International Phonetic Alphabet

The IPA is a standardized representation of speech sounds in written form. It provides a consistent way to transcribe the sounds of any language.

What is the IPA?

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standardized representation of speech sounds in written form.

The IPA is used by lexicographers, foreign language students and teachers, linguists, speech-language pathologists, singers, actors, constructed language creators, and translators.

Key Features:

  • •Universal system for all languages
  • •One symbol per sound principle
  • •Precise pronunciation guidance
  • •Scientific accuracy in phonetics

Consonants

p
Voiceless bilabial plosive
/pat/
b
Voiced bilabial plosive
/bat/
t
Voiceless alveolar plosive
/top/
d
Voiced alveolar plosive
/dog/
k
Voiceless velar plosive
/cat/
g
Voiced velar plosive
/go/
ʔ
Glottal stop
/uh-oh/
m
Bilabial nasal
/man/
n
Alveolar nasal
/no/
ŋ
Velar nasal
/sing/
f
Voiceless labiodental fricative
/fan/
v
Voiced labiodental fricative
/van/
θ
Voiceless dental fricative
/think/
ð
Voiced dental fricative
/this/
s
Voiceless alveolar fricative
/sun/
z
Voiced alveolar fricative
/zoo/
ʃ
Voiceless postalveolar fricative
/ship/
ʒ
Voiced postalveolar fricative
/measure/
h
Voiceless glottal fricative
/hat/
l
Alveolar lateral approximant
/love/
r
Alveolar approximant
/run/
j
Palatal approximant
/yes/
w
Labio-velar approximant
/win/
tʃ
Voiceless postalveolar affricate
/church/
dʒ
Voiced postalveolar affricate
/judge/

Vowels

i
Close front unrounded vowel
/see/
ɪ
Near-close front unrounded vowel
/sit/
u
Close back rounded vowel
/boot/
ʊ
Near-close back rounded vowel
/put/
e
Close-mid front unrounded vowel
/bed/
ə
Mid central vowel (schwa)
/about/
ɜ
Open-mid central unrounded vowel
/bird/
o
Close-mid back rounded vowel
/go/
ɔ
Open-mid back rounded vowel
/law/
æ
Near-open front unrounded vowel
/cat/
ɑ
Open back unrounded vowel
/father/
ʌ
Open-mid back unrounded vowel
/cup/

Diphthongs

aɪ
Diphthong
/my/
aʊ
Diphthong
/now/
eɪ
Diphthong
/day/
oʊ
Diphthong
/go/
ɔɪ
Diphthong
/boy/

How to Use the IPA

For Language Learning:

  • 1.Learn the sounds first, then the symbols
  • 2.Practice with familiar words
  • 3.Use IPA in dictionaries for pronunciation
  • 4.Focus on sounds not in your native language

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

  • ×Confusing similar symbols (e.g., ɪ vs i)
  • ×Ignoring diacritical marks
  • ×Assuming one symbol per letter
  • ×Not practicing actual pronunciation

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