Sounds of the alphabet in english

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With this alphabet chart, understand how to say the names of the letters and read about all the sounds of each letter from the alphabet. These are the basic phonetic sounds for American English. To learn important sounds using free videos online, go to Pronunciation in English: 500 Words.

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Learning the building blocks of words - sounds, their spellings, and word parts

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If you want to store a large, complex system such as the English spelling system in a finite human brain, you have to organise it well.

To organise something, you first need an organising principle or principles.

If you want to use the relationship between letters and sounds as your organising principle for spelling (and most sensible people do), you can start from the letters and work to the sounds, or start from the sounds and work to the letters.

There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, but English also has a whole stack of letter combinations that can represent individual sounds:

• Two letter combinations, like “oo” as in “book”, “er” as in “her”, “ph” as in “phone” and “ey” as in “key”
• Three letter combinations, like “igh” as in “high”, “dge” as in “bridge”, “tch” as in “catch” and “ere” as in “here”.
• Four letter combinations, like “eigh” as in “eight”, “aigh” as in “straight”, “augh” as in “caught”, and “ough” as in “bought”, “drought”, “dough”, “through”, “thorough” (but not “cough” or “tough”, where the “ou” and the “gh” represent different sounds, and just happen to be next to each other).

To add to the complexity, many letters and letter combinations can represent more than one sound, for example, the letter “y” represents four different sounds in the words “yes”, “by”, “baby” and “gym”. The spelling “ea” represents three different sounds in the words “beach”, “dead” and “break”.

As well as more common letter-sound patterns, there are letter-sound patterns that only occur in one or two words, like the “sth” in “asthma” and “isthmus”, and the “xe” in “axe”, “deluxe” and “annexe”.

It's an almost impossible task to use letters and letter patterns to organise your thinking about spelling, as there are simply so many of them and their relationships with sounds are so complex.

After a while it starts to seem that there must be thousands of sounds in English, whereas there are only 44[1] . So let's try using sounds as our organising principle.

The sounds of English are:

Three pairs of consonants made by stopping airflow in the mouth then letting it go:

• “p” as in pop, puppy and cantaloupe (voiceless lip sound).
• “b” as in bob, rubber, build and cupboard (voiced lip sound).
• “t” as in tot, butter, backed, joked, laundrette, torte, Thomas, receipt, debt, yacht, indict and pizza (voiceless tongue tip sound).
• “d” as in did, muddy, wagged, aide and jodhpurs (voiced tongue tip sound).
• “k” as in cot, king, luck, quit, chrome, mosque, khaki, liquor, accord, excel, Bourke, trekking, acquaint, racquet and zucchini (voiceless back of the tongue sound).
• “g” as in go, biggest, guide, ghoul and morgue (voiced back of the tongue sound).

Three pairs of consonants made through your nose using your voice:

• “m” as in mum, hammer, limb, autumn, programme and paradigm (lip sound).
• “n” as in non, runner, know, reign, cayenne, pneumonia and mnemonic (tongue tip sound).
• “ng” as in wing, think and tongue (back of the tongue sound).

Four pairs of friction sounds made by squeezing air through narrow spaces in the mouth:

• “th” as in thin, Matthew and phthalates (voiceless tongue-between-teeth sound).
• “th” as in this and breathe  (voiced tongue-between-teeth sound).
• “f” as in far, sniff, phone, cough, Chekhov, gaffe, carafe and often[2] (voiceless teeth on lip sound).
• “v” as in vat, love, skivvy, of, Stephen and Louvre (voiced teeth on lip sound).
• “s” as in sell, city, voice, house, scent, pass, whistle, psychologist, quartz, coalesce, mousse, sword, asthma, and waltz.
• “z” as in zip, is, pause, dazzling, bronze, xylophone, dessert, business and tsar/czar.
• “sh” as in ash, lotion, passion, pension, facial, chef, schnitzel, moustache, ocean, sugar, appreciate, initiate, conscience, tissue, cushion, crescendo and fuchsia.
• “zh” as in beige, vision, pleasure, aubergine, déjà vu, seizure, equation and casuarina.

One pair of sounds made by stopping the air and then releasing it through a narrow space in the mouth:

• “ch” (a combination of “t” and “sh”) as in chair, hutch, creature, bocconcini, cappuccino, kitsch, luncheon, question, righteous, ciao and Czech.
• “j” (a combination of “d” and “zh”) as in jar, gem, sponge, ridge, budgie, religion, adjust, suggest, educate, soldier and hajj.

Four semi-vowels:

• “w” as in we, when, quack, one, marijuana and ouija.
• “y” as in yum, onion, hallelujah, tortilla and El Niño.
• “r” as in rip, wrist, barrel, rhubarb, diarrhoea and Warwick.
• “l” as in look, doll, grille, aisle, island and kohl.

One friction sound that has no pair:

• “h”, made by squeezing air through the back of your throat, as in hat, who, jojoba and junta.

So that makes 24 consonant sounds. Then there are 20 vowels:

Six “checked” vowels that require a consonant sound after them in English (sometimes called "short" vowels):

• “a” as in at, plait, salmon, meringue and Fahrenheit.
• “e” as in wet, deaf, any, said, says, friend, haemmorhage, leopard, leisure, bury and Geoff.
• “i” as in in, myth, passage, pretty, breeches, busy, marriage, sieve, women and bream.
• “o” as in on, swan, because, entree, cough, John, lingerie and bureaucracy.
• “u” as in up, front, young, blood, does and laksa.
• “oo” as in pull, good, could, wolf, tour and Worcestershire.

Six other vowels that are sometimes called “long vowels” (they're not really long, but they can be the last sound in a word):

• “ay” as in same, sail, say, danger, weigh, vein, they, café, reggae, great, purée, fete, straight, gauge, gaol, laissez-faire and lingerie.
• “I” as in like, hi, by, pie, high, type, chai, feisty, bye, height, kayak, eye, iron, maestro and naive.
• “oh” as in rope, no, boat, goes, glow, plateau, soul, mauve, though, yolk, brooch, owe, sew and Renault.
• “ooh” as in food, June, chew, brutal, youth, clue, fruit, to, sleuth, shoe, roux, coup, pooh, through, two, manoeuvre and bouillion.
• “you” (a combination of “y” and “ooh”) as in use, few, cue, feud, tulip, beauty, pursuit, ewe and vacuum.
• “ee” as in bee, eat, field, me, these, jelly, taxi, turkey, ceiling, marine, paediatric, amoeba, quay, people, Grand Prix, fjord, ratatouille and Leigh.

Seven other vowels, some of which are called "r-controlled" vowels in some spelling books:

• “ar” as in arm, past, calf, blah, charred, are, baa, clerk, aunt, heart, bazaar and bizarre.
• “er” as in fern, curl, dirt, word, pearl, purr, err, whirred, slurred, masseur, journalist, milieu, were, colonel, myrrh, myrtle and hors d’oeuvre.
• “aw” as in saw, cord, more, court, faun, bought, wart, all, door, chalk, taught, board, dinosaur, baulk, sure, broad, awesome, you’re, corps, extraordinaire, hors d’oeuvre and assurance.
• “ou” as in out, cow, drought, kauri, Maori and miaow.
• “oy” as in boy, soil, Freud, lawyer and Despoja.
• “air” as in care, fair, pear, parent, aerial, solitaire, there, sombrero, heir, their, they’re, prayer, mayor and yeah.
• “ear” as in dear, beer, tier, ere, bacteria, souvenir, Hampshire, weird and Shakespeare.

One unstressed vowel, heard mostly in multisyllable words:

• “uh” as in fire, super, metre, buzzard, tractor, odour, jealous, nature, mynah, violent, pencil, cherub, delicate, granite, purpose, minute, restaurant, aesthetic, martyr, mischievous, borough, portrait, foreign, papier-mache, cupboard, sulphur, porpoise, circuit, tapir…

The unstressed vowel also occurs in spoken sentences in small, grammatical words like "a" and "the". Because these words occur very frequently, this can be a source of much confusion about how basic vowels are spelt.

This is still a long list, but at least it's possible to put a lid on it, by teaching the main spellings for all the sounds in one-syllable words, then the main additional spellings in longer words.

Eventually you find you've got most words covered, and there's just a list of weird ones for each sound that don't follow any major pattern, and are therefore also memorable.

Learners can make up a spelling collection with a page for each sound, and list all the spellings they know in groups. In fact there are books you can buy for this purpose such as Soundasaurus, but I generally quibble with some of the categories, and prefer to use my own Spelling Collection. Crossings-out, sticky notes and/or extra pages added in later are good evidence that learners have been actively thinking and learning about the relationship between sounds and letters.

[1] Linguists will always argue about how many sounds there are in English, because the mouth is a mushy place without clear boundaries – for example, the “l” sound at the start of “look” is phonetically different from the one at the end of “hall”, and the sound “ay” in “play” and “ie” as in “time” are technically two sounds, but slicing things that finely doesn’t really help with learning spelling. Most people say there are between 42 and 44 sounds for the purposes of teaching spelling (depending on whether you call "ear" and "air" separate spellings or not).

[2] and lieutenant if you speak British English, but actually this word comes from French and means someone standing in (in lieu) for the tenant or office-holder, so the American pronunciation (“loo-tenant”, not “leff-tenant”) is closer to the original French.

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English alphabet with pronunciation, transcription and translation (letters and sounds)

Pronunciation of the English alphabet with the names of letters in English and Russian:

Below is a table where we have outlined the English alphabet with translation - transcription and pronunciation in Russian.

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How many letters are in the English alphabet

The modern English alphabet contains 26 letters. English sounds were first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet as early as the 5th century. Christian missionaries brought to the island not only their religion, but also the Latin alphabet, which began to replace the runic alphabet around the 7th century. For a long time, these two alphabets existed in parallel. nine0005

The modern English alphabet (The English alphabet [ˈalfəbɛt]) is based on the Latin alphabet or "Latin". So what is the number in the English alphabet? Unlike the Russian language, which has 33 letters, the English alphabet consists of 26 letters:

• 6 letters can represent vowels: "A", "E", "I", "O", "U", "Y »;
• 21 letters can represent consonants: "B", "C", "D", "F", "G", "H", "J", "K", "L", "M", "N" ”, “P”, “Q”, “R”, “S”, “T”, “V”, “W”, “X”, “Y”, “Z”. nine0246

Below we have added a table where you can see the entire English alphabet with the numbering of letters in order.

By the way, the letter Y can stand for both a vowel and a consonant, and therefore refers to both vowels and consonants.

Almost all letters of the English alphabet are pronounced the same by Americans and Brits, except for the last one. The American alphabet differs in that the letter Z is pronounced as "zi" [ziː], and in the British - "zed" [zed]. nine0005

Sounds of the English alphabet

We start learning English letters even before we come across foreign language lessons. We know them even before we start learning English: we meet them at work, when we play computer games or surf the Internet. English words are found everywhere: on advertising posters, in the names of goods, in store signs.

Although the letters may be visually familiar to us, they are not always pronounced the way they are written. The alphabet of the English language for beginners with pronunciation, numbering and translation will help here, because even those who are fluent in foreign languages ​​find it difficult to speak correctly. A typical situation is to spell an English word, for example, to give an email address, your name or street in English. This is where the difficulties begin, and we try to explain ourselves with images and associations: i - “like a stick with a dot”, H - “like a Russian n”, s - “like a dollar”, v - “like a tick. nine0005

From here it is better to memorize not only the letters, but also their pronunciation. The latter is written by transcription and enclosed in square brackets. At first, it will be easier for you to memorize transcription with Russian pronunciation, but gradually you need to give it up and focus only on English transcription.

How to Learn the English Alphabet

Learning the alphabet is not just memorizing the order of the alphabet in English, Russian or Spanish, or knowing how many non-letters there are. To know the alphabet is to be able to pronounce sounds, as well as to write lowercase and uppercase letters correctly. In order to learn the entire alphabet of the English language easily, quickly and forever, follow these rules:

1. Memorize both uppercase and lowercase letters of the English alphabet at the same time, pay attention to how English letters are written.
2. Learn both the name of English letters and the correct pronunciation, use the alphabet with transcription. It is easier to remember this at the same time than to relearn it later.
3. Use all available resources: use audio recordings, videos of examples of correct pronunciation, printed texts, Internet resources.
4. Learn the English alphabet in order, like in the ABC. Then change tactics: start studying the letters backwards, randomly, grouping. nine0246
5. Practice regularly, preferably every day for at least a few minutes. If you are tired of learning the same letters, take any children's book in English. Maybe you will not understand the meaning of what is written, but you will definitely be able to recognize and name this or that letter.

Another good way to learn the alphabet is to memorize a special rhyme. It is very short, but it will help to know every letter by heart:

Do you know your ABC?

You can learn along with me! nine0005

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

H, I, J, K,

L, M, N, O, P U, V,

W, X, Y and Z

Now, I know my ABC's.

Next time won't you sing with me?

And the last piece of advice. Divide all letters into three large groups and learn them in three stages: the first group is 6 vowels: Aa, Her, Ii, Oo, Uu, Yy. Do not forget about transcription and remember that in English vowels can change their sound depending on the type of syllables, stress and other conditions; the second group of letters includes those that are written and pronounced similarly to Russian letters. They are easy to remember: Bb, Cc, Dd, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Ss, Tt, Xx; the third group consists of those letters that sound and are written unfamiliar to native Russian speakers: Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Qq, Rr, Vv, Ww, Zz. nine0005

Methods and techniques for memorizing the English alphabet

There are many ways to learn the English alphabet from scratch that are suitable for both adults and children.

The most popular way to learn the English alphabet is through tables. You can print the English alphabet tables from this article or search for others: English alphabet by numbers; English alphabet with numbering of letters, etc. Hang them over your desk and browse and read aloud whenever you have a free moment. The main thing is to memorize the alphabet with the pronunciation of sounds. nine0005

One of the most effective ways is to make colored cards with the letters and words that begin with them and place them in a visible place. These cards can be made by yourself or bought in the store. It is better to use well-known words, for example, the names of animals.

You can train with special exercises, for example, this one: get a special notebook and write down the letters in it several lines - both uppercase and lowercase letters of the English alphabet. And when writing, dictate to yourself aloud the name of the letter. This exercise includes all three main types of memory: auditory, visual and motor. nine0005

Don't forget about games that will help you learn the English alphabet. For example, Spell the word or “Spell the word” - whoever spells it wrong first loses. And you can also read the alphabet at speed, write letters correctly by ear, pronounce the letters written on the card, and so on. The audio alphabet of the English language with pronunciation has proven itself well. A student can independently master the letters and sounds just by listening to the recording. The main thing is to be systematic. nine0005

Interesting facts about the English alphabet

Learning the sounds and letters of the English language will be more fun if you know a few interesting facts about the alphabet:

1. The English alphabet can be called by its first letters "ABC";
2. The English word alphabet comes from Latin, where alpha and beta were the first letters of the alphabet. But even before the Latin alphabet, they were the first letters of the Phoenician alphabet (alef and bet), which arose in 1050 BC. e.
3. The article the is the most common word in the English language. nine0246
4. The most common letter in the English alphabet is E, and the most common consonant is T. The letters S and T are most common at the beginning of English words. The rarest letters in the alphabet are Q and Z.
5. In English there are only 5 vowels and as many as 20 vowels! For example, the letters Y and W can be pronounced as vowels (try, my, cow, few). The same letter can be read in several ways, for example, in the words cat [kæt], place [pleis], dark [daːk], air [ɛə].
6. All 26 letters of the English alphabet can be put into a sentence or pangram that shows how each letter of the font will look like: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" (loosely translated: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." English analogue - "Eat some more of these soft French rolls and drink tea"). nine0246

Conclusion

English speakers remember their alphabet much more often than Russian speakers, because in English the pronunciation of a word often does not match its spelling. Especially in geographical names and surnames. Then they spell these words (to spell). Therefore, in order to learn the entire English alphabet with the correct pronunciation for an adult, to speak English well and understand native speakers, it is necessary to learn how to spell words. And the phrase "Please spell this word!" ("Please spell") to help you. nine0005

Check if you know the top 100 English words

The sounds and letters of the English language

The English alphabet

There are 26 letters in the English language. In different combinations and positions, they represent 44 sounds.
In English, 24 consonants are distinguished, and they are transmitted in writing by 20 letters: Bb; cc; Dd; ff; Gg ; hh; Jj; kk; LI; mm; Nn; pp; Qq; Rr; Ss; Tt; vv; ww; xx; Zz.
In English, 12 vowels and 8 diphthongs are distinguished, and they are transmitted in writing by 6 letters: Aa; ee; li; Oh; Uu; Yy. Russian alphabet. Use of the alphabet

Video: English lesson on the English alphabet

Transcription and stress

Phonetic transcription is an international system of signs that is needed to accurately show how words should be pronounced. Each sound is displayed with a separate icon. These icons are always written in square brackets.
In transcription, verbal stress is indicated (on which syllable in the word the stress falls). The stress mark [‘] is placed before the stressed syllable. nine0005

English consonants

Features of English consonants
1. English consonants, transmitted by letters b, f, g, m, s, v, z, are close in pronunciation to the corresponding Russian consonants, but should sound more energetic and tense.
2. English consonants are not softened.
3. Voiced consonants are never stunned, neither before voiceless consonants nor at the end of a word.
4. Double consonants, that is, two identical consonants side by side, are always pronounced as one sound. nine0246
5. Some English consonants are aspirated: the tip of the tongue must be pressed firmly against the alveoli (the bumps where the teeth attach to the gum). Then the air between the tongue and teeth will pass with effort, and you will get a noise (explosion), that is, aspiration.

Rules for reading consonants in English: link 1, link 2

Table of pronunciation of English consonants
Phonetic transcription	Examples	Approximate matches in Russian
[b]	b ad, b ox	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [b] in the word b rat
[p]	o p en, p et ​​	a dull sound corresponding to Russian [p] in the word p ero , but pronounced aspirated
[d]	d i d , d ay	voiced sound, similar to Russian [d] in the word d om , but more energetic, “sharper”; when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue rests against the alveoli
[t]	t ea, t ake	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [t] in the word t ermos , but pronounced with a breath, while the tip of the tongue rests on the alveoli
[v]	v oice, v isit	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [v] in the word in osk , but more energetic
[f]	f ind, f ine	a dull sound corresponding to Russian [f] in the word f inik , but more energetic
[z]	z oo, ha s	a voiced sound corresponding to Russian [z] in the word z ima , but more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveoli
[s]	s un, s ee	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [s] in the word from or , but more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveoli
[g]	g ive, g o	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [g] in the word g irya , but pronounced softer
[k]	c at, c an	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [k] in the word to mouth , but pronounced more energetically and aspirated
[ʒ]	vi si on, plea sur e	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [zh] in the word zh ara , but pronounced more tensely and softer
[ʃ]	sh e, Ru ss ia	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [sh] in the word sh ina , but is pronounced softer, for which you need to raise the middle part of the back of the tongue to the hard palate
[j]	y ellow, y ou	a sound similar to the Russian sound [th] in the word th od , but pronounced more energetically and intensely
[l]	l itt l e, l ike	sound similar to Russian [l] in the word l isa , but you need the tip of the tongue to touch the alveoli
[m]	m an, m erry	a sound similar to Russian [m] in the word m ir , but more energetic; when pronouncing it, you need to close your lips more tightly
[n]	n o, n ame	a sound similar to Russian [n] in the word n os , but when it is pronounced, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli, and the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nose
[ŋ]	si ng , fi ng er	a sound in which the soft palate is lowered and touches the back of the back of the tongue, and air passes through the nose. To pronounce it like Russian [ng] is wrong; should be a nasal overtone
[r]	r ed, r abbit	a sound, when pronouncing which the raised tip of the tongue should touch the middle part of the palate, above the alveoli; tongue does not vibrate
[h]	h elp, h ow	a sound reminiscent of Russian [x] as in the word x aos , but almost silent (slightly audible exhalation), for which it is important not to press the tongue against the palate
[w]	w et, w inter	a sound similar to very quickly pronounced Russian [ue] in the word Ue ls ; at the same time, the lips should be rounded and pushed forward, and then vigorously pushed apart
[dʒ]	j ust, j ump	a sound similar to [j] in a Russian loan word j insy , but more energetic and softer. Cannot be pronounced separately [d] and [ʒ]
[tʃ]	ch eck, mu ch	a sound similar to Russian [h] in the word h as , but harder and more intense. Cannot be pronounced separately [t] and [ʃ]
[ð]	th is, th ey	a sonorous sound, when pronouncing which the tip of the tongue must be placed between the upper and lower teeth and then quickly removed. Do not clamp the flat tongue with your teeth, but slightly push it into the gap between them. This sound (since it is voiced) is pronounced with the participation of the vocal cords. Similar to Russian [h] interdental
[θ]	th ink, seven nd	A voiceless sound that is pronounced the same as [ð], but without a voice. Similar to Russian [s] interdental

English vowels

The reading of each vowel depends on:
1. from other letters standing next to it, in front of it or behind it;
2. from being in a shock or unstressed position.

Peculiarities of vowel sounds in English.
1. English vowels (unlike Russian) are divided into long and short. nine0581 Under stress, long sounds last almost three times longer than short ones. It is necessary to observe the longitude and brevity of sounds, otherwise there will be a confusion of the meanings of words.
   In transcription, the length of a vowel sound is indicated by two vertical dots (i.e., a colon) behind the icon denoting that sound [:] .
2. There are diphthongs in English.
   Diphthongs are combinations of two vowel sounds that are pronounced together and both fit into one syllable: the organs of speech after pronouncing the first sound quickly but smoothly move into the position required for the next sound; the first sound is pronounced distinctly and for a long time, and the second sound is very short and merges with the first. nine0246

Rules for reading vowels in English: link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4

Pronunciation table for simple English vowels
Phonetic transcription	Examples	Approximate matches in Russian
[æ]	c a t, bl a ck	short sound, middle between Russian sounds [a] and [e]. To get this sound, you need to pronounce Russian [a], open your mouth wide, and place your tongue low. Pronouncing just Russian [e] is wrong
[ɑ:]	ar m, f a ther	is a long sound similar to Russian [а], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, as it were, but do not open your mouth wide, while pulling your tongue back
[ʌ]	c u p, r u n	is a short sound similar to Russian unstressed [a] in the word from a dy . To get this sound, you need, while pronouncing Russian [a], almost do not open your mouth, while stretching your lips a little and pushing your tongue back a little. Pronouncing just Russian [a] is wrong
[ɒ]	n o t, h o t	a short sound similar to Russian [o] in the word d about m , but when pronouncing it, you need to completely relax your lips; for Russian [o] they are slightly tense
[ɔ:]	sp o rt, f ou r	is a long sound similar to Russian [o], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, as it were, with your mouth half open, and tighten and round your lips
[ə]	a bout, a lias	sound, which is often found in Russian, is always in an unstressed position. In English, this sound is also always unstressed. It does not have a clear sound and is referred to as a vague sound (it cannot be replaced by any clear sound)
[e]	m e t, b e d	short sound similar to Russian [e] under stress in words such as e ti , pl e d , etc. English consonants cannot be softened before this sound
[ɜː]	w or k, l ear n	this sound is not in Russian, and it is very difficult to pronounce. It resembles the Russian sound in the words m ё d , sv ё kla , but it needs to be pulled much longer and at the same time the lips are strongly stretched without opening the mouth (a skeptical smile is obtained)
[ɪ]	i t, p i t	is a short sound similar to the Russian vowel in the word sh and t . You have to pronounce it abruptly
[i:]	h e , s ee	a long sound, similar to Russian [and] under stress, but longer, and they pronounce it as if with a smile, stretching their lips. There is a Russian sound close to it in the word verse ii
[ʊ]	l oo k, p u t	a short sound that can be compared with the Russian unstressed [u], but it is pronounced energetically and with completely relaxed lips (lips cannot be pulled forward)
[u:]	bl u e, f oo d	is a long sound, quite similar to the Russian percussion [y], but still not the same. To make it work, you need, while pronouncing Russian [y], do not stretch your lips into a tube, do not push them forward, but round and smile slightly. Like other long English vowels, it needs to be drawn much longer than Russian [y]

Diphthong pronunciation table
Phonetic transcription	Examples	Approximate matches in Russian
[aɪ]	f i ve, ey e	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in Russian words ai and h ai . Second element, sound [ɪ], very short
[ɔɪ]	n oi se, v oi ce	diphthong, similar to a combination of sounds in the Russian word somehow. Second element, sound [ɪ], very short
[eɪ]	br a ve, afr ai d	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word sh eu ka . Second element, sound [ɪ], very short
[aʊ]	t ow n, n ow	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word from ay to . The first element is the same as in [aɪ]; second element, sound [ʊ], very short
[əʊ]	h o me, kn ow	diphthong, similar to a combination of sounds in the Russian word kl ou n , if you do not deliberately pronounce it in syllables (while the consonance resembles eu ). Pronouncing this diphthong as a pure Russian consonance [oh] is wrong
[ɪə]	d ea r, h e re	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word such; consists of short sounds [ɪ] and [ə]
[eə]	wh e re, th e re	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word long neck, if you do not pronounce it in syllables. Learn more Calming strategies for preschoolers Who are fun Pre reading strategies for middle school Red riding hood story book English tongue twister for kids Short story f Alphabet knowledge activities A good bed time story How to test reading level at home Best letter of the alphabet Story of gravity