DEFINITION
OF PRONUNCIATION
pronunciation
(noun): the way in which we pronounce a word
pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word
pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word
English is
not Phonetic
Always remember that English is not "phonetic". That means that
we do not always say a word the same way that we spell it.
Some words can have the same spelling but different pronunciation,
for example:
Some words have different spelling but the same pronunciation,
for example:
Glossary of
Pronunciation Terms
|
accent
|
the unique
speech patterns of a person or group
|
|
affricate
|
a speech
sound (consonant) that contains a stop followed by an immediate fricative, as
in the ch /สง/ in
"chair"
|
|
air
flow/airstream
|
the flow
or passage of air out of the mouth
|
|
alveolar
|
sound
formed by touching the tip of the tongue to the upper alveolar ridge, as in
/t/ or /d/
|
|
alveolar
ridge
|
the bony
region at the roof and bottom of the mouth behind the front teeth; contains
the tooth sockets
|
|
approximants
|
consonants
with a partial obstruction of airflow, as in /w/ and /r/
|
|
articulation
|
the act of
making speech sounds
|
|
aspiration
|
a small "explosion"
of air when you make a sound
|
|
auditory
|
hearing
(not seeing)
|
|
bilabial
|
consonant
sounds formed using both lips, as in /p/ or /b/
|
|
close
vowel (sometimes called "high" vowel)
|
a vowel
sound that is pronounced with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth (but
not close enough to constrict the air and make a consonant), as in /i:/ in
the word "free"
|
|
a speech
sound made when there is complete or partial obstruction of air in the mouth,
as in /v/, /h/, /d/ (compare vowel)
|
|
|
clusters
|
blended
sounds put together to make a single sound
|
|
Curl
|
a position
of the tongue where the tongue is shaped in a curve, not flat
|
|
dental
|
a
consonant sound made when the tongue touches the upper teeth, as in /t/ and
/n/
|
|
dialect
|
unique
vocabulary, pronunciation and usage that is typical of a certain group of
people
|
|
diphthong
|
a sound
made by the combination of two vowel sounds in a single syllable, as in
"boy", "loud" or "wide", where the sound starts
as one vowel and moves towards another vowel
|
|
flatten
|
a
positioning of the tongue where the tongue is flat not round
|
|
fricative
|
a speech
sound (consonant) in which air is forced to pass through a small opening and
creates friction, as in /f/ and /v/
|
|
glide/slide
|
moving the
tongue while saying a word
|
|
glottal
stop
|
the sound
that is made when the vocal folds are closed very briefly; as in the middle
of the word "uh-oh" (common in American English)
|
|
Gum
|
the tissue
around the base of the teeth
|
|
hard
palate
|
hard part
of the roof of the mouth
|
|
intonation
|
change in
pitch of a sentence, up and down; the music or rhythm of speech
|
|
labiodental
|
sounds
that are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/
|
|
Larynx
|
the hollow,
muscular organ in the throat that holds the vocal chords; the voice box
|
|
Lateral
|
a speech
sound that is made by touching the tongue to the middle of the alveolar
ridge, allowing air to pass on both sides
|
|
lengthen
sound
|
make the
duration of the sound longer
|
|
inkingl
|
the
joining of words when speaking, as in "Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?"
(Can I have a bit of egg?)
|
|
lips
spread
|
lips are
open slightly and pulled back
|
|
Lower
|
bottom of
mouth
|
|
minimal
pairs
|
two words
that differ only in terms of one sound, as in "cat and bat" OR
"fine and vine"
|
|
monophthong
|
a single
vowel sound that does not change in auditory quality; also called a
"pure vowel"
|
|
nasal
consonants
|
consonant
sounds made by pushing air through the nose, as in /m/, /n/ and /ล/
|
|
non-pulmonic
|
when the
air comes from a source other than the lungs
|
|
obstruction
|
a blockage
of air flow
|
|
open vowel
(also called "low" vowel)
|
a vowel
that is produced with the tongue far down from the roof of the mouth, as in
the /a:/ sound in "far"
|
|
palatal
|
a sound
that is made when the tongue is near or touching the roof of the mouth
|
|
Palate
|
the roof
of the mouth
|
|
phoneme
|
an
individual speech sound
|
|
phonetic
alphabet
|
an
alphabet that represents the sounds of speech
|
|
phonetic
transcription
|
a form of
notation that uses symbols to identify the individual sounds (phonemes) in a
word
|
|
plosive
|
a
consonant sound produced when there is a complete obstruction of air followed
by its sudden release, as in the /p/ of "pot"
|
|
Pitch
|
amount of
highness or lowness of a sound or speech
|
|
postalveolar
|
a
consonant sound made with the tip of the tongue slightly back from the
alveolar ridge, as in /ส/ in
"shut"
|
|
pressed
lips
|
top and
bottom lips touching
|
|
protruded
lips
|
rounded
lips, pushed out
|
|
pulmonic
|
a sound
that is made using the airstream directly from the lungs
|
|
raised
|
higher
than the neutral position
|
|
reduction
|
the
natural shortening of sounds when speaking (e.g. "going to" reduced
to "gonna")
|
|
rhotic
|
a variety
or dialect of English in which "r" is pronounced before a consonant
(as in "hard") and at the end of words (as in "car");
Midwestern American English, for example, is "rhotic"
|
|
Roof
|
the inside
top part of the mouth
|
|
rounded
lips
|
lips
formed into the shape of a circle
|
|
rounded
vowel
|
a vowel
made with rounded lips
|
|
the
placement of emphasis on specific words within a sentence or phrase
|
|
|
shorten
sound
|
make the
duration of a sound shorter
|
|
soft
palate
|
soft part
of the roof of the mouth
|
|
sonorant
|
sounds
that are made when air is impeded only slightly, as in /m/, /n/
|
|
stop (stop
consonant)
|
a
consonant sound that is produced when the airflow is (temporarily) stopped
entirely by the lips or tongue, as in /p/
|
|
syllable
|
a single
unit of sound that creates one beat in a word; the word "coffee"
has two syllables (cof-fee)
|
|
syllable
nucleus
|
the
central part of a syllable, usually a vowel
|
|
Tap
|
touch
quickly
|
|
Tone
|
the
emotion that is conveyed through the sound of speech (e.g. anger or sadness)
|
|
tongue
|
muscular
tissue in the mouth used for tasting and articulating
|
|
tooth
ridge
|
the hard
area directly behind the top front teeth
|
|
Trill
|
a
vibrating sound made with a flapping tongue, as in the rolled "r"
sound made when people roll their r's
|
|
Upper
|
top of
mouth
|
|
Velar
|
of a sound
that is made with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in the the
/ล/ in "sing"
|
|
Velum
|
a soft
membrane on the roof of the mouth (also called "soft palate")
|
|
vocal
chords (AmE cords)
|
two
muscles inside the larynx that vibrate and create the voice
|
|
vocal
tract
|
the entire
apparatus that produces voice, starting in the lungs and ending at the lips
and nostrils (openings of the mouth and nose)
|
|
Voiced
|
of a sound
made with the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating
|
|
voiceless/unvoiced
|
of a sound
made without the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating
|
|
a speech
sound made when air is free to pass through the mouth with little or no
obstruction, as in sounds made with the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes
y (compare consonant)
|
|
|
vowel
backness
|
position
of the tongue in relation to the back of the mouth when making a vowel sound
(positions include front, near-front, centre, near-back, back)
|
|
vowel
height
|
distance
between the tongue and the roof of the mouth when pronouncing a vowel sound
(IPA has 7 heights: close (highest), near-close, mid-close, mid, open-mid,
near-open, open (lowest)
|
|
the
placement of emphasis within a word that has more than one syllable
|
Linking in
English
When we say a sentence in English, we join or "link" words to
each other. Because of this linking, the words in a sentence do not always
sound the same as when we say them individually. Linking is very important in
English. If you recognize and use linking, two things will happen:
- you will understand other people more easily
- other people will understand you more easily
There are basically two types of linking:
- consonant
> vowel
We link words ending with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound - vowel
> vowel
We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound
In this lesson we look at:
Understanding
Vowels & Consonants for Linking
To understand linking, it is important to know the difference between vowel
sounds and consonant sounds. Here is a table of English vowels and consonants:
|
vowels
|
a
|
|
e
|
|
i
|
|
O
|
|
u
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
consonants
|
|
b
|
c
|
d
|
|
f
|
g
|
h
|
|
j
|
k
|
l
|
m
|
n
|
|
p
|
q
|
r
|
s
|
t
|
|
v
|
w
|
x
|
y
|
z
|
The table shows the letters that are vowels and consonants. But the
important thing in linking is the sound, not the letter. Often the
letter and the sound are the same, but not always.
For example, the word "pay" ends with:
- the consonant letter "y"
- the vowel sound "a"
Here are some more examples:
|
|
though
|
know
|
|
ends with
the letter
|
h
|
w
|
|
ends with
the sound
|
o
|
o
|
|
|
uniform
|
honest
|
|
begins
with the letter
|
u
|
h
|
|
begins
with the sound
|
y
|
o
|
Linking
Consonant to Vowel
When a word ends in a consonant sound, we often move the consonant sound to
the beginning of the next word if it starts with a vowel sound.
For example, in the phrase "turn off":
|
We write
it like this:
|
turn
|
off
|
|
We say it
like this:
|
tur
|
noff
|
Remember that it's the sound that matters. In the next example,
"have" ends with:
- the letter "e" (vowel)
- the sound "v" (consonant)
So we link "have" to the next word "a" which begins
with a vowel sound:
|
We write
it like this:
|
Can I have
a bit of egg?
|
|
We say it
like this:
|
Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?
|
Linking
Vowel to Vowel
When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel
sound, we link the words with a sort of W or Y sound.
If our lips are round at the end of the first word, we insert a W
sound:
|
|
|||||||||||
If our lips are wide at the end of the first word, we insert a Y
sound:
|
|
Homophones
What Are Homophones?
Homophones are words that have exactly the same
sound (pronunciation) but different meanings and (usually) spelling.
For example, the following two words have the same
sound, but different meanings and spelling:
In the next example, the two words have the same
sound and spelling, but different meanings:
Usually homophones are in groups of two (our,
hour), but very occasionally they can be in groups of three (to, too, two) or
even four. If we take our "bear" example, we can add another word to
the group"
|
Common
Homophones List
The following list of 70 groups of homophones
contains only the most common homophones, using relatively well-known words.
These are headwords only. No inflections (such as third person singular
"s" or noun plurals) are included.
NB: In a few cases, a third homophone, although
possible, has not been included for simplicity. Different varieties and
accents of English may produce variations in some of these pronunciations.
The homophones listed here are based on British English.
|
Homophones List for Elementary level
This is a list of useful homophones for elementary
level learners.
The word on the right should help you understand
and remember the pronunciation of the word on the left.
aren't / aunt ate
/ eight b / be bread / bred*
c / see / sea cent / sent eye / I hour / our
know / no knows / nose p / pea r / ah
right / write / rite* some / sum* son / sun t / tea
there's / theirs* they're / their / there u / you
we’ve / weave* where / wear which / witch* would / wood
x / ex* y / why you're / your
c / see / sea cent / sent eye / I hour / our
know / no knows / nose p / pea r / ah
right / write / rite* some / sum* son / sun t / tea
there's / theirs* they're / their / there u / you
we’ve / weave* where / wear which / witch* would / wood
x / ex* y / why you're / your
* You don't need to know the meaning of this word
yet, but its more regular spelling could help with learning the word on the
left.
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard
British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties
of English.
Homophones List for Pre-Intermediate level
This is a list of useful homophones for
pre-intermediate level learners.
The word on the right should help you understand
and remember the pronunciation of the word on the left.
bored / board break
/ brake* ceiling / sealing*
cereal / serial* done / dun* flew / flu*
hear / here heard / herd* he'd / heed*
he'll / heel* knew / new metal / mettle*
missed / mist* none / nun* passed / past
read (past tense) / red saw / sore* sight / site
straight / strait* sure / shore* taught / taut*
through / threw thrown / throne* we'd / weed*
we'll / wheel weigh / way whole / hole
who's / whose won / one worn / warn*
* You don't need to know the meaning of this word yet, but its more regular spelling could help with learning the word on the left.
cereal / serial* done / dun* flew / flu*
hear / here heard / herd* he'd / heed*
he'll / heel* knew / new metal / mettle*
missed / mist* none / nun* passed / past
read (past tense) / red saw / sore* sight / site
straight / strait* sure / shore* taught / taut*
through / threw thrown / throne* we'd / weed*
we'll / wheel weigh / way whole / hole
who's / whose won / one worn / warn*
* You don't need to know the meaning of this word yet, but its more regular spelling could help with learning the word on the left.
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard
British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties
of English.
Homophones List for Intermediate level
This is a list of useful homophones for
intermediate level learners.
The word on the right should help you understand
and remember the pronunciation of the word on the left.
aisle / I'll allowed
/ aloud banned /
band
bare / bear blew / blue chased / chaste*
cruise / crews* dye / die earn / urn*
fare / fair farther / father flour / flower
guessed / guest medal / meddle* muscle / mussel*
queue / Q route / root sew / so
sword / soared* warn / worn weight / wait
bare / bear blew / blue chased / chaste*
cruise / crews* dye / die earn / urn*
fare / fair farther / father flour / flower
guessed / guest medal / meddle* muscle / mussel*
queue / Q route / root sew / so
sword / soared* warn / worn weight / wait
* You don't need to know the meaning of this word
yet, but its more regular spelling could help with learning the word on the
left.
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard
British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties
of English.
Homophones List for Upper-Intermediate level
This is a list of useful homophones for
upper-intermediate level learners.
The word on the right should help you understand
and remember the pronunciation of the word on the left.
aloud / allowed bass
(guitar) / base bases / basis bury / berry
chews / choose coup / coo* genes / jeans desert (v) / dessert
draught / draft fir / fur flaw / floor idle / idol
knight / night knot / not leased / least owe / O
pause / paws* scent / sent / cent seize / seas / sees sighed / side
sighs / size suite / sweet tear (= crying) / tier*
chews / choose coup / coo* genes / jeans desert (v) / dessert
draught / draft fir / fur flaw / floor idle / idol
knight / night knot / not leased / least owe / O
pause / paws* scent / sent / cent seize / seas / sees sighed / side
sighs / size suite / sweet tear (= crying) / tier*
* You don't need to know the meaning of this word
yet, but its more regular spelling could help with learning the word on the
left.
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard
British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties
of English.
Homophones List for Advanced level
This is a list of useful homophones for advanced level
learners.
The word on the right should help you understand
and remember the pronunciation of the word on the left.
altar / alter ascent
/ assent aural
/ oral
bawl / ball berth / birth boar / bore
bough / bow (v / n) buoy / boy cache / cash
censor / sensor chord / cord chute / shoot
coarse / course corps / core cue / queue / Q
dew / due feint / faint fowl / foul
grate / great groan / grown haul / hall
hay / hey heir / air herd / heard
hoarse / horse hymn / him isle / aisle / I'll
knead / need manor / manner martial / marshal
minor / miner reign / rain strait / straight
taut / taught tier / tear (= crying) tow / toe
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties of English.
bawl / ball berth / birth boar / bore
bough / bow (v / n) buoy / boy cache / cash
censor / sensor chord / cord chute / shoot
coarse / course corps / core cue / queue / Q
dew / due feint / faint fowl / foul
grate / great groan / grown haul / hall
hay / hey heir / air herd / heard
hoarse / horse hymn / him isle / aisle / I'll
knead / need manor / manner martial / marshal
minor / miner reign / rain strait / straight
taut / taught tier / tear (= crying) tow / toe
NB: This list of homophones is based on Standard British English. Some words will not be homophones in all accents and varieties of English.
Alphabet Homophones
Pronouncing the English alphabet - with homophones and matching sounds, common uses, rhyming letters, rhyming words and common confusions
Many learners find it difficult to say and/or
remember the English alphabet, either because the sounds used in English don't
exist in their language or because the letters are pronounced differently in
their language. This table is designed to give five different kinds of help to
such people.
The
pronunciations below are for British English. Note that in American English
some of the homophones and rhyming words may be different, and Z is pronounced
"zee" (not "zed").
|
A-Z
|
Words
which have that sound (in them)
|
Common
uses
|
Rhyming
letters
|
Rhyming
words
|
Common
confusions
|
|
A
|
able, ache
|
ABC, AD,
A.M., A4, AGM
|
J, K
|
pay, hey
|
E, R
|
|
B
|
be, bee
|
B&B,
BC, b4, B-movie, B2B, BA
|
C, D, E,
G, P, T, V
|
fee, me
|
V
|
|
C
|
sea, see
|
CNN, BBC,
CIF, cc
|
B, D, E,
G, P, T, V
|
we, flea
|
S, K
|
|
D
|
delighted, deep
|
CD, ID,
PhD
|
B, C, E,
G, P, T, V
|
knee, glee
|
|
|
E
|
feet,
geek
|
e-mail,
e.g., QED
|
B, C, D,
G, P, T, V
|
he, key
|
A
|
|
F
|
effort, left
|
F16, FBI,
FA Cup, FOB
|
|
deaf, chef
|
V
|
|
G
|
gee
|
G20, GMT,
G-spot
|
B, C, D,
E, P, T, V
|
free, we
|
J
|
|
H
|
|
H-bomb,
HTML, HQ
|
|
|
ash, itch,
hatch
|
|
I
|
aye, eye
|
IBM, MI6,
ISBN
|
Y
|
buy, fly
|
E
|
|
J
|
jay
|
JFK, DJ
|
A, K
|
say, day
|
gee
|
|
K
|
cable, cane,
cake
|
KGB, OK,
UK
|
A, J
|
pray, grey
|
C
|
|
L
|
elegant, sell
|
LP, BLT,
L/C, LA
|
|
hell, bell
|
R
|
|
M
|
empty, empire
|
MP, MC,
ATM, MA
|
|
them, hem
|
N
|
|
N
|
end
|
UN, NATO,
NB, n/a
|
|
ten, when
|
M
|
|
O
|
oh, owe
|
OTT, OHP,
O-ring
|
|
no, go
|
on
|
|
P
|
pea, pee
|
asap, PC,
PLC
|
B, C, D,
E, G, T, V
|
she, he
|
B
|
|
Q
|
cue, queue
|
IQ,
Q&A, QED
|
U, W
|
few, mew
|
coup, K
|
|
R
|
ah, ask,
heart
|
RSVP, RIP,
RAF
|
|
far, bar
|
A
|
|
S
|
estate, essay
|
SOS, USA,
PS
|
|
dress,
chess
|
C
|
|
T
|
tea, tee
|
TNT, TLC,
PTO
|
B, C, D,
E, G, P, V
|
free, tree
|
D
|
|
U
|
you, yew
|
UFO, EU,
U-boat, UAE, U-turn
|
Q, W
|
do, new
|
W
|
|
V
|
vegan
|
VIP,
V-neck, V-sign, VAT
|
B, C, D,
E, G, P, T
|
ski, three
|
B, fee, we
|
|
W
|
|
WHO, WWF,
WWW
|
Q, U
|
flew, blue
|
double, we
|
|
X
|
ex, ex-
|
X Men, X-ray,
X-chromosome |
|
sex,
checks
|
Z
|
|
Y
|
why
|
YKK, YMCA,
Y-chromosome |
I
|
fly, buy
|
E, I
|
|
Z
|
|
|
|
bed, dead
|
said
|
Homophones List ~ Contractions
The following is a list of very common contractions
with words that have a different spelling and meaning but exactly the same
sound (homophones).
you're / your it's / its we're / weir
they're / their, there aren't / aunt we've / weave
I'd / eyed he'd / heed we'd / weed
I'll / isle you'll / yule he'll / heel, heal
we'll / wheel here's / hears there's / theirs
what's / watts who's / whose
they're / their, there aren't / aunt we've / weave
I'd / eyed he'd / heed we'd / weed
I'll / isle you'll / yule he'll / heel, heal
we'll / wheel here's / hears there's / theirs
what's / watts who's / whose
Homophones
by Vowel Sound
One of the easiest and most effective ways to remember the pronunciation of
difficult words is to match them to words that are spelled differently but are
said the same way. The list below is organised by vowel sound to make it easy
to find homophones, and to help teachers design lessons on difficult sounds. As
the correct (phonemic) symbols for the vowel sounds might be unknown or not
show up on your computer, we have used our own system to show the vowel sounds
and put them in order:
The pairs of homophones are in alphabetical order, and so are the words in
each vowel sound section. Note that some of the pairs of words (e.g. where and
wear) are not homophones in all varieties of English.
Homophones Lists - Plurals and Third Person S
Many books teach the pronunciation of third person
S verb forms (gets /s/, needs /z/ and chooses /Iz/) and regular plurals (bats
/s/, beds /z/ and choices /Iz/), but few point out that the rules for which of
the three sounds you need are exactly the same in both cases. Another way of
making them easy to remember and pronounce is even less well known – matching
words with s ending to words that sound exactly the same. Below is a list of
such words for plurals and third person Present Simple verbs split into /s/
sound endings and /z/ sound endings. (Unfortunately there don't seem to be any
homophones for words like cheeses that have an /Iz/ ending.)
Homophones of words with /s/ sound for plural or
third person S
apps / apse cops / copse flecks / flex hurts / hertzlacks / lax laps / lapse links / lynx minks / minx
sacks / sax tacks / tax tucks / tux whacks / wax
apps / apse cops / copse flecks / flex hurts / hertzlacks / lax laps / lapse links / lynx minks / minx
sacks / sax tacks / tax tucks / tux whacks / wax
Homophones of words with /z/ sound for plural or
third person S
bays / baize boos / booze brays / braise brews / bruise
brows / browse chews / choose claws / clause cores / cause
crews / cruise C's seas sees / seize days / daze
does (= female deers) / doze E's / ease frees / freeze greys / graze
G's / jeez gays / gaze gores / gauze hoes / hose
hows / house (verb) knows / nose lays / laze paws pours / pause
pleas / please pores pours / pause prays preys / praise
pries / prise prize pros / prose rays / raise raze
roads / Rhodes roes rows / rose ryes / rise
seas sees / seize sighs / size T's teas tees / tease
bays / baize boos / booze brays / braise brews / bruise
brows / browse chews / choose claws / clause cores / cause
crews / cruise C's seas sees / seize days / daze
does (= female deers) / doze E's / ease frees / freeze greys / graze
G's / jeez gays / gaze gores / gauze hoes / hose
hows / house (verb) knows / nose lays / laze paws pours / pause
pleas / please pores pours / pause prays preys / praise
pries / prise prize pros / prose rays / raise raze
roads / Rhodes roes rows / rose ryes / rise
seas sees / seize sighs / size T's teas tees / tease
Homophones
Lists ~ Past Simple/Past Participle
Studying homophones of past tense verb forms can be useful for:
- learning the pronunciation of the verbs (both the different pronunciations of –ed endings and irregular verbs)
- being able to spot from the context whether a verb or another word is meant (eg, when listening to the sentences "I've been here before" and "I like beans on toast")
On the following pages you will find selected lists of regular and
irregular verbs in past simple form and/or past participle form (V2 and/or V3)
with corresponding homophones.
Homophones List ~ Regular Past Simple/Past Participle
Regular verbs arranged by pronunciation of –ed ending
/t/
based / baste bussed
/ bust chased / chaste guessed / guest
leased / least missed / mist packed / pact passed / past
peaked / peeked rapped / wrapped tacked / tact trussed / trust
leased / least missed / mist packed / pact passed / past
peaked / peeked rapped / wrapped tacked / tact trussed / trust
/d/
allowed / aloud awed
/ oared banned / band barred / bard
bawled / balled billed / build bored / board crewed / crude
dammed / damned died / dyed filled / field fined / find
floored / flawed mined / mind mowed / mode owed / ode
pealed / peeled pedaled / peddled played / plaid pored / poured
prayed / preyed pried / pride rained / reigned / reined
raised / razed sawed / soared seemed / seamed:
sighed / side soared / sword stayed / staid
tied / tide towed / toad / toed waived / waved
weighed / wade whined / wined
bawled / balled billed / build bored / board crewed / crude
dammed / damned died / dyed filled / field fined / find
floored / flawed mined / mind mowed / mode owed / ode
pealed / peeled pedaled / peddled played / plaid pored / poured
prayed / preyed pried / pride rained / reigned / reined
raised / razed sawed / soared seemed / seamed:
sighed / side soared / sword stayed / staid
tied / tide towed / toad / toed waived / waved
weighed / wade whined / wined
/ษชd/
cited / sighted / sited kneaded / needed rested
/ wrested
rooted / routed waited / weighted
rooted / routed waited / weighted
Homophones List ~ Irregular Past Simple/Past ParticipleIrregular verbs arranged by vowel sound
/ษ:/ : cast / caste
/e/ : bred / bread sent / cent
/eษช/ : ate / eight made / maid
/i:/ : been / bean read / red seen / scene
/ษส/
: sold / soled grown / groan mown / moan
rode / road rose / rows thrown / throne
wrote / rote
/ษ:/ : bore / boar born / borne caught / court
fought / fort saw / sore sought / sort
taught / taut wore / war worn / warn
/ส/ : done / dun rung / wrung won / one
/ษ:/ : heard / herd
/u:/ : blew / blue flew / flu knew / new threw / through
Homophones List ~ Magic E
"Magic E" is an incredibly useful
spelling rule that all native speakers learn when young but other learners of
English are often unaware of. The basic version is that an E after a short
vowel sound and a single consonant makes the vowel "say its name",
i.e. take the pronunciation of that letter when you say the alphabet. This is
how it works for the five letters that are vowels:
- a in at changes to A in ate, eg when changing from hat to hate
- e in set changes to E in Pete, eg when changing from met to mete
- i in it changes to I in write, eg when changing from bit to bite
- o in hot changes to O in choke, eg when changing from hop to hope
- u in but changes to U in use, eg when changing from cut to cute
Learning the homophones of words with a magic E in
them can help you learn this pronunciation and spelling rule. If you already
know this rule, you can then use it to learn the words that are homophones, eg
using your knowledge of how to say "base" as a way of remembering the
difference between bass guitar (which has the same pronunciation) and bass the
fish (which is different).
Words with magic E making A say its name
ate / eight bale
/ bail base / bass (guitar) based / baste
brake / break chased / chaste daze / days gaze / gays
grate / great lane / lain laze / lays made / maid
male / mail mane / main maze / maize pale / pail
pane / pain place / plaice plane / plain raze / rays
sale / sail shake / sheik stake / steak tale / tail
vane / vein wade / weighed wave / waive whale / wail
brake / break chased / chaste daze / days gaze / gays
grate / great lane / lain laze / lays made / maid
male / mail mane / main maze / maize pale / pail
pane / pain place / plaice plane / plain raze / rays
sale / sail shake / sheik stake / steak tale / tail
vane / vein wade / weighed wave / waive whale / wail
Words with magic E making E say its name
genes / jeans mete
/ meet
Words with magic E making I say its name
bite / byte cite
/ sight clime / climb fined
/ find
mined / mind miner / minor mite / might pride / pried
prize / pries rise / ryes rite / right side / sighed
sine / sign site / sight size / sighs tide / tied
time / thyme wise / whys write / right
mined / mind miner / minor mite / might pride / pried
prize / pries rise / ryes rite / right side / sighed
sine / sign site / sight size / sighs tide / tied
time / thyme wise / whys write / right
Words with magic E making O say its name
hose / hoes lode
/ load lone / loan mode / mowed
nose / knows ode / owed pole / poll rode / road
role / roll rose / rows sole / soul yoke / yolk
nose / knows ode / owed pole / poll rode / road
role / roll rose / rows sole / soul yoke / yolk
Words with magic E making U say its name
use / yews muse / mews
English
Phonetic Spelling
When speaking on the telephone, it is sometimes useful to spell a word
using English Phonetic Spelling. To spell "Club", for example, you
would say: "C for Charlie, L for Lima, U for Uniform, B for Bravo."
It is very easy to learn English Phonetic Spelling. Start by spelling your
name, then your company or address. Soon, you will know the whole alphabet. It
also helps to remember that there are several groups of words that go together:
- Dances: Foxtrot, Tango
- Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet
- Men's first names: Charlie, Mike, Oscar, Victor
- Cities: Lima, Quebec
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According to the International Phonetic Association, the above
list is sometimes wrongly called the "International Phonetic
Alphabet".
Phonemic Chart
This phonemic chart uses symbols from the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). IPA symbols are useful for learning
pronunciation. The symbols on this chart represent the 44 sounds used in
British English speech (Received Pronunciation or RP, an educated accent
associated with but not exclusive to south-east England).
Learners and teachers may want to print a copy of
this phonemic chart to keep close at hand for reference.
Interactive
Phonemic Chart
Monophthong vowels are arranged by mouth shape:
- left > right, lips wide > lips round
- top > bottom, jaw closed > jaw open
The first two rows of consonants are paired:
- above, voiceless
- below, voiced
Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are words that vary by only a single
sound, usually meaning sounds that students often get confused by, like the
"th" and "t" in "thin" and "tin".
Vowel Sounds
Minimal Pairs /ษช/ and /i:/
sit and seat
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /ษช/
and the other the sound /i:/. You can use this to
practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
As indicated by the /:/
part of its symbol, /i:/ is a longer sound than /ษช/ and pronouncing it this way
can help distinguish between the two in the pairs of words below. You will also
notice, however, that /ษช/
does not have a dot over it, making it a different mouth position from /i:/. The sound /i:/ is said
with the mouth much more spread, something like a broad smile. This is why we
say "cheese" rather than "chiz" (or "whizz") when
we take photos.
Elementary
bin bean bitch* beach chip cheap did deed*
fit* feet grin* green his he’s is ease*
it eat mitt* meet sit seat slip* sleep
bin bean bitch* beach chip cheap did deed*
fit* feet grin* green his he’s is ease*
it eat mitt* meet sit seat slip* sleep
Pre-Intermediate
bit beat* each itch* fill feel hid heed*
hill he’ll hit heat ill eel* kill keel*
kip* keep lip leap* mill* meal pick peek*
piss* piece pitch* peach shill* she’ll sick seek*
Intermediate
chick* cheek chit* cheat dill* deal gin gene
grid greed hip heap* kid keyed* knit neat
lick leak piss* peace risen reason shit sheet
sill* seal sim* seem sin* scene still steel
till teal* tin teen tizz* teas
bit beat* each itch* fill feel hid heed*
hill he’ll hit heat ill eel* kill keel*
kip* keep lip leap* mill* meal pick peek*
piss* piece pitch* peach shill* she’ll sick seek*
Intermediate
chick* cheek chit* cheat dill* deal gin gene
grid greed hip heap* kid keyed* knit neat
lick leak piss* peace risen reason shit sheet
sill* seal sim* seem sin* scene still steel
till teal* tin teen tizz* teas
Upper-Intermediate
‘til teal* bid bead bitch beech* biz bees
cist* ceased dip deep fist feast fizz fees
pill peel pip peep pit peat* shin sheen*
skid skied skim scheme tick teak*
‘til teal* bid bead bitch beech* biz bees
cist* ceased dip deep fist feast fizz fees
pill peel pip peep pit peat* shin sheen*
skid skied skim scheme tick teak*
Advanced/Proficiency
bib Beeb blip bleep britches breeches crick creek
din dean finned fiend flit fleet gip jeep
grist greased sim seam sip seep skit skeet
slick sleek slit sleet tit teat tizz tease
bib Beeb blip bleep britches breeches crick creek
din dean finned fiend flit fleet gip jeep
grist greased sim seam sip seep skit skeet
slick sleek slit sleet tit teat tizz tease
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the
second time being when the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /รฆ/ and /ส/
bat and but
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /รฆ/ and the other the sound /ส/. You can use this to
practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/รฆ/ and /ส/ are the two closest vowel
sounds in English and so it is very difficult to hear and pronounce the
difference. In fact, in some American accents there is no distinction between
the two. It is still worth language learners working on the difference between
them, however, as there are many words that vary only by this sound.
Elementary
bad bud* bank bunk* bat but batter butter
brash*
brush cam* come cap cup cat cut
dad dud* hat hut* match
much
Pre-Intermediate
badge
budge* banker bunker* began begun crash crush*
dabble*
double drank drunk fan fun hag* hug
mad mud* massed* must pack puck* pan pun*
ran run sang sung stand stunned* swam swum
tang*
tongue wan* won
Intermediate
ankle
uncle back buck bag bug ban bun
bang
bung* cab cub* dram* drum flash flush*
gnat* nut ham hum hang hung rang rung
rash rush sack suck sand sunned* sax sucks
Upper-Intermediate
cram
crumb dam dumb damp dump fanned fund
grab
grub* jag* jug mat mutt* paddle puddle
pat putt rag rug sank sunk sapper* supper
Advanced
blabber blubber champ chump dab dub dank dunk
flank
flunk flax flux gash gush glam glum
hanker
hunker hash hush hatch hutch lag lug
pap pup patter putter rabble rubble ram rum
sally
sully sap sup scram scrum shacks shucks
slag slug slash slush slat slut stab stub
tab tub tack tuck tat tut thrash thrush
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Minimal Pairs /ษส/ and /ษ:/
so and saw
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /ษส/
and the other the sound /ษ:/.
You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to
pronounce properly
The sound of /ษส/
(as in "O", "oh" and "owe") is a diphthong,
meaning two vowel sounds blended into one. You should be able to see the mouth
moving from one position to the other while making the sound, with the mouth
becoming smaller and rounder. You can emphasize and control this by holding
your hand in front of your mouth and bringing the fingers in towards each other
as you move from the first part of the sound to the last part.
The sound of /ษ:/
(as in "or" and "awe") is a single long sound. The mouth
doesn't move while making this sound, and you can pronounce it as long as you
have breath.
Elementary
bowl ball doe* door foe* for four go gore*
know no nor* moaning* morning mow* more
O or so saw
bowl ball doe* door foe* for four go gore*
know no nor* moaning* morning mow* more
O or so saw
Pre-Intermediate
boat bought bode* | board bored bone | born borne*
close claws* doze* doors drone* drawn
flow | flaw* floor foal* fall folk fork
note nought poke pork road rode | roared*
sew so | saw sore show sure shown shorn*
snow snore* stow* store tote* taught
boat bought bode* | board bored bone | born borne*
close claws* doze* doors drone* drawn
flow | flaw* floor foal* fall folk fork
note nought poke pork road rode | roared*
sew so | saw sore show sure shown shorn*
snow snore* stow* store tote* taught
Intermediate
chose chores coast coursed* crow craw*
dome dorm goal gall* hole whole | hall haul*
know no | nor low law motor mortar*
owe or roe* row | raw roar* toe | tore tour
tone torn
chose chores coast coursed* crow craw*
dome dorm goal gall* hole whole | hall haul*
know no | nor low law motor mortar*
owe or roe* row | raw roar* toe | tore tour
tone torn
Upper-Intermediate
code cord cone corn doze doors drone drawn
foam form go gore hone horn load lord
moan mourn moaning | morning mourning mow more
oat ought owed awed* poach porch quote quart
sew so | saw soar sore show | shore sure
snow snore
code cord cone corn doze doors drone drawn
foam form go gore hone horn load lord
moan mourn moaning | morning mourning mow more
oat ought owed awed* poach porch quote quart
sew so | saw soar sore show | shore sure
snow snore
Advanced
bode | board bored bone | born borne bow | boar bore
choke chalk close claws coke cork
copes corpse doe door flow | flaw floor
foe | for fore four goad gored goal gall
ho hoe | hoar whore hole whole | hall haul hose whores
implode implored joe jaw know no | gnaw nor
load lode | lord low | law lore moan | morn mourn
mole maul mow | moor more node gnawed
O owe | oar ode owed | awed pose | pause paws
road rode | roared roe row | raw roar scone scorn
stoke stork stow store toad towed | toured
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the second time being when the meaning is also useful.
bode | board bored bone | born borne bow | boar bore
choke chalk close claws coke cork
copes corpse doe door flow | flaw floor
foe | for fore four goad gored goal gall
ho hoe | hoar whore hole whole | hall haul hose whores
implode implored joe jaw know no | gnaw nor
load lode | lord low | law lore moan | morn mourn
mole maul mow | moor more node gnawed
O owe | oar ode owed | awed pose | pause paws
road rode | roared roe row | raw roar scone scorn
stoke stork stow store toad towed | toured
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the second time being when the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /รฆ/ and /e/
bad and bed
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the vowel sound /รฆ/ and the other the vowel
sound /e/. You can use this to practise the sounds
or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
If these two sounds are the same in your language,
it may be difficult for you to pronounce them differently because:
- native speakers pronounce /รฆ/ in several different ways
- /รฆ/ is quite similar to /e/
The clearest difference is that /e/ is spoken with a wider, more stretched mouth. You can
make this clear by seeing how your mouth gets wider and wider as you go from /รฆ/ to /e/ to /i:/.
Elementary
axe* X back beck* bad bed bag
beg*can ken*
ham hem* jam gem* man
men pat* pet
Pre-Intermediate
and end flash flesh* gnat* net had head
pack
peck* pan pen sad said sat set
spanned*
spend
Intermediate
gassed*
guest land lend manned* mend marry merry*
shall
shell
Upper-Intermediate
axe ex fad fed mat
met rabble* rebel sacks sex
sax sex tack tech tamper*
temper track trek
Advanced
bland
blend cattle kettle dab
deb fanned fend* flax flecks
frat fret tamp temp trad
tread vat vet
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Minimal Pairs /ษ:/ and /ษ:/
fast and first
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the vowel sound /ษ:/
and the other the vowel sound /ษ:/.
You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to
pronounce properly.
Both sounds are long single sounds but the mouth
position is different, with /ษ:/ having a much wider open mouth position. This is why
your doctor asks you to say this sound to show him or her inside your mouth. /ษ:/ is much more like the sound
people make when they are disgusted.
Elementary
bar burr* bath
berth* car cur* card curd* fast first
guard
gird* ha* her SCART* skirt
Pre-Intermediate
bard*
bird far fir* hard heard hard
herd*
heart
hurt parse* purse pass
purse past pursed*
Intermediate
barn*
burn bath birth cart curt* far fur
farm firm Pa per part pert* sharper Sherpa*
Upper-Intermediate
bark
berk* blah* blur card Kurd carve curve
dart dirt par purr park perk shark shirk*
star stir
Advanced
arc irk barbs burbs carbs curbs harpies
herpes
parched
perched parp perp
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pairs /b/ and /v/
berry and very
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /b/ and the other the sound /v/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list
of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/b/ has the same mouth
position as /p/, but using your voice. Try saying /p/ and then holding your neck to make sure that your
voice is being used when you say /b/. There should
be a sudden release of air as you say the sound, meaning that it is impossible
to extend it.
/v/ has the same mouth
shape as /f/, but using your voice. Put your top
teeth on your bottom lip. It is possible to extend this sound for as long as
you like.
If you are
practising on your own, try saying both words and making sure your
pronunciation of each is different, for example by looking at your mouth shape
in the mirror.
Elementary
B V bat vat* beer veer* berry very best vest*
bowl vole*
B V bat vat* beer veer* berry very best vest*
bowl vole*
Pre-Intermediate
ban van bars vase* boat vote bow (v/n) vow*
bowels* vowels burbs* verbs gibbon* given serb serve
ban van bars vase* boat vote bow (v/n) vow*
bowels* vowels burbs* verbs gibbon* given serb serve
Intermediate
bale* veil bars vase bent vent* best vest bet vet
bale* veil bars vase bent vent* best vest bet vet
Upper-Intermediate
bane* vain bury very bow (v/n) vow lobes* loaves
rebel revel*
bane* vain bury very bow (v/n) vow lobes* loaves
rebel revel*
Advanced/Proficiency
bale veil bane vein bat vat beer veer bent vent bid vid bile vile biz viz bolt volt bowels vowels bowl vole
broom vroom burbs verbs curb curve dribble drivel dub dove
fibre fiver gibbon given jibe jive lobes loaves rebel revel
verb verve
bale veil bane vein bat vat beer veer bent vent bid vid bile vile biz viz bolt volt bowels vowels bowl vole
broom vroom burbs verbs curb curve dribble drivel dub dove
fibre fiver gibbon given jibe jive lobes loaves rebel revel
verb verve
n = noun, v = verb
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still
be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word. For this reason,
some of the words are given at two different levels, the second time being when
the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /b/ and /p/
buy and pie
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /b/ and the other the sound /p/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list
of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
The main difference between /b/
and /p/ is that /b/ is a
voiced sound, whereas /p/ is just produced by the
puff of air. Also, /b/ is pronounced with less air
released than /p/, and this can sometimes be a more
useful distinction as it is difficult to feel the vocal cords vibrating when
making the /b/ sound.
Elementary
B P bar
Pa bay* pay be
P bear* pair berry
perry*
bet* pet big pig blaze* plays but putt* butter
putter*
buy pie by pie bye pie cub*
cup
Pre-Intermediate
band
panned* bat pat* beer pier* belt
pelt* bill pill
bin pin bit pit* blade*
played blain* plane bland*
planned
bore poor
bored pawed* bought port braid*
prayed
Intermediate
banned
panned* bare pare* base pace beak* peak
bear pear beat peat* bee pee* bitch* pitch
blain*
plain blank plank* blot* plot board
pawed*
bow pow* braise* prays bride pride browed*
proud
burr* per robe rope
Upper-Intermediate
bah* par bead peed* beak* peek bier*
peer
blaster*
plaster bleed plead* blink plink* bore pour
braise*
praise breast pressed breech* preach brick prick*
cab cap rib rip tribe tripe*
Advanced
batty
patty beep peep beet peat bi pi
blade
plaid bleat pleat bloom plume blunder plunder
blush
plush boar paw boar pour boo poo
braise
preys brat prat brawn prawn brig prig
brim prim
burr purr butt putt
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the
second time being when the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /n/ and /ล/
thin and thing
Below are lists of
words that vary only by one having the sound /n/ and the other having the sound
/ล/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be
careful to pronounce properly.
Both /n/ and /ล/ are pronounced with air coming through your nose, with you
blocking the air in your mouth with the front of your tongue for /n/ and the
back of your tongue for /ล/.
Elementary
band banged* hanged* hand sin* sing thin thing
win wing* wind winged*
band banged* hanged* hand sin* sing thin thing
win wing* wind winged*
Pre-Intermediate
been bean done dung* fan* fang gone gong*
kin* king sun sung
been bean done dung* fan* fang gone gong*
kin* king sun sung
Intermediate
pan pang* pin ping* plain plane ran rang
Upper-Intermediate
ban bang banned banged bond* bonged bun bung*
hun* hung pond ponged* tan tang*
pan pang* pin ping* plain plane ran rang
Upper-Intermediate
ban bang banned banged bond* bonged bun bung*
hun* hung pond ponged* tan tang*
Advanced
bonze bongs chin ching clan clang din ding
don dong dun dung stun stung
bonze bongs chin ching clan clang din ding
don dong dun dung stun stung
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still
be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
Minimal Pairs final /t/ and /d/
hat and had
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the final sound /t/ and the other the final sound /d/. You can use this
to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce
properly.
Partly because the pronunciation of final /t/ and
initial /t/ are very different, even students who don’t have general problems
with /d/ and /t/ can have problems recognising and pronouncing these two sounds
at the end of words.
Elementary
ant* and at add* bat bad bet* bed but bud* cat cad*
eight aid* fat fad* feet feed* got god hat had hot hod*
it id* meet mead* not nod* short shored* wait weighed*
write ride
ant* and at add* bat bad bet* bed but bud* cat cad*
eight aid* fat fad* feet feed* got god hat had hot hod*
it id* meet mead* not nod* short shored* wait weighed*
write ride
Pre-Intermediate
bought bored cart card heart hard hit hid
hurt heard mat mad meant mend neat need
plate played sat sad sent send set said
sheet she’d sight side spent spend state stayed
taught toured
bought bored cart card heart hard hit hid
hurt heard mat mad meant mend neat need
plate played sat sad sent send set said
sheet she’d sight side spent spend state stayed
taught toured
Intermediate
beat bead* bent bend bright bride cute queued
debt dead heat heed* height hide kit kid
oat owed pat pad port poured pot pod
quit quid* route rude slight slide sought sawed
tent tend tight tied
beat bead* bent bend bright bride cute queued
debt dead heat heed* height hide kit kid
oat owed pat pad port poured pot pod
quit quid* route rude slight slide sought sawed
tent tend tight tied
Upper-Intermediate
bleat* bleed cot cod fate fade float flowed
font fond gloat* glowed haunt horned* moat* mode
mount mound plot plod* scant* scanned site sighed
skit* skid slit slid spite spied stunt stunned
tint tinned trot* trod
bleat* bleed cot cod fate fade float flowed
font fond gloat* glowed haunt horned* moat* mode
mount mound plot plod* scant* scanned site sighed
skit* skid slit slid spite spied stunt stunned
tint tinned trot* trod
Advanced/Proficiency
blurt blurred clot clod faint feigned goat goad
grit grid nought gnawed pant panned peat peed
pert purred plaint planed pleat plead punt punned
shunt shunned skint skinned spurt spurred stoat stowed
tart tarred teat teed
blurt blurred clot clod faint feigned goat goad
grit grid nought gnawed pant panned peat peed
pert purred plaint planed pleat plead punt punned
shunt shunned skint skinned spurt spurred stoat stowed
tart tarred teat teed
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Minimal Pairs /l/ and /r/
alive and arrive
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /r/ and the other the sound /l/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list
of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/l/ is pronounced with a
large flap of the tongue. The best way to make it clear that you aren’t
pronouncing /r/ is to bend your tongue as far back
as you can in your mouth, and flick it forward as you say /l/.
(You can help control your tongue by holding one hand next to your mouth with
your fingers in the same position as your tongue, and flick your fingers at the
same time as your tongue.)
/r/ is
pronounced many different ways in various English-speaking countries and
regions, so it is not particularly useful to ask students to base their
pronunciation on what native speakers do with their mouths. As making a
distinction is the most important thing, it is often better to exaggerate the
differences between the two sounds. These descriptions are therefore meant to
be useful for students rather than explanations of usual pronunciations.
/r/ is totally unlike /l/ for English speakers. In fact, some people
pronounce it much more like /w/. The best way of making the distinction is try
to move your tongue as little as possible when making the sound. (You can use
your hand to help in the same way as suggested with /l/, but this time keeping
your hand still. It can also help to start with your top teeth just touching
the back of your bottom lip.)
Elementary
alive arrive belly* berry blight* bright blue brew*
blush* brush flee* free fly fry lane* rain
led* red lead* read lice* rice light right
load* road long wrong loom* room lot rot*
play pray*
alive arrive belly* berry blight* bright blue brew*
blush* brush flee* free fly fry lane* rain
led* red lead* read lice* rice light right
load* road long wrong loom* room lot rot*
play pray*
Pre-Intermediate
blew brew* clash* crash collect correct glamour grammar
glass grass lace* race lamp ramp* late rate* law raw led red leader reader lied* ride
lighter writer lock rock locker rocker luck ruck*
lush* rush
blew brew* clash* crash collect correct glamour grammar
glass grass lace* race lamp ramp* late rate* law raw led red leader reader lied* ride
lighter writer lock rock locker rocker luck ruck*
lush* rush
Intermediate
clown crown fleas* freeze glow* grow lack rack*
lair* rare lake rake* lamb ram* lane rain
lather* rather laze raise lead read leech* reach
lies rise lip rip list wrist lob* rob
locket rocket loot* roots lows rose pilot pirate
clown crown fleas* freeze glow* grow lack rack*
lair* rare lake rake* lamb ram* lane rain
lather* rather laze raise lead read leech* reach
lies rise lip rip list wrist lob* rob
locket rocket loot* roots lows rose pilot pirate
Upper Intermediate
belly berry blues bruise blush brush flee free
flees freeze laid raid lamp ramp lank* rank
lap wrap late rate lay ray lead red
leer* rear lentil rental lid rid lot rot
loyal royal play pray
belly berry blues bruise blush brush flee free
flees freeze laid raid lamp ramp lank* rank
lap wrap late rate lay ray lead red
leer* rear lentil rental lid rid lot rot
loyal royal play pray
Advanced/Proficiency
blacken bracken blight bright blew brew clash crash
flea free fleas freeze gland grand glow grow
jelly jerry lace race lack rack
lag rag lagging ragging lair rare lake rake
lamb ram lank rank lash rash lather rather
law raw laze raze
blacken bracken blight bright blew brew clash crash
flea free fleas freeze gland grand glow grow
jelly jerry lace race lack rack
lag rag lagging ragging lair rare lake rake
lamb ram lank rank lash rash lather rather
law raw laze raze
Minimal Pairs /สง/ and /t/
catch and cat
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /สง/
and the other the sound /t/. You can use this to
practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/t/ is pronounced by
putting the tip of your tongue against the top of your mouth just behind your
top teeth and pulling it down, making the "tut tut" sound you make
when you disapprove of something. The tongue and mouth positions are the same
as when you pronounce /d/, but with /t/ the voice is not used and you release more air.
/สง/
is pronounced without your tongue moving and with more air released than with /t/. It is similar to the sound of a sneeze, and the air
released should be able to move a piece of paper or be felt on your hand five
centimetres in front of your mouth. It is most similar to the sound /สค/, but again without the voice
and with more air released.
Elementary
catch cat cheese tease* chew* two child tiled*
chime* time hatch* hat much mutt* notch* not
ouch out peach peat* starch* start teach teat*
watch what which wit*
catch cat cheese tease* chew* two child tiled*
chime* time hatch* hat much mutt* notch* not
ouch out peach peat* starch* start teach teat*
watch what which wit*
Pre-Intermediate
beach beat chest test chip tip choose twos
chore* tour chose toes churn* turn coach coat
each eat match mat rich writ* roach* wrote
torch taught
beach beat chest test chip tip choose twos
chore* tour chose toes churn* turn coach coat
each eat match mat rich writ* roach* wrote
torch taught
Intermediate
belch* belt bench bent chair tear chap* tap
chat tat* cheat teat* cheek teak* chew too
chill till chin tin chop top itch it
parch* part punch punt* touch tut wrench* rent
belch* belt bench bent chair tear chap* tap
chat tat* cheat teat* cheek teak* chew too
chill till chin tin chop top itch it
parch* part punch punt* touch tut wrench* rent
Upper-Intermediate
arch art batch* bat bitch bit bunch bunt*
chart tart cheer tear chick tick chore tore
hitch hit hunch hunt march mart patch pat
pitch pit porch port Scotch Scot witch wit
arch art batch* bat bitch bit bunch bunt*
chart tart cheer tear chick tick chore tore
hitch hit hunch hunt march mart patch pat
pitch pit porch port Scotch Scot witch wit
Advanced/Proficiency
beech beet bitchy bitty bleach bleat blotch blot
botch bot catchy catty char tar chide tide
chirps turps chit tit choke toke chubby tubby
chuffed tuft chug tug flinch flint hooch hoot
hutch hut kitsch kit lynch lint mooch moot
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
beech beet bitchy bitty bleach bleat blotch blot
botch bot catchy catty char tar chide tide
chirps turps chit tit choke toke chubby tubby
chuffed tuft chug tug flinch flint hooch hoot
hutch hut kitsch kit lynch lint mooch moot
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
Minimal Pairs /s/ and /ส/
sea and she
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /s/ and the other the sound /ส/. You can use this to
practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/ส/
is produced with a much more rounded mouth than /s/,
and is the sound we make when we want people to be quiet. If you use your voice
with that mouth
/s/ is said with the lips pulled back more, with the same mouth position as /z/ but without using your voice.
/s/ is said with the lips pulled back more, with the same mouth position as /z/ but without using your voice.
Elementary
C she gas gash* sea she seal* she’ll
seat sheet see she single shingle* sock shock
C she gas gash* sea she seal* she’ll
seat sheet see she single shingle* sock shock
Pre-Intermediate
boss bosh* cost coshed* crass* crash diss* dish
plus plush* puss* push sale shale* save shave
seen sheen* so show son shun* sore sure
Intermediate
fist fished mess mesh* rust rushed sank shank*
saw shore scene sheen* seed she’d seek chic
boss bosh* cost coshed* crass* crash diss* dish
plus plush* puss* push sale shale* save shave
seen sheen* so show son shun* sore sure
Intermediate
fist fished mess mesh* rust rushed sank shank*
saw shore scene sheen* seed she’d seek chic
Upper-Intermediate
ass ash crust crushed mass mash sack shack
said shed sail shale* sake shake same shame
seize she’s sigh shy sin shin sip ship
Advanced
bass bash doss dosh gust gushed moss mosh
sag shag sass sash sawn shorn seer sheer
sift shift sill shill sine shine sod shod
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the second time being when the meaning is also useful.
ass ash crust crushed mass mash sack shack
said shed sail shale* sake shake same shame
seize she’s sigh shy sin shin sip ship
Advanced
bass bash doss dosh gust gushed moss mosh
sag shag sass sash sawn shorn seer sheer
sift shift sill shill sine shine sod shod
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the second time being when the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /f/ and /h/
fat and hat
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /h/ and the other having the sound /f/. You can use these lists to practise the sounds or to
tell you which words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/h/ is
pronounced with a puff of air from a wide open mouth so that, for example,
"ha" can be said without changing your mouth position. It is similar
to blowing steam onto your glasses so you can clean them and a bit like a sigh.
/f/ is pronounced with a much smaller mouth than /h/, with the teeth near or touching the bottom lip. This means that, unlike "ha", you have to open your mouth wider to say the second part of the word "far". Using the same mouth position as /f/, your voice produces the sound /v/.
/f/ is pronounced with a much smaller mouth than /h/, with the teeth near or touching the bottom lip. This means that, unlike "ha", you have to open your mouth wider to say the second part of the word "far". Using the same mouth position as /f/, your voice produces the sound /v/.
Elementary
fat hat fate* hate fed* head fee* he
feel he'll fees* he's feet heat* fir* her
Pre-Intermediate
fair hair fall hall far ha fart* heart
feel heel few hew* fit hit found hound*
fat hat fate* hate fed* head fee* he
feel he'll fees* he's feet heat* fir* her
Pre-Intermediate
fair hair fall hall far ha fart* heart
feel heel few hew* fit hit found hound*
Intermediate
fail hail fare hare* farm harm fear hear
fight height fill hill fix hicks* foal* whole
fail hail fare hare* farm harm fear hear
fight height fill hill fix hicks* foal* whole
Upper-Intermediate
faced haste fad had fake hake* fang* hang
feed he’d fell hell fence hence foam home
fop* hop fug* hug phase haze*
faced haste fad had fake hake* fang* hang
feed he’d fell hell fence hence foam home
fop* hop fug* hug phase haze*
Advanced/Proficiency
fag hag fawn horn fey hay fob hob
foe hoe foes hose fore haw fowl howl
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
fag hag fawn horn fey hay fob hob
foe hoe foes hose fore haw fowl howl
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
Minimal Pairs /s/ and /ฮธ/
sing and thing
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
having the sound /s/ and the other the sound /ฮธ/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list
of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
At least while you are making a conscious effort to
do so, it is fairly easy to pronounce these two sounds differently. /ฮธ/ is pronounced with your tongue between your teeth or
even sticking out of your mouth, and you can make sure you pronounce it clearly
by putting your finger vertically in front of your lips and checking that it
gets wet when you make this sound. /s/ is pronounced
with the tongue well inside your mouth and the mouth much more widely
stretched.
Elementary
face faith* force* fourth kiss kith* mouse mouth
sing thing song thong* tense* tenth
face faith* force* fourth kiss kith* mouse mouth
sing thing song thong* tense* tenth
Pre-Intermediate
mass* math Norse* North saw thaw* sick thick
sink think sort thought worse worth*
mass* math Norse* North saw thaw* sick thick
sink think sort thought worse worth*
Intermediate
miss myth pass path race wraith* seem theme
some thumb sore thaw* truce* truth use(n) youth
miss myth pass path race wraith* seem theme
some thumb sore thaw* truce* truth use(n) youth
Upper-Intermediate
gross growth* purse Perth* seam* theme sigh thigh
sin thin sought thought sum thumb
gross growth* purse Perth* seam* theme sigh thigh
sin thin sought thought sum thumb
Advanced
moss moth piss pith sank thank sawn thorn
suds thuds sump thump symbol thimble
moss moth piss pith sank thank sawn thorn
suds thuds sump thump symbol thimble
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word. For this reason, some of the words are given at two different levels, the
second time being when the meaning is also useful.
Minimal Pairs /สค/ and /z/
page and pays
Below
are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /สค/
and the other having the sound /z/. You can use this to practise the sounds or
as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.
/สค/
is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /สง/
and therefore almost like a sneeze and so it is impossible to extend the sound
for very long. /z/ is a smooth sound that is a voiced version of /s/ and so can
be extended as long as you like.
Elementary
cage* Ks page pays siege* sees stage* stays
Pre-Intermediate
barge*
bars change chains* charge chars* forge* fours
fridge
frizz* gip* zip siege* Cs wage ways
Intermediate
binge*
bins gauge* gays gunge* guns Jew zoo
rage*
raise strange strains* tinge* tins
Upper-Intermediate
flange*
flans fudge fuzz* mage* maze marge Mars
rage rays sarge* SARS siege
seize singe* sins
Advanced
budge
buzz gauge gaze gorge gauze grange grains
jag zag jest zest jig zig purge purrs
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Minimal Pairs /d/ and /สค/
bad and badge
Below are lists of
words that vary only by one having the sound /d/ and the other having the sound
/สค/.
You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to
pronounce properly.
/สค/
is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /สง/
and therefore quite a lot of air is expelled from a rounded mouth. /d/ is a
voiced version of /t/ and so the sound is made with your tongue behind your top
teeth.
Elementary
bad badge day J do Jew* dob*
job
door jaw* gym dim* head hedge* jam dam*
Pre-Intermediate
dear
jeer* deep jeep dive jive* dog jog
dot jot* Ds geez* gin din* jump dump*
Intermediate
charred*
charge dale* jail jet *debt jig* dig
jug dug junk dunk* just dust led ledge*
Upper-Intermediate
CAD*
cadge day jay deans jeans dock jock*
dread
dredge* gel dell* gip* dip jam damn
raid rage rid ridge* seed siege sled sledge
Advanced
barred
barge bud budge dosh josh doss joss
doused
joust ford forge gist dissed gored gorge
jab dab jangle dangle jink dink jinx dinks
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Minimal Pairs /d/ and /สค/
bad and badge
Below are lists of
words that vary only by one having the sound /d/ and the other having the sound
/สค/.
You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to
pronounce properly.
/สค/
is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /สง/
and therefore quite a lot of air is expelled from a rounded mouth. /d/ is a
voiced version of /t/ and so the sound is made with your tongue behind your top
teeth.
Elementary
bad badge day
J do Jew* dob* job
door jaw* gym
dim* head hedge* jam dam*
Pre-Intermediate
dear jeer* deep
jeep dive jive* dog jog
dot jot* Ds
geez* gin din* jump dump*
Intermediate
charred* charge dale*
jail jet debt jig* dig
jug dug junk
dunk* just dust led ledge*
Upper-Intermediate
CAD *cadge day
jay deans
jeans dock jock*
dread dredge* gel
dell* gip* dip jam damn
raid rage rid
ridge* seed siege sled sledge
Advanced
barred barge bud
budge dosh josh doss joss
doused joust ford
forge gist dissed gored gorge
jab dab jangle
dangle jink dink jinx dinks
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Final Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pairs final /m/ and /n/
am and an
Below are lists of
words that vary only by one ending with the sound /m/ and the other ending with
the sound /n/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to
be careful to pronounce properly.
Both sounds are produced with the air coming through your nose. With /m/
that is achieved by closing your lips, whereas with /n/ the lips are open and
your tongue touching the top of your mouth behind your teeth blocks the air.
Even students who do not find these sounds difficult to recognise and produce
at the beginning of syllables can have problems when they are at the end of
words.
Elementary
am* an cam* can foam* phone home hone*
mam* man meme* mean
Pre-Intermediate
beam* been came cane* climb cline* comb cone
gnome* known seam* scene spam span* sum* sun
am* an cam* can foam* phone home hone*
mam* man meme* mean
Pre-Intermediate
beam* been came cane* climb cline* comb cone
gnome* known seam* scene spam span* sum* sun
Intermediate
boom boon* dime dine fame feign* game gain
gum gun seem seen team teen term tern*
Upper-Intermediate
blame blain* clam clan dorm dawn dumb dun*
gram gran same sane scam scan skim skin
Advanced
beam bean deem dean dim din gleam glean
grim grin sim sin teem teen
boom boon* dime dine fame feign* game gain
gum gun seem seen team teen term tern*
Upper-Intermediate
blame blain* clam clan dorm dawn dumb dun*
gram gran same sane scam scan skim skin
Advanced
beam bean deem dean dim din gleam glean
grim grin sim sin teem teen
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still
be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
Minimal Pairs final /สค/ and /สคi:/
orange and orangy
Below are lists of
words that vary only by one ending with the sound /สค/
and the other ending with the sound /สคi:/. You can use this
to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce
properly.
You can practise ending
the words below with the right consonant sound by building up the pronunciation
of the word one sound at a time backwards from the final one, e.g.
"ge" then "nge", "ange" and "range"
until you end up with "orange".
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
g
|
e
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
n
|
g
|
e
|
|
3
|
|
|
a
|
n
|
g
|
e
|
|
4
|
|
r
|
a
|
n
|
g
|
e
|
|
5
|
o
|
r
|
a
|
n
|
g
|
e
|
Concentrating very hard
on getting the right number of syllables can also help. Note that any word
below ending in /สคi:/ has one syllable more than its
minimal pair ending in /สค/ (i.e., the word on the right has one
syllable more than the word on the left).
Elementary
orange orangy* village
villagey
Pre-Intermediate
beige beigy* edge
edgy* sponge spongy*
Intermediate
cage cagey* hedge
hedgy* range rangy* stage stagy*
Upper-Intermediate
budge budgie dodge
dodgy* fudge fudgy* grunge grungy
Advanced
barge bargy bilge
bilgy bulge bulgy dinge dingy
dirge dirgy kludge
kludgy minge mingy sludge sludgy
smudge smudgy splodge
splodgy stodge stodgy whinge
whingey
* the meaning of the word is not important at this
level, but it can still be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other
word.
Mixed Sounds
Minimal Pairs /h/ and no /h/
ham and am
Below are lists of words that vary only by one
starting with the consonant /h/ and the other not
having that sound, in other words starting with a vowel. You can use these
lists to practise the sounds or to tell you which words to be careful to
pronounce properly.
/h/ is
produced with a puff of air and you can see whether you are pronouncing it by
putting a mirror close to your mouth and checking that you have produced some
mist (but hopefully no spit!) on it.
Elementary
ham am hand and has as hat at
he E he's E's hem* M hex* X
hi I his is hive* I've
ham am hand and has as hat at
he E he's E's hem* M hex* X
hi I his is hive* I've
Pre-Intermediate
hair air hate eight hear ear heart art
heat eat high eye hit it
Intermediate
hake* ache hall all harm arm hearing earring
hell L hey A hide I'd hoe* owe
hone* own how ow
hair air hate eight hear ear heart art
heat eat high eye hit it
Intermediate
hake* ache hall all harm arm hearing earring
hell L hey A hide I'd hoe* owe
hone* own how ow
Upper-Intermediate
hail ale hair heir hash* ash he's ease
heal eel heave* eve hedge edge hid Id*
hill ill hod* odd hop op*
hail ale hair heir hash* ash he's ease
heal eel heave* eve hedge edge hid Id*
hill ill hod* odd hop op*
Advanced/Proficiency
hacks axe haft aft hale ail hark ark
haste aced haze As hitch itch ho oh
hoakie oaky hose O's hurl Earl whore awe
hacks axe haft aft hale ail hark ark
haste aced haze As hitch itch ho oh
hoakie oaky hose O's hurl Earl whore awe
* the meaning of the word is not important at this level, but it can still
be used to contrast the pronunciation with the other word.
Contractions
Pronunciation tips (including homophones)
This table covers "be", "have"
and "will" only (not verbs like "should" and
"can") because these are the verbs where homophones can help you
understand and remember some of the contractions.
Only one
pronunciation is given for each contraction, but there may be other
pronunciations when unstressed or in other varieties of English.
|
verb
|
long form
|
contraction
|
pronunciation
(number of
syllables) |
homophones
|
common
confusions
|
rhymes
with
|
|
same
pronunciation
|
different
pronunciation
|
|||||
|
be
|
I am
|
I'm
|
|ime| (1)
|
-
|
Aim
|
Dime
|
|
you are
|
you're
|
|yor| (1)
|
your/yore
|
Jaw
|
jaw/more/four
|
|
|
he is
|
he's
|
|heez| (1)
|
-
|
his/fees/heath
|
fees/bees
|
|
|
she is
|
she's
|
|sheez|
(1)
|
-
|
seas/sees
|
seas/he's
|
|
|
it is
|
it's
|
|its| (1)
|
its
|
eats/ids
|
bits/fits
|
|
|
we are
|
we're
|
|wier| (1)
|
weir
|
were/where
|
pier/beer
|
|
|
they are
|
they're
|
|thear|
(1)
|
their/there
|
Dare
|
pair/fair
|
|
|
are not
|
aren't
|
|arnt| (1)
|
aunt
|
ant/aunty
|
shan't
|
|
|
is not
|
isn't
|
|izunt|
(2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
was not
|
wasn't
|
|wozunt|
(2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
were not
|
weren't
|
|wurnt|
(1)
|
-
|
want/won't
|
burnt/learnt
|
|
|
have
|
I have
|
I've
|
|ive| (1)
|
-
|
ivy/if
|
dive/five
|
|
you have
|
you've
|
|yoov| (1)
|
-
|
-
|
move/prove
|
|
|
he has
|
he's
|
|heez| (1)
|
-
|
his/fees/heath
|
fees/bees
|
|
|
she has
|
she's
|
|sheez|
(1)
|
-
|
seas/sees
|
seas/he's
|
|
|
it has
|
it's
|
|its| (1)
|
its
|
eats/ids
|
bits/fits
|
|
|
we have
|
we've
|
|weev| (1)
|
weave
|
With
|
peeve/believe
|
|
|
they have
|
they've
|
|theiv|
(1)
|
-
|
Dave
|
dave/brave
|
|
|
I had
|
I'd
|
|ide| (1)
|
eyed
|
Id
|
cried/died
|
|
|
you had
|
you'd
|
|yood| (1)
|
-
|
jude
(name)
|
food/renewed
|
|
|
he had
|
he'd
|
|heed| (1)
|
heed
|
hid/head/feed
|
feed/need
|
|
|
she had
|
she'd
|
|sheed|
(1)
|
-
|
shed/seed
|
seed/he'd
|
|
|
it had
|
it'd
|
|itud| (2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
we had
|
we'd
|
|weed| (1)
|
weed
|
Wed
|
he'd/she'd
|
|
|
they had
|
they'd
|
|theid|
(1)
|
-
|
-
|
spade/paid
|
|
|
will
|
I will
|
I'll
|
|ail| (1)
|
aisle/isle
|
Ill
|
while/pile
|
|
you will
|
you'll
|
|yuul| (1)
|
yule
|
you
all/jewel
|
Tool
|
|
|
he will
|
he'll
|
|heel| (1)
|
heel/heal
|
feel/hell
|
feel/peel
|
|
|
she will
|
she'll
|
|sheel|
(1)
|
-
|
Shell
|
he'll/feel
|
|
|
it will
|
it'll
|
|itul| (2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
we will
|
we'll
|
|weel| (1)
|
wheel/weal
|
Well
|
he'll/she'll
|
|
|
they will
|
they'll
|
|theil|
(1)
|
-
|
Dale
|
dale/male
|
|
|
will not
|
won't
|
|woant|
(1)
|
-
|
Want
|
don't
|
|
|
I would
|
I'd
|
|ide| (1)
|
eyed
|
Id
|
cried/died
|
|
|
you would
|
you'd
|
|yood| (1)
|
-
|
jude
(name)
|
food/renewed
|
|
|
he would
|
he'd
|
|heed| (1)
|
heed
|
hid/head/feed
|
feed/need
|
|
|
she would
|
she'd
|
|sheed|
(1)
|
-
|
shed/seed
|
seed/he'd
|
|
|
it would
|
it'd
|
|itud| (2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
we would
|
we'd
|
|weed| (1)
|
weed
|
Wed
|
he'd/she'd
|
|
|
they would
|
they'd
|
|theid| (1)
|
-
|
-
|
spade/paid
|
How to Pronounce -ed in
English
The past simple tense and past participle
of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:
|
base
verb
(v1) |
past
simple
(v2) |
past
participle
(v3) |
|
work
|
worked
|
worked
|
In addition, many adjectives are made from
the past participle and so end in -ed. For example:
- I like painted furniture.
The question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?
|
If the base verb ends
in one of these sounds:
|
example base verb*:
|
example
with -ed: |
pronounce
the -ed: |
extra syllable?
|
|
|
unvoiced
|
/t/
|
want
|
Yes
|
||
|
voiced
|
/d/
|
end
|
Ended
|
||
|
unvoiced
|
/p/
|
hope
|
No
|
||
|
/f/
|
laugh
|
Laughed
|
|||
|
/s/
|
fax
|
Faxed
|
|||
|
/S/
|
wash
|
Washed
|
|||
|
/tS/
|
watch
|
Watched
|
|||
|
/k/
|
like
|
Liked
|
|||
|
voiced
|
all other sounds,
for example... |
play
|
|||
|
allow
|
Allowed
|
||||
|
beg
|
Begged
|
||||
* note that it is the sound that is
important, not the letter or spelling. For example, "fax" ends in the
letter "x" but the sound /s/; "like" ends in the letter
"e" but the sound /k/.
Exceptions
The following -ed words used as adjectives
are pronounced with /Id/:
|
|
|
So we say:
- an aged man /Id/
- a blessed nuisance /Id/
- a dogged persistance /Id/
- a learned professor - the professor, who was truly learned /Id/
- a wretched beggar - the beggar was wretched /Id/
But when used as real verbs (past simple and past
participle), the normal rules apply and we say:
- he aged quickly /d/
- he blessed me /t/
- they dogged him /d/
- he has learned well /d/ or /t/
