An Alphabetic Code Chart for English with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
IPA symbols Easy‐to‐use IPA symbols Easy‐to‐use
for phonemes notation for Graphemes, or spelling alternatives, within word examples for phonemes notation for Graphemes, or spelling alternatives, within word examples
and combined units of sound which are code for the sounds and combined units of sound which are code for the sounds
phonemes phonemes
vowel sounds consonant sounds
/ / /a/ apple /b/ /b/ bat rabbit builder
/ / /e/ egg head said /k/ /k/ cat kit duck chameleon bouquet plaque
/ / /i/ insect cymbals /d/ /d/ dig puddle rained
/ / /o/ octopus watch qualify salt /f/ /f/ feathers cliff photograph laugh
/ / /u/ umbrella son touch thoroughfare /g/ /g/ girl juggle guitar ghost catalogue
/e / /ai/ aid tray table sundae cake prey break eight straight /h/ /h/ hat who
/i:/ /ee/ eel eat emu concrete key chief sardines /d / /j/ jug cabbage gerbil giraffe gymnast fridge
/ / to /i:/ between /i‐ee/ sunny monkey movie /l/ /l/ ladder shell
/a / /igh/ night tie behind fly bike eiderdown / l/ /ul/ kettle pencil hospital camel
/ / /oa/ oak bow yo‐yo oboe rope dough plateau /m/ /m/ map hammer welcome thumb column
/j/ + /u:/ /y+oo/ statue unicorn tube new pneumatic /n/ /n/ net bonnet knot gnome engine
/ / short /oo/ book should push wolf (wolves) / / /ng/ gong jungle / /+/k/ /ng+k/ some programmes ink uncle
/u:/ long /oo/ moon blue flute fruit crew soup move through super /p/ /p/ pan puppet
/ / /oi/ ointment toy /k/ + /w/ /k+w/ queen awkward
/a / /ou/ ouch owl plough / / /r/ rat arrow write rhinoceros
/ɑ:/ /ar/ artist father palm half calves /s/ /s/ snake glass palace house cents city bicycle
/ :/ /or/ fork oars door snore four wardrobe quarter scissors castle pseudonym
or/aw/ (accent) dawn sauce chalk caught thought water /t/ /t/ tent letter skipped debt pterodactyl
/ :/ /er/ mermaid birthday nurse earth world /v/ /v/ violin dove
/ / “uh” schwa /er/ or /u/ mixer humour theatre collar sailor above /w/ /w/ web wheel penguin
/ / /air/ hair hare bear where /k/ + /s/ /k+s/ fox (plurals: books ducks picnics cakes plaques)
/ / /eer/ deer ears adhere cashier /g/ + /z/ /g+z/ exam (plurals: pegs eggs catalogues)
/j/ + / / /y+oor/ pure /j/ /y/ yawn
The complexities of the English Alphabetic Code: /z/ /z/ zebra jazz (plural: fries) cheese breeze xylophone
1.One sound (phoneme) can be represented by one, two, three or four letters: e.g. /a/ a, /f/ ph, /igh/ igh, /ai/ eigh
2.One sound can be represented by multiple spelling alternatives (graphemes): e.g. /oa/: o, oa, ow, oe, o-e, eau, ough /t / /ch/ chairs patch /t /+/ / /ch+u/ picture
3.One grapheme can represent multiple sounds: / / /sh/ sheep chef station magician admission
e.g. ‘ough’: /oa/ though, /or/ thought, /oo/ through, /ou/ plough, /u/ thorough
/θ/ unvoiced/th/ thistle / / voiced /th/ there
On this chart, hollow letters (w qu e i y le lt m f) alert the reader to a possible pronunciation in certain words such
as ‘world’ (in contrast to ‘worn’) and a specific pronunciation in some words (the ‘soft c’ principle) such as ‘city’. / / /zh/ television treasure azure (blue) courgette collage
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