Help:IPA

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Help:IPA

Help:IPA for English

Help:IPA for German

Help:IPA for Hebrew

Help:IPA for Irish

Help:IPA for Italian

Help:IPA for Korean

Help:IPA for Polish

Help:IPA for Russian

Help:IPA for Spanish

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For help installing IPA-compatible fonts, see IPA font downloads.

Below is a basic key to the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet. For the smaller set of symbols that is sufficient for English, see Help:IPA for English. Several rare IPA symbols are not included; these are found on the main IPA article.

For each IPA symbol, an English example is given where possible; here "RP" stands for Received Pronunciation. The foreign languages that are used to illustrate additional sounds are primarily the ones most likely to be familiar to English speakers, French, German, and Spanish. For symbols not covered by those, recourse is taken to the populous languages Mandarin Chinese, Hindustani, Arabic, and Russian. For sounds still not covered, other smaller but well-known languages are used, such as Swahili, Turkish, and Zulu.

The left-hand column displays the symbols like this: [ a ] ⁽ⁱ⁾. Click on the speaker icon to hear the sound; click on the symbol itself for a dedicated article with a more complete description and examples from multiple languages. All the sounds are spoken more than once, and the consonant sounds are spoken once followed by a vowel and once between vowels.

Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z other Diacritic marks Brackets

Main symbols

The symbols are arranged by similarity to letters of the Latin alphabet. Symbols which do not resemble any letter are placed at the end.

Symbol Examples Description

A

[ a ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish casa, French patte, German Mann For many English speakers, the first part of the ow sound in cow. Found in some dialects of English in cat or father.

[ aË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Aachen, French gare Long [a].

[ É ] RP cut, German Kaiserslautern (With English, [É] is normally written "[ÊŒ]".)

[ É‘ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Finnish Linna, Dutch bad

[ É‘Ë ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP father, French pÃ¢te Long [É‘].

[ É‘Ìƒ ] French Caen, sans, temps Nasalized [É‘].

[ É’ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP cot Like [É‘], but with the lips slightly rounded.

[ ÊŒ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Like [É”], but without the lips being rounded. (When "[ÊŒ]" is used for English, it may really be [É] or [Éœ].)

[ Ã¦ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP cat

B

[ b ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English babble

[ É“ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Swahili bwana Like a [b] said with a gulp.

[ Ê™ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Like the brrr sound made when cold.

[ Î² ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish la Bamba Like [b], but with the lips not quite touching.

C

[ c ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Turkish kebap "kebab", Czech stÃn "shadow" Between English tune (RP) and cute. Sometimes used instead for [tÊƒ] in languages like Hindi.

[ Ã§ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Ich More y-like than [x]. Some English speakers have a similar sound in huge. To produce this sound, try whispering loudly the word "ye" as in "Hear ye!".

[ É• ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Mandarin Xi'an, Polish Å›ciana More y-like than [Êƒ]; something like English she.

[ É” ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under O

D

[ d ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English did

[ É— ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Swahili Dodoma Like [d] said with a gulp.

[ É– ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English "harder" Like [d] with the tongue curled or pulled back.

[ Ã° ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English the, bathe

[ dz ] ⁽ⁱ⁾¹ English adze, Italian zero

[ dÊ’ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾¹ English judge

[ dÊ‘ ] ¹ Polish niedÅºwiedÅº "bear" Like [dÊ’], but with more of a y-sound.

[ dÊ ] ¹ Polish dÅ¼em "jam" Like [dÊ’] with the tongue curled or pulled back.

E

[ e ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish fe; French clÃ©

[ eË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Klee Long [e]. Similar to English hey, before the y sets in.

[ É™ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English above, Hindi à¤ à¤— [ÊˆÊ°É™É¡] (thug) "thief" (Only occurs in English when not stressed.)

[ Éš ] American English runner

[ É› ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English bet

[ É›Ìƒ ] French Agen, vin, main Nasalized [É›].

[ Éœ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP bird (long)

[ É ] American English bird

F

[ f ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English fun

[ ÉŸ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under J

[ Ê„ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under J

G

[ É¡ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English gig (no different from the symbol "g")

[ É ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Swahili Uganda Like [É¡] said with a gulp.

[ É¢ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Like [É¡], but further back, in the throat. Found in some Arabic dialects for /q/, as in Gaddafi.

[ Ê’ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under Z English beige.

H

[ h ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ American English house

[ É¦ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English ahead, when said quickly.

[ Ê° ] The extra puff of air in English top [tÊ°É’p] compared to stop [stÉ’p], or to French or Spanish [t].

[ Ä§ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Arabic Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Muhammad Far down in the throat, like [h], but stronger.

[ É¥ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under U

[ É® ] see under L

I

[ i ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French ville, Spanish Valladolid

[ iË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English sea Long [i].

[ Éª ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English sit

[ É¨ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Russian Ñ‚Ñ‹ "you" Often used for unstressed English roses.

J

[ j ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English yes, German Junge

[ Ê² ] Russian Ð›ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð½ [lÊ²eËˆnÊ²Éªn] Indicates a sound is more y-like.

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish cayo (some dialects) Like [j], but stronger.

[ ÉŸ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Turkish gÃ¶r "see", Czech dÃra "hole" Between English dew (RP) and argue. Sometimes used instead for [dÊ’] in languages like Hindi.

[ Ê„ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Swahili jambo Like [ÉŸ] said with a gulp.

K

[ k ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English kick, skip

L

[ l ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English leaf

[ É« ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English wool
Eastern Polish Å‚apa [ËˆÉ«apa] "paw" "Dark" el.

[ É¬ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Welsh llwyd [É¬ÊŠÉªd] "grey"
Zulu hlala [É¬aËla] "sit" Rather like [l] and [Êƒ] or [l] and [Î¸] said together. Found in Welsh names like Lloyd and Llywelyn and Nelson Mandela's Xhosa name Rolihlahla.

[ É ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Like [l] with the tongue curled or pulled back.

[ Éº ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ A flapped [l], like [l] and [É¾] said together.

[ É® ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Zulu dla "eat" Rather like [l] and [Ê’], or [l] and [Ã°], said together.

M

[ m ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English mime

[ É± ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English symphony Like [m], but lips touch teeth as they do in [f].

[ É¯ ] see under W

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under W

N

[ n ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English nun

[ Å‹ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English sing

[ É² ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish PeÃ±a, French champagne Rather like English canyon.

[ É³ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Hindi à¤µà¤°à¥à¤£ [Ê‹É™ruÉ³] "Varuna" Like [n] with the tongue curled or pulled back.

[ É´ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Castilian Spanish Don Juan [doÉ´ËˆÏ‡wan] Like [Å‹], but further back, in the throat.

O

[ o ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish no, French eau

[ oË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Boden, French Vosges Long [o]. Somewhat reminiscent of English no.

[ É” ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Oldenburg, French Garonne

[ É”Ë ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP law, French Limoges Long [É”].

[ É”Ìƒ ] French Lyon, son Nasalized [É”].

[ Ã¸ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French feu, bÅ“ufs Like [e], but with the lips rounded like [o].

[ Ã¸Ë ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German Goethe, French DeÃ»le, neutre Long [Ã¸].

[ Éµ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Swedish dum Halfway between [o] and [Ã¸]. Similar to [ÊŠ] but with the tongue slightly more down and front.

[ Å“ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French bÅ“uf, seul, German GÃ¶ttingen Like [É›], but with the lips rounded like [É”].

[ Å“Ë ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French Å“uvre, heure Long [Å“].

[ Å“Ìƒ ] French brun, parfum Nasalized [Å“].

[ Î¸ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English thigh, bath

[ É¸ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Japanese å¯Œå£« [É¸É¯dÊ‘i] Fuji Like [p], but with the lips not quite touching

P

[ p ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English pip, spit

Q

[ q ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Arabic Qurâ€™Än Like [k], but further back, in the throat.

R

[ r ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish perro, Scots borrow "Rolled R". (Generally used for English [É¹] when there's no need to be precise.)

[ É¾ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish pero, American English kitty/kiddie "Flapped R".

[ Ê€ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ A trill in the back of the throat. Found for /r/ in some conservative registers of French.

[ É½ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Hindi à¤¸à¤¾à¤¡à¤¼à¥€ [sÉ‘ËÉ½iË] "sari" Like flapped [É¾], but with the tongue curled back.

[ É¹ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ RP borrow

[ É» ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ American English borrow, butter Like [É¹], but with the tongue curled or pulled back, as pronounced by many English speakers.

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French Paris, German Riemann Said back in the throat, but not trilled.

S

[ s ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English sass

[ Êƒ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English she

[ Ê‚ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Mandarin ShÃ olÃn, Russian ÐŸÑƒÑˆÐºÐ¸Ð½ (Pushkin) Acoustically similar to [Êƒ], but with the tongue curled or pulled back.

T

[ t ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English tot, stop

[ Êˆ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Hindi à¤ à¤— [ÊˆÊ°É™É¡] (thug) "thief" Like [t], but with the tongue curled or pulled back.

[ ts ] ⁽ⁱ⁾² English cats, Russian Ñ†Ð°Ñ€ÑŒ tsar

[ tÊƒ ] ² English church

[ tÉ• ] ² Mandarin åŒ—äº¬ BÄ›ijÄ«ng ⁽ⁱ⁾, Polish ciebie "you" Like [tÊƒ], but with more of a y-sound.

[ tÊ‚ ] ² Mandarin zh, Polish cz Like [tÊƒ] with the tongue curled or pulled back .

U

[ u ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French vous "you"

[ uË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French Rocquencourt, German Schumacher, close to RP food Long [u].

[ ÊŠ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English foot, German Bundesrepublik

[ Ê‰ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Australian English food (long) Like [É¨], but with the lips rounded as for [u].

[ É¥ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French lui Like [j] and [w] said together.

[ É¯ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under W

V

[ v ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English verve

[ Ê‹ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Hindi à¤µà¤°à¥à¤£ [Ê‹É™ruÉ³É™] "Varuna" Between [v] and [w]. Used by some Germans and Russians for v/w, and by some speakers of British English for r.

[ É£ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Arabic / Swahili ghali "expensive" Sounds rather like French [Ê].

[ É¤ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Mandarin HÃ©nÃ¡n Like [o] but without the lips rounded, something like a cross of [ÊŠ] and [ÊŒ].

[ ÊŒ ] see under A

W

[ w ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English wow

[ Ê· ] English rain [É¹Ê·É›n] Indicates a sound has lip rounding, quick.

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ what (some dialects) like [h] and [w] said together

[ É¯ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Turkish kayÄ±k "caÃ¯que" Like [u], but with the lips flat; something like [ÊŠ].

[ É° ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish agua

X

[ x ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Scottish English loch, German Bach, Russian Ñ…Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾ÑˆÐ¸Ð¹ [xÉËˆroÊ‚É¨j] "good"

[ Ï‡ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Dutch Scheveningen, Castilian Spanish Don Juan [doÉ´ËˆÏ‡wan] Like [x], but further back , in the throat. Some German and Arabic speakers have [Ï‡] for [x].

Y

[ y ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ French rue Like [i], but with the lips rounded as for [u].

[ yË ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German BÃ¼low, French sÃ»r Long [y].

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ German EisenhÃ¼ttenstadt Like [Éª], but with the lips rounded as for [ÊŠ].

[ ÊŽ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Spanish llama (Castilian) More y-like than [l]. Rather like English million.

[ É¥ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under U

[ É¤ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ see under V

[ É£ ] see under V

Z

[ z ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English zoos

[ Ê’ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English vision, French journal

[ Ê‘ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ formal Russian Ð¶Ð¶Ñ‘ÑˆÑŒ [Ê‘ËoÊ‚] "you burn", Polish Åºle More y-like than [Ê’], something like beigey.

[ Ê ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Mandarin äººæ°‘æ—¥æŠ¥ RÃ©nmÃn RÃ¬bÃ o "People's Daily", Russian Ð¶ÑƒÑ€Ð½Ð°Ð» "journal" Like [Ê’] with the tongue curled or pulled back .

[ É® ] see under L

other

[ Ê” ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ English uh-oh, Hawaiâ€˜i, German The 'glottal stop', a catch in the breath. For some people, found in button [ËˆbÊŒÊ”nÌ©], or between vowels across words: Deus ex machina [ËŒdeÉªÉ™sËŒÊ”É›ksËˆmÉ‘ËkÉ¨nÉ™]; in some nonstandard dialects, in a apple [ÊŒËˆÊ”Ã¦plÌ©].

[ Ê• ] ⁽ⁱ⁾ Arabic Ø¹Ø±Ø¨ÙŠ (^carabÄ«) "Arabic" A light sound deep in the throat.

[ kÇ€ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾, [ É¡Ç€ ], [ Å‹Ç€ ] English tsk-tsk! or tut-tut!, Zulu icici "earring" (The English click used for disapproval.) The Zimbabwean MP Ncube has this click in his name, as did Cetshwayo.

[ kÇ ] ⁽ⁱ⁾, [ É¡Ç ], [ Å‹Ç ] English tchick! tchick!, Zulu ixoxo "frog" (The English click used to urge on a horse.) Found in the name of the Xhosa.