English IPA Chart: How to Read All 44 Sounds (Beginner's Guide)
The full English IPA chart: 12 short and long vowels, 8 diphthongs and 24 consonants, with example words, pronunciation tips and common mistakes.
The English IPA chart (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a set of symbols that shows exactly how a word is pronounced. British English (Received Pronunciation) has 44 sounds: 12 monophthongs, 8 diphthongs and 24 consonants. Once you can read IPA, you can pronounce any new word correctly just by looking it up in a dictionary — no guessing required.
This guide walks through all 44 sounds with example words, tips for each group and the mistakes learners make most often.
Why learn the IPA chart?
English spelling does not match its sounds. The same letters "ea" sound like /e/ in bread, /iː/ in meat and /eɪ/ in great. If you guess from spelling, it is easy to learn a word wrong and keep saying it wrong for years.
Learning IPA helps you:
- Check any pronunciation yourself in dictionaries such as Cambridge or Oxford, which all use IPA.
- Hear more clearly, because you know how similar sounds actually differ.
- Be understood more easily by separating pairs like ship /ʃɪp/ and sheep /ʃiːp/.
Monophthongs (12 sounds)
The ː mark means a long sound. Long and short vowels are different sounds — they differ in mouth shape, not just length.
| Sound | Example | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| /iː/ | see /siː/ | long "ee", lips spread as if smiling |
| /ɪ/ | sit /sɪt/ | short and relaxed, between "ee" and "e" |
| /e/ | bed /bed/ | like the "e" in pen |
| /æ/ | cat /kæt/ | open the mouth wide, between "a" and "e" |
| /ʌ/ | cup /kʌp/ | short "uh", mouth half open |
| /ɑː/ | car /kɑː/ | long "ah", mouth wide, tongue low |
| /ɒ/ | hot /hɒt/ | short "o", lips slightly rounded |
| /ɔː/ | saw /sɔː/ | long "aw", lips more rounded |
| /ʊ/ | book /bʊk/ | short and relaxed "oo" |
| /uː/ | blue /bluː/ | long "oo", lips rounded and pushed forward |
| /ɜː/ | bird /bɜːd/ | long "er", tongue in the middle of the mouth |
| /ə/ | about /əˈbaʊt/ | a very short, weak "uh" — the most common sound in English |
Diphthongs (8 sounds)
A diphthong glides from one vowel to another inside a single syllable. Say both parts — do not stop at the first one.
| Sound | Example | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| /eɪ/ | day /deɪ/ | glide from "e" to "i" |
| /aɪ/ | my /maɪ/ | glide from "a" to "i" |
| /ɔɪ/ | boy /bɔɪ/ | glide from "o" to "i" |
| /aʊ/ | now /naʊ/ | glide from "a" to "oo" |
| /əʊ/ | go /ɡəʊ/ | glide from "uh" to "oo" |
| /ɪə/ | here /hɪə/ | glide from "i" to "uh" |
| /eə/ | hair /heə/ | glide from "e" to "uh" |
| /ʊə/ | tour /tʊə/ | glide from "oo" to "uh" |
Consonants (24 sounds)
Many consonants come in pairs: a voiceless sound (no vibration in the throat) and a voiced one (with vibration). Put your fingers on your throat while you say them to feel the difference.
| Voiceless | Example | Voiced | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| /p/ | pen | /b/ | bad |
| /t/ | tea | /d/ | dog |
| /k/ | cat | /ɡ/ | go |
| /f/ | fish | /v/ | very |
| /θ/ | think | /ð/ | this |
| /s/ | sun | /z/ | zoo |
| /ʃ/ | she | /ʒ/ | vision |
| /tʃ/ | chair | /dʒ/ | job |
The remaining consonants:
| Sound | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| /m/ | man | lips closed, sound through the nose |
| /n/ | no | tongue tip behind the top teeth |
| /ŋ/ | sing | back of the tongue raised; no extra /ɡ/ at the end |
| /h/ | hat | just a light breath out |
| /l/ | leg | at the end of a word (feel) the tongue tip still touches the ridge behind the teeth |
| /r/ | red | tongue curled back, never touching the roof of the mouth, no rolling |
| /j/ | yes | like the "y" in yellow |
| /w/ | we | round the lips, then open them quickly |
Common mistakes when reading IPA
- Dropping final sounds. Like /laɪk/ becomes "lie". Final /k/, /t/, /s/ and /d/ change the meaning of a word, so say them clearly.
- Mixing long and short vowels. /iː/ and /ɪ/ are different sounds: leave /liːv/ versus live /lɪv/.
- Replacing /θ/ and /ð/ with /t/, /d/, /s/ or /z/. Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and push air out.
- Saying /ʃ/ as /s/. She /ʃiː/ needs rounded lips and a stronger, wider stream of air than /s/.
- Ignoring word stress. The ˈ mark shows the stressed syllable: the verb reˈcord is different from the noun ˈrecord.
How to practise the IPA chart
- Practise confusable pairs instead of all 44 sounds at once: /iː/–/ɪ/, /æ/–/e/, /s/–/ʃ/, /θ/–/s/.
- Listen first, speak second. Listen to a model until you can hear the difference, then try to say it.
- Record yourself. Mistakes are hard to hear while you speak, but easy to hear on a recording.
- Practise little and often. Five to ten minutes a day on a few sounds works better than one long session a week.
On Whisper, IPA Practice shows all 44 sounds in the same three groups. Each session gives you five words containing the sound you choose: listen to the word, record yourself, and get a score for that specific sound plus a tip to fix it. The colour of each tile tells you which sounds are solid and which need more work.
Frequently asked questions
How many IPA sounds are there in English?
On the common chart for British English there are 44: 20 vowels (12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs) and 24 consonants. American English differs slightly — for example, /əʊ/ is usually written /oʊ/.
Should I learn British or American IPA?
Both are correct. Pick one accent and stay consistent, usually the one you listen to most. Most IPA symbols are the same in both.
How long does it take to learn the IPA chart?
Recognising the 44 symbols usually takes a few days. Producing every sound accurately takes longer — often a few weeks of regular practice, especially for sounds your first language does not have.
Do I need IPA if my dictionary has audio?
Yes. Audio lets you imitate, while IPA tells you exactly which sounds to make — especially the ones that are hard to hear, such as final consonants and the weak /ə/.
Start practising
Pick the pair of sounds you mix up most and practise it for five minutes today. Open IPA Practice on Whisper, choose a sound, listen, record, and watch your score change from session to session.
The English Whisper Team