants | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA1 | IPA2 | APA | WPRK | NOAD | AHD | RHD | WBO | MECD | DPL | DPN | NBC | MWCD | COD4 | POD | Cham | AB | Dictcom | BBC | Wikipedia¹ | Wikipedia² | Examples |
tʃ | tʃ | č | ch | ᴄʜ | ch | c͡h | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch | ch, tch | ch | ch | church |
h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | h | hh | h | h | h | h | hat |
hw | hw | hw | wh | (h)w | hw | hw | hw | hw | hw | hw | (h)w | hw | hw | wh | which | ||||||
dʒ | dʒ | ǯ | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | jh | j | j | j | j | judge |
x | x | x | kh | ᴋʜ | ᴋ͡ʜ | kh | k | (χ) | kh | hh | ᴋʜ | kh | kh | kh | loch, Buch | ||||||
ɬ | ɬ | ł | hl | hl | llan | ||||||||||||||||
ɡ9 | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g | g, gh | game, tag, regal |
ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ng | ɴɢ | ng | n͡g | ng | ng | ŋ | ng | ng | ŋ | ng | ng | ng | ng | ng | ng (ng-g, nk) |
ng | ng | thing |
ʃ | ʃ | š | sh | ꜱʜ | sh | s͡h | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | sh | ship, dish, ration |
θ | θ | θ | th | ᴛʜ | th | t͡h | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | th | thin, thigh, beneath |
ð | ð | ð | dh | ᴛʜ | th | th̸ | th | th | th | t̷h | th: | th | dh | th | dh | dh | th | dh | dh | dh | this, thy |
j | j | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | y | yes |
ʒ | ʒ | ž | zh | ᴢʜ | zh | z͡h | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | zh | vision, pleasure |
The following letters have the same values in all systems listed: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, r1, s, t, v, w, z. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Vowels | |||||||||||||||||||||
IPA1 | IPA2 | APA | WPRK | NOAD | AHD | RHD | WBO | MECD | DPL | DPN | NBC | MWCD | COD4 | POD | Cham | AB | Dictcom | BBC | Wikipedia¹ | Wikipedia² | Examples |
æ | æ | æ | a | a | ă | a | a | a | a | a | a | a | ă | a | a | ae | a | a (arr) | ă | a (arr) | pat, lad, cat, ran |
eɪ | e | e(y) | ay | ā | ā | ā | ay | ay | ā | ay | ay | ā | ā | ay | ā | ey | ey | ay | ā | ay | pay, day |
ɛər | ɛr | εr | air | e(ə)r | âr | âr | air | air | - | - | air | ar | ār | air | ār | eh r | air | air | ār | air | care, hair, there |
ɑː | ɑ | a | ah | ä | ä | ä | ah | aa | ä | aw, o | ah | ä, ȧ | ah | aa | ä | aa | ah | aa | â | ah | father, palm |
ɑr | ɑr | ar | ar | är | är | är | ahr | aar | är | - | ahr | är | a͡r | aar | är | aa r | ahr | ar | âr | ar | arm |
ɛ | ɛ | ε | e | e | ĕ | e | eh | e | e | ɛ | e | e | ě | e | e | eh | e | e (err) | ĕ | e (err) | let, head |
iː | i | i(y) | ee | ē | ē | ē | ee | ee | ē | ē | ee | ē | ē | ee | ē | iy | ee | ee | ē | ee | bee, see |
ɪər | ɪr | ιr | eer | i(ə)r | îr | ēr | ihr | eer | ir | ēr | eer | īr | ih r | eer | eer | ēr | eer | pier, near, here | |||
ɪ | ɪ | ɪ | i | i | ĭ | i | ih | i | i | i | i | i | ǐ | i | i | ih | i | i (irr) | ĭ | i (irr) | pit, city |
aɪ | aɪ | ay | eye, -y6 | ī | ī | ī | y | ī | ī | y | igh | ī | ī | ī | ī | ay | ahy | y | ī | y, eye | item, pie, by, my |
ɒ | ɑ | a | o | ä | ŏ | o | o | o | ä | o | ah | ä | ǒ | o | o | aa | o | o (orr) | ŏ | o (orr) | pot, not, wasp |
oʊ | o | o(w) | oh | ō | ō | ō | oh | ō | ō | ō | oh | ō | ō | ō | ō | ow | oh | oh | ō | oh | toe, no |
ɔː | ɔ | ɔ | aw | ô | ô | ô | aw | aw | ô | aw, o | aw | ȯ | aw | aw | ö | ao | aw | aw | ô | aw | caught, paw |
ɔr | ɔr | ɔr | or, awr | ôr | ôr | ȯr | awr | or | ôr | awr, or | north, war | ||||||||||
ɔər | or | o(w)r | or, ohr | awr, ohr | ōr | ohr, or | force, wore | ||||||||||||||
ɔɪ | ɔɪ | ɔy | oy | oi | oi | oi | oy | oy | oi | oy | oi | ȯi | oi | oy | oi | oy | oi | oy | oy | oy | noise, boy |
ʊ | ᴜ | ᴜ | uu | o͝o | o͝o | o͝o | u | o͝o | oo | u | oo | u̇ | o͝o | o͝o | ŭ2 | uh | oo | uu | ŏŏ | uu | took, put |
ʊər | ᴜr | ᴜr | oor | o͝or | o͝or | o͝or | ur | oor | u̇r | oor | oor | uh r | oor | oor | oor | oor | tour | ||||
uː | u | u(w) | oo | o͞o | o͞o | o͞o | oo | oo | o͞o | ū | oo: | ü | o͞o | o͞o | oo2 | uw | oo | oo | ōō | oo | boot, soon, through |
aʊ | aᴜ | aw | ow | ou | ou | ou | ow | ow | ou | ow | ow | au̇ | ow | ow | ow | aw | ou | ow | ow | ow | out, now |
ʌ | ʌ | ʌ | u | ə | ŭ | u | uh | u | u | ʋ | UH | ə | ǔ | u | u | ah | uh | u (urr) | ŭ | u (urr) | cut, run, enough |
ɜr, ɝː | ɜr | ur | ər | ər | ûr | ûr | ur | ur | ʉr | er | ER | ər | e͡r | ər | ûr | er | ur | ur | ûr | ur | urge, term, firm, word, heard, bird |
ə | ə | ə | ə | ə | ə | ə | uh | ə | ə | e | uh | ə | a, e, i, o, u | ə | ə | ah | uh | uh | ə | ə | about, item, gallop, circus |
ɨ | ɪ, ə | ə | ə, i 7 | ə, i | ə | ə | uh | ə | ə | e | uh | ə | a, e, i, o, u | ə | ə | ah | uh | i | i, ə | rabbit, edible, garbage | |
ər | ɚ | ər | ər | ər | ər | ər | uhr | ər | ər | er | er | ər | er | ər | ər | er | er | uhr | ər | ər | butter, winner |
juː | ju | yu | ew | yo͞o | yo͞o | yo͞o | yoo | yoo | yo͞o | yū | yoo: | yü | ū | yo͞o | ū | y uw | yoo | yoo | ū | ew | pupil |
a | ȧ | ᴀ | ȧ | ami | |||||||||||||||||
øː, œ | œ | ɔ̈ | œ | œ | ɶ | œ̄, œ | ɶ | oe | ö | feu, schön, zwölf | |||||||||||
yː, ʏ | y | ü | ʏ | ü | ʏ | u͞e, ue | ʏ | ue | ü | tu, über | |||||||||||
ɔ̃ | õ | ɔ̨ | ôɴ | ôɴ | ôɴ | ōⁿ | oɴ | awɴ | o(ng) | ôⁿ | bon 3 | ||||||||||
Stress | |||||||||||||||||||||
IPA1 | IPA2 | APA | WPRK | NOAD | AHD | RHD | WBO | MECD | DPL | DPN | NBC | MWCD | COD4 | POD | Cham | AB | Dictcom | BBC | Wikipedia¹ | Wikipedia² | Examples |
ˈa | ˋa | á | ᴀ | ˈa | aʹ | ˈa | a. | á | a' | 1 | a | A | a′ | A | primary (tonic) stress | ||||||
ˌa | ˊa | à | ˌa | aʹ 5 |
ˌa | (a.) | 2 | a | a | secondary stress | |||||||||||
a | a | a | a | 0 | a8 | a | a | tertiary stress |
Read more about this topic: Pronunciation Respelling For English
Famous quotes containing the words traditional and/or systems:
“The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”
—Benjamin Lee Whorf (18971934)
“Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and have to replace them with the search for truth, justice, freedom and reason.”
—Friedrich Dürrenmatt (19211990)