Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:

http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/

5 Things You Must Know About All English

Pronunciation Guides
Consonants: Consonants are all of the letters that are not vowels. The
English language has 21 consonants, but there are less consonant
sounds. Letters like c and k, and c and s can have the same sound
depending on where they are in the word. Other sounds are a
combination of consonants, like ch and sh. These make different
sounds too. There are not that many consonant symbols to learn, and
they are mostly easy to understandso that is a relief!

Vowels: The vowels in the English language are a, e, i, o, u and

sometimes y. Vowels can be combined with other letters, and each
other, to create new sounds. There are a few different ways of
pronouncing each vowel, and a symbol for each of those
pronunciations.

Diphthongs: Diphthongs are the sounds made by two vowels put

together. Sometimes this is just one sound, like the oo sound. Other
times the sound starts in one vowels and moves into the next, like
the oa in soak.
Syllables: A syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel
sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a
part of a word. Dictionaries break up words into syllables making it
easier to spell and speak the word, since they turn one word into a few
easy to say parts.
Stresses: Words in the English language uses stresses. Where you put
the stress is important to pronouncing the word right, and can even
change the meaning of the word. For example, when you addRESS the
Internet, do not give out your ADDress!. These two differently
stressed versions of address mean two different things, just because of
the stress! Dictionary guides show you where the stress goes, and they
let you know when a different stress will change the meaning of the
word.

Advanced Sounds: Linguists define vowels as sounds made without

placing anything in the way (like your tongue or teeth). Syllables are
also created around themyou cant have too many voiced (non-
silent) consonants without a vowel in between, or it is impossible to
read. Consonants, on the other hand, are sounds made by partially
blocking your breath when you speak. Some sounds, like p, b and g,
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/
are actually made by completely stopping your breath! (In case you
are wondering, these are called plosives).
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/

Pronouncing Consonants
Here are the consonants found in the pronunciation guide, which sound
exactly the way they look:
b like in bed

d like in done

g like in grow

h like in hat

l like in lamp

m like in mat

n like in nice

p like in pat

r like in run

v like in view

w like in wet

y like in yes
When you see these letters in the guide, just remember the sound they make
even if the word doesnt have that letter at all! It might help to read these
words out loud, so you can hear how similar the sound is:

f like in fire, rough, or phone

j like in jump or dodge

k like in make, quit, pick, or cat

s like in stop or cent

t like in top or some -ed endings like mopped

z like in zebra or xylophone

zh like in vision or garage

There are some consonants that make a different sound when they are put
together. These sounds are also mostly written the same way in the guide as
they are in a word. They are:
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
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ch like in chat

hw like in white

ng like in thing (this sometimes looks like this: )

sh like in ship

th like in thin

th like in this
Say the last two words out loud to hear the difference.
The first th (in thin) sounds soft, and is made by placing your tongue
between your teeth. The second th sound (in this) is hard, and is made by
putting your tongue between your teeth but then moving it away. It is a very
slight differencemost native speakers dont even realize there are two
different sounds.
A quick note about the wh sound.
If you are confused about the difference between w and wh, dont worry, you
are not alone. These days, many people pronounce wine and whine the same
way. The wh sound is supposed to be more stretched out, as though you are
saying the letter h very slightly before the letter w. According to this blog, if
you put your hand in front of your mouth, you can feel a puff of air for
the wh sound, but not the w.
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/

Pronouncing Vowels
Vowels are a little tougher to read than consonants because they have so
many different sounds. If you can learn all the different sounds, you will find
it much easier to pronounce English words correctly.
Some of the differences are very slight, and some are big. Keep in mind that
some dictionaries have different symbols for vowel sounds.
Below are the different pronunciations of English vowels. We have included
one or two of the most common symbols for each sound. Which symbol you
see will depend on the dictionary you use.
Here is a quick rule of thumb: A line above a letter means you say its name.
A small v or nothing above a letter means it is a short sound. Two
dots above a letter means it is a long sound.
The letter a
or a like in cat or apple. This is a short ah sound.

like in stray or vacation. This is pronounced like the letters

name, ay.

like in father or calm. This is a longer uhh sound, like the sound you
would make when you show the doctor your throat.
The letter e

or e like in pet or person. This is pronounced like a short eh.

like in bee or feet (or easy). This sounds like you are saying the
name of the letter e.
The letter i

or i like in pit or hitch. This sounds like a grunt, a short eeh sound
made in the back of the throat.
like in pie or bye. Say this the way you would say name of the letter i.
The letter o

or like in mop or bother. This is a similar sound to the a in father, a

long uhh sound. (Some dictionaries see it as the same sound).
like in toe or go. Say this as you would say the name of the letter o.

like in paw or caught. This is the kind of sound you would say if
something is cute, aww.
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
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The letter u
like in cut or grunt. This is a short uh sound.

y like in youth or cute. Say this as you might say the letter u.
All the vowels
There is one sound all the vowels make. Here it is:
like in about, item, edible, gallop, circus. This is a sound somewhere
in between and . It is a short uh sound. It might be difficult to hear
at first, so practice saying these words out loud and try to see the
difference between these and other words using these letters.
Here is a quick cheat that usually works when you are not sure how
to pronounce a letter:

If the word has a vowel, consonant, vowel pattern (like cuteu is a

vowel, t is a consonant, e is a vowel), say the first vowels name. In the
example of cute, this means you pronounce u like the letter u.

If the word has a vowel, consonant pattern (like cutu is a vowel, t is a

consonant) or a vowel, consonant, consonant (like cutting), use one of
the other pronunciations.

Diphthongs
Diphthongs are sounds made by two vowels placed together.
Here is what they look like:

a like in out or about. This sounds like you just got hurt, ow.

like in bee or feet (or easy). This sounds like you are saying the
name of the letter e.
oi like in noise or boy. This sounds like the letter os name followed
right away by ee, or like you are saying Oy vey!

like in loot or boot. This is an oo sound made by making your lips

into an o shape.
like in foot or could. To make this oo sound, dont move your lips!
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/
Using the Dictionary for Pronunciations:
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-pronunciation-guide/

R-controlled Vowels
Vowels have a slightly different pronunciation when they are followed by the
letter r. They are called r-controlled vowels and they sound like the letters
non-name sound getting cut off by the letter r.
It is easier to hear than explain: say the word abound out loud, then the
word around. Do you hear the difference? It is a very small difference!
This is such a slight difference in most cases, that some dictionaries dont
have a special symbol for it. One symbol that does get used by many, though
is this one:
r like in butter or further. This is an er sound made in the back of
your mouth with your tongue right in the middle of your mouth, not
touching any sides.
And that is all for pronunciations!
You now know how to read the pronunciation guide for vowels and
consonants.
If this seems like a lot of information, we recommend that instead of
memorizing this right away, you use it as a guide. Whenever you are not
sure how to pronounce a new word you just learned, look at the dictionarys
pronunciation guide and keep this page open.
You will learn the guide quickly this way, without even realizing that you are
learning it.

Bonus: Dashes and Lines

When you look at a pronunciation guide you will notice that the words are
broken up into parts with dashes and lines in between them. What do all
these mean?
The pronunciation of a word is usually written between forward
slashes: / Or backward slashes: \

Words are usually split up into syllables with dashes:

The stressed syllable (the one that you say more strongly) is marked
with an apostrophe:
The secondary stress (a slightly stronger syllable, only found in longer
words) is marked with a comma: ,