What are the vowels sounds

Learn How to Pronounce the 15 Vowel Sounds of American English — Pronuncian: American English Pronunciation

English has fifteen vowel sounds represented by the letters a, e, i, o, and u. The letters y, w and gh are also commonly used in vowel sound spellings. Vowel sounds are produced with a relatively open vocal tract. Consonant sounds, in contrast, are created by pushing air through a small opening in the vocal tract or by building up air in the vocal tract, then releasing it.

Vowel sounds are divided into the following three categories:

• Long vowels (vowels that sound like the letter name)
• Short vowels (the most common sound for a single vowel spelling)
• Other vowels (the remaining vowel sounds)

The

It is important for ESL/ELL/EFL students to realize that the terms "long" and "short" are not describing the length of time a vowel sound is said. These archaic terms are still in popular use in American classrooms and online. They are used here to give a name to a vowel sound so when the sound is discussed, the name and not the sound (which many beginner students cannot yet hear correctly) is used.

The vowel chart shows the key word, or quick reference word, for each English vowel sound. Key words are used because vowel sounds are easier to hear within a word than when they are spoken in isolation. Memorizing key words allows easier comparison between different vowel sounds. 

Phonics is the link between the spelling of a word and its pronunciation. Since English has more sounds than letters, a combination of letters is often necessary to represent a single sound. 

At their simplest, short vowel sounds are usually spelled with a single letter, while long vowel and other vowel sounds are generally spelled with combinations of letters. This should not be taken as a strict rule when learning English pronunciation, however, as there are a large number of exceptions. In addition, many spelling patterns of English pronunciation have the possibility of two or more pronunciations using that single spelling. For example, the letters 'e-a' have a different pronunciation in the words team (long e /i/) and dead (short e /ɛ/). It is helpful to learn the common spellings for each vowel sound along with knowing all the possible pronunciations for each spelling.

The English language also has a large number of words that are not pronounced the way their spelling suggests. These are called non-phonetic words, and must be memorized individually.

Vowel sounds and syllables are closely related. Syllables are naturally occurring units of sound that create the rhythm of spoken English. Words with multiple syllables always have one syllable that is stressed (given extra emphasis).

Unstressed syllables may contain schwa /ə/, and can have almost any spelling. In addition, three consonant sounds, the n sound, l sound, and r sound (called 'schwa+r' /ɚ/ when it is syllabic) can create a syllable without an additional vowel sound. These are called syllabic consonants.

The 24 consonant sounds in English with examples

Do you want to learn more about the american english sounds? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we discuss everything you need to know, starting with the basics.

Contents

• English Consonant Sound & IPA symbols
• Voiced & unvoiced consonant sounds
• Top tips for revising English consonants sound to improve pronunciation
• Consonant Sounds – Voiced & Unvoiced Pairs With IPA
• Conclusion and further english learning tips

English Consonant Sound & IPA symbols

Take a deep dive into each IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) Consonant Sounds with examples in common English words. In the table below, you can listen to each English consonant sound pronounced by a native English speaker and practice your pronunciation of each consonant sound.

The above IPA symbols can look a little overwhelming. But remember, you don’t have to know every IPA symbol. But with effort these phonetics symbols can be seriously helpful for improving your English pronunciation.

Learn the Technical Names of the consonants that you just read.

Read this lesson on English consonant sounds with IPA to revise all the consonants in English. Before we get started, let’s go over two things you need to know about the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). 

Even if you don’t know all the English Consonant IPA symbols, still use the IPA for important information such as:  

– when you see the two dots /:/ it means the sound is long 
– each symbol represents a sound
– when you see this dash /’/ it means the next syllable is stressed

Why is the IPA so helpful for English pronunciation? The International Phonetic Alphabet is a very helpful tool for learners of English because English is not a phonetic language. The spelling of an English word doesn’t tell us how to pronounce it.

In English, several different letter combinations can be used to spell the same sound and there are silent letters. The IPA tells us exactly the correct sounds and word stress for pronouncing English words.

Voiced & unvoiced consonant sounds

Let’s talk about voicing. Voiced and unvoiced pairs.  English consonants can be unvoiced and voiced. More especifically, the English language has 24 consonant sounds. Some consonants have voice from the voicebox and some don’t.

These consonants are voiced and voiceless pairs:

/p/ /b/,

/t/ /d/,

/k/ /g/,

/f/ /v/,

/s/ /z/,

/θ/ /ð/,

/ʃ/ /ʒ/,

/ʈʃ/ /dʒ/.

These consonants are voiced: /h/, /w/, /n/, /m/, /r/, /j/, /ŋ/, /l/.

An unvoiced consonant means that there is is no vibration or voice coming from the voicebox when the sound is pronounced. Examples of unvoiced consonant sounds are /s/, /p/ and /t/. 

A voiced consonant means that there is voice or vibration coming from the voicebox when the sound is pronounced. Examples of voiced consonant sounds are /v/, /b/ and /g/. 

A consonant pair is when the mouth position required to make two sounds is the same, but one sound in unvoiced and one sound is voiced. 

• /p/ pet /pet/ paper /ˈpeɪ.pə/ top /tɒp/
• /b/ bet /bet/ trouble /ˈtrʌ.bəl/ rub /rʌb/
• /t/ Tim /tɪm/ better /ˈbe.tə/ hot /hɒt/
• /d/ dim /dɪm/ order /ˈɔː.də/ bad /bæd/
• /k/ came /keɪm/ talking /ˈtɔː.kɪŋ/ back /bæk/
• /g/ game /geɪm/ bigger /ˈbɪ.gə/ bag /bæg/
• /f/ fine /faɪn/ offer /ˈɒf.ə/ off /ɒf/
• /v/ vine /vaɪn/ saving /ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/ of /ɒv/
• /s/ seal /si:l/ missing /ˈmɪ. sɪŋ/ face /feɪs/
• /z/ zeal /zi:l/ crazy /ˈkreɪ.zi/ phase /feɪz/
• /ʃ/ show /ʃoʊ/ pushing /ˈpʊ.ʃɪŋ/ rush /rʌʃ/
• /ʒ/ measure /ˈme.ʒə/ vision /ˈvɪ.ʒən/ asia /ˈeɪ.ʒə/
• /ʧ/ choke /ʧoʊk/ watching /wɒ.tʃɪŋ/ catch /kætʃ/
• /ʤ/ joke /ʤoʊk/ damage /ˈdæ.mɪdʒ/ large /lɑːdʒ/
• /θ/ thin /θɪn/ method /ˈme.θəd/ both /boʊθ/
• /ð / then /ðen/ other /ˈʌ.ðə/ with /wɪð/
• /l/ love /lʌv/ follow /ˈfɒː.loʊ/ well /wel/
• /m/ mail /meɪl/ humour /ˈhjuː.mə/ some /sʌm/
• /n/ nail /neɪl/ funny /ˈfʌ.ni/ fine /faɪn/
• /ŋ/ sing /sɪŋ/ singer /ˈsɪ.ŋə/
• /h/ heal /hi:l/ perhaps /pəˈhæps/
• /r/ real /ri:l/ correct /kəˈrekt/
• /j/ you /ju:/ beyond /biˈjɒnd/
• /w/ we /wi/ showing /ˈʃoʊ. wɪŋ/

We have put the voiced and unvoiced pairs in the box together. Remember that the mouth position for the pair is exactly the same, the only difference is that one is voiced and one isn’t.

For example, the mouth position required to make the sounds /p/ and /b/ is exactly the same, /p/ has no voice and /b/ is voiced. While, /f/ and /v/ require exactly the same mouth position, /f/ is unvoiced and /v/ is voiced. 

Top tips for revising English consonants sound to improve pronunciation

Don’t worry too much about voicing. It is not really very important for how clear your English is to listeners. You need to focus on your mouth position. Are you pronouncing each consonant clearly? 

Pay careful attention to consonant sounds at the ends of words. Consonant sounds at the ends of words are very important for speaking clearly in English.

For example, when pronouncing /k/ in the word ‘back’, make sure you can clearly hear the /k/ sound at the end. It is strong or stressed but it does need t be there.

Consonant Sounds – Voiced & Unvoiced Pairs With IPA

The consonant sounds and its IPA symbols showed earlier are all voiced but do not have a voiced pair. The consonant IPA symbols /m/, /n/ and /ŋ/ are all called nasal sounds, because when we make them the air passes through our nose, not out of the mouth; As you go through these sounds, check your /m/ and /n/ at the ends of words.

Here are some more examples of consonants sounds in the IPA with full IPA transcription for words with each consonant sound. See the full IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols for each consonant sound here

Conclusion and further english learning tips

Please do not be intimidated by this, try to use this English phonetics transcription tool and hear the corresponding sounds. Use the Showing technique to imitate the sound of any word that you wish to speak.

Also, if you want to improve your pronunciation, even more, try our English voice recognition system, it's really FREE. You will be asked to speak some phonetics drills and some cool tongue twisters.

Eriberto Do Nascimento

Eriberto Do Nascimento has Ph.D. in Speech Intelligibility and Artificial Intelligence and is the founder of English Phonetics Academy

Vowel sounds and letters. How many are there in Russian?

We will teach you how to write without mistakes and tell stories in an interesting way

Start learning

The correct pronunciation of words is one of the components of a beautiful and literate speech. To achieve this, you will first have to study the sounds themselves. In this article, we will figure out together what vowel sounds are, how many vowels are in the alphabet of the Russian language, and what sounds they can represent.

What are vowels and sounds

Vowel sounds are those sounds that we freely convey with our voice. Hence their name comes from: voice means "voice". When pronouncing, air exits through the mouth and does not create noise, and the position of the tongue and lips determines which vowel sound we will pronounce.

There are much fewer vowels in Russian than consonants. There are 6 of them in total: [a], [o], [i], [s], [y] and [e]. To understand whether a vowel sound is in front of you or not, try to sing it. For example:

• a-a-a ,

• woo

• s-s-s .

If it works, then the sound is a vowel. You can't do that with consonants.

There are more vowels than sounds - there are 10 of them: a, i, u, u, o, e, e, e, i, s . This difference is due to the fact that some of these letters can represent two sounds and are pronounced using a combination of a vowel and a consonant [y']. For example, in the word spruce the letter e expresses two sounds - [y'] and [e]. Let's look at the table all the vowel sounds and the letters that represent them.

Demo lesson in Russian

Take the test at the introductory lesson and find out what topics separate you from the "five" in Russian.

How vowel sounds are related to syllables

Vowel sounds form syllables - sound segments of words that we pronounce with one breath. One syllable can be either a vowel with one or more consonants, or a vowel alone. There is even a rule by which syllables can be counted: how many vowels in a word - so many syllables.

For example, in the word journey there are 5 vowels: [u], [i], [e], [i] and [e]. This means that it has 5 syllables: p-te-she-stv-e .

Test yourself!

Count the number of syllables in the words: try on, tanner, well-groomed, care, prefix, capital, wet, invitation, orange .

Vowel sounds and stress

Now let's see what groups vowel sounds are divided into. Sometimes their pronunciation depends on whether the stress falls on them, that is, whether we single them out with our voice. So vowel sounds are divided into stressed and unstressed. Here are some examples:

Stress in Russian can fall on any of the existing vowel sounds. However, only 4 of them can be unstressed - these are [a], [i], [y] and [s]. In this position, we pronounce sounds weaker than under stress, because of which they can change qualities and sound differently.

Interestingly, the vowels [o] and [e] can only be stressed. There are only a couple of exceptions to this rule: for example, in words cocoa and canoe sounds [o] and [e] in an unstressed position.

How unstressed vowels are related to consonants

How an unstressed vowel sounds depends on the consonant that precedes it. Or rather, from its hardness or softness. If it is a hard consonant, it can be followed by unstressed vowels [y], [a] and [s]. When we talk about a soft consonant, it is followed by unstressed vowels [y] and [and].

Test yourself

It's time to find out if you now understand well what vowel sounds are in Russian. To do this, we have prepared tasks for self-examination.

Task 1

List all the vowels in these words:

Task 2

Name 5 words each in which the sounds [a], [i], [y] and [s] would be stressed.

Task 3

Name 5 words in which an unstressed vowel would come after a hard consonant, and 5 more words where it would follow a soft consonant.

Task 4

Count the number of syllables in the words below (don't forget to use the rule you learned at the beginning of the article!):

• weightless,

• sunrise,

• adventure,

• painter,

• perpetuate,

• pleasant,

• image,

• category,

• exciting,

• melting,

• snowflake.

The rules of phonetics help us to speak correctly, so it is important to master the topic of vowels well and avoid gaps in knowledge. If even after reading the article you still have questions on the topic, you can figure them out in the Russian language course at Skysmart. In online lessons, the teacher will help the student work out the theory and consolidate the result on non-boring tasks. So the student will be able to improve the quality of knowledge, and fall in love with the subject.

Cheat sheets for parents in Russian

All formulas in Russian at hand and free

Alena Fedotova

author Skysmart

for previous article

Supplement

for the next article

At an introductory lesson with a methodologist

1. We will identify gaps in knowledge and give advice on learning

2. Let us tell how classes

3. take the course

Glass letters and vowels of the Russian language - Scheme, table

Content:
• Voer letters and sounds
• Shock and unstressed
In Russian there are 10 vowels, 6 vowels. Vowels: a, i, e, e, o, u, s, e, u, i. Vowel sounds: [a], [o], [y], [e], [i], [s]. In the school curriculum, vowel sounds are indicated in the diagrams in red. In elementary grades, they explain: vowels are called so because they “voice”, they are pronounced “voiced”, while consonants got such a name because they “agree” with vowels.

Stressed and unstressed vowels

There are vowel sounds:

It is correct to say "stressed syllable" and "unstressed syllable". Instead of "stress falls on a vowel" say "stress falls on a syllable with a vowel." However, in the literature there are formulations "stressed vowel" and "unstressed vowel".

Stressed vowels are in a strong position, they are pronounced with more force and intonation. Unstressed vowels are in a weak position, they are pronounced with less force and may be subject to change.

Note. The designation of the letter e in a weak position differs in different school programs. Above we showed the sound [and], in other school programs the designation [e] is found, in the institute program - [e ^and ] (e with an overtone and).

In Russian there are compound words with primary and secondary stress. In them, with a strong intonation, we highlight the main stress, with a weak intonation - a secondary one. For example, in the word foam blocks, the main stress falls on the syllable with the letter o, the secondary stress on the syllable with the letter e. In phonetic analysis, the vowel with the main stress is stressed, the vowel with the secondary stress is unstressed. For example: tricuspid, three-year-old.

Iotated vowels

The letters i, u, e, ё are called iotated and mean two sounds in the following positions of the word:

1. at the beginning of the word: tree [y'olka], Yana [y'ana], raccoon [y'inot];
2. after a vowel: hare [zay'its], button accordion [bay'an];
3. after ь or ъ: streams [ruch'y'i], rise [fall'om].

   ---

   Learn more

   • 
     How old do kids start reading
   • 
     How to teach a skill
   • 
     Yoga with rachel
   • 
     Free leveled reading books
   • 
     Sight words bingo kindergarten
   • 
     Food color mixing
   • 
     Comprehension strategies for 1st grade
   • 
     Opposite games for kids
   • 
     Story nursery rhymes
   • 
     Two little ducks went out one day
   • 
     Things to learn over summer