English pronunciation can feel like a messy puzzle — weird spellings, silent letters, and sounds that don’t exist in your first language. This guide gathers the pieces that matter most, so you can stop guessing and start sounding more natural.
You’ll find around 160 key pronunciation points, from tricky vowel pairs (think ‘ship’ vs. ‘sheep’) to consonant clusters that twist your tongue. Every entry gives you the sound in US IPA, a friendly description, and a practical example sentence. Tap the play button to hear it spoken clearly — because your ears need practice just as much as your mouth.
Work through the list online at your own pace, or grab the free PDF using the download button below the table. That way you can review on the bus, in a café, or wherever you actually have five quiet minutes.
Pronunciation sticks better when you learn it inside real phrases. Our free chunk-based English lessons on Yak Yacker get you speaking from the first click — start with Lesson 1: First Greetings and hear how the sounds connect in everyday chatter.
English Pronunciation Quiz
Think you’ve got a good ear? Take the quick quiz below to see how many pronunciation points you already know — then let the table fill in the blanks.
English Pronunciation Word List
| Word | IPA | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| /w/ | /w/ | rounded lip glide, as in wet | wet, we, queen, quick, language |
| /z/ | /z/ | voiced hiss, as in zoo | zoo, zero, dogs, is, buzz |
| /ʒ/ | /ʒ/ | zh sound, as in vision | vision, measure, pleasure, beige, garage |
| /θ/ | /θ/ | voiceless th, tongue between teeth, as in think | think, three, bath, math, nothing |
| A | /eɪ/ | name of the letter A (ay) | A as in apple · ant · spell ant: A-N-T · grade A |
| air / are / ear | varies | vowel + r spellings change the sound | air: fair · are: care · ear: bear vs hear |
| assimilation | Sounds change to match neighbors | in bed → imbed · good boy → goob boy · ten minutes → tem minutes | |
| B | /bi/ | name of the letter B (bee) | B as in boy · BBQ · spell big: B-I-G |
| bay · boy | /eɪ/ vs /ɔɪ/ | ay vs oy diphthong | bay / boy · pain / point · laid / Lloyd |
| bed · bad | /ɛ/ vs /æ/ | short e vs short a | bed / bad · head / had · men / man · pen / pan |
| bet · bat | /ɛ/ vs /æ/ | e vs a in one-syllable words | bet / bat · set / sat · met / mat |
| bit · beat | /ɪ/ vs /i/ | short i vs long ee | bit / beat · hit / heat · rid / read (present) |
| blending in phrases | Common chunks blend into one rhythm unit | What do you → whaddaya · Did you → didja · Don't you → doncha | |
| buy · boy | /aɪ/ vs /ɔɪ/ | eye vs oy diphthong | buy / boy · tie / toy · height / hoist |
| C | /si/ | name of the letter C (see) | C as in cat · CD · spell cup: C-U-P |
| cat · cot | /æ/ vs /ɑ/ | a in cat vs o in hot | cat / cot · hat / hot · lack / lock |
| cat · cut | /æ/ vs /ʌ/ | open a vs stressed uh | cat / cut · hat / hut · cap / cup · bad / bud |
| ch | /tʃ/ | letters ch make the ch sound | chip, church, watch, nature, question |
| cheap · jeep | /tʃ/ vs /dʒ/ | ch vs j | cheap / jeep · choke / joke · choice / Joyce |
| ck | /k/ | ck after short vowel = /k/ | back, pick, duck, clock, snack |
| coat · caught | /oʊ/ vs /ɔ/ | oh vs aw (may merge in some accents) | coat / caught · note / naught · boat / bought |
| collect · correct | /l/ vs /r/ | l vs r in middle of word | collect / correct · fly / fry · clue / crew |
| compound nouns | First word usually gets stronger stress | BLACKboard · GREENhouse · HAIRcut · BUS stop · HOT dog (sausage) | |
| content vs function words | Stress content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs); weaken function words | I went to the STORE yesterday. · She LIKES fresh COFFEE. · the, to, a = usually weak | |
| CONtract vs conTRACT | Noun on first syllable; verb on second | a CONtract (paper) · to conTRACT (shrink) · INsult vs inSULT |
