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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| contrast pairs | Contrastive stress on the word that changes | Not the red one — the BLUE one. · I didn't say he STOLE it. (stress shifts meaning) | |
| D | /di/ | name of the letter D (dee) | D as in dog · DVD · spell dog: D-O-G |
| E | /i/ | name of the letter E (ee) | E as in egg · email · spell egg: E-G-G |
| ea (two sounds) | /i/ or /ɛ/ | ea can be long e or short e | long /i/: eat, read (present) · short /ɛ/: head, bread, read (past) |
| echo / surprise | High rise shows surprise or checking what you heard | You quit your job? ↗↗ · She did WHAT? ↗ | |
| elision | Sounds drop in fast casual speech | comfortable → comftable · different → diffrent · probably → prolly | |
| end focus | New information often gets late stress in the sentence | She bought a CAR. · She bought a RED car. · She bought a red CAR yesterday. | |
| F | /ɛf/ | name of the letter F (ef) | F as in fun · WiFi · spell fish: F-I-S-H |
| fall-rise ↘↗ | Fall then small rise — politeness, doubt, or more to say | It's okay, I guess. ↘↗ · I could help… ↘↗ · Not bad. ↘↗ | |
| falling intonation ↘ | Voice falls at the end — statements and wh-questions | I'm going home. ↘ · Where do you live? ↘ · That's a good idea. ↘ | |
| fan · van | /f/ vs /v/ | f vs v | fan / van · fine / vine · leaf / leave |
| flap T / quick D | /ɾ/ | /t/ or /d/ between vowels sounds like quick /d/ in American English | butter · water · city · better · ladder · thirty |
| focus / emphasis stress | Extra stress shows what is new or contrasted | I saw JOHN (not Mary). · I SAW John (I didn't hear him). · I saw John YESTERDAY. | |
| full · fool | /ʊ/ vs /u/ | short oo vs long oo | full / fool · pull / pool · look / Luke |
| G | /dʒi/ | name of the letter G (jee) | G as in go · GPS · spell go: G-O |
| gn- (silent g) | g is silent before n at the start | gnome, gnat, gnu, gnash, align | |
| H | /eɪtʃ/ | name of the letter H (aitch) | H as in hat · HTML · spell hat: H-A-T |
| hat · heart | /æ/ vs /ɑr/ | short a vs ar | hat / heart · cat / cart · lad / lard |
| how · hay | /aʊ/ vs /eɪ/ | ow vs ay diphthong | how / hay · loud / laid · town / ten |
| I | /aɪ/ | name of the letter I (eye) | I as in ice · igloo · spell igloo: I-G-L-O-O |
| igh | /aɪ/ | igh usually sounds like long i | night, light, high, sigh, fight |
| intrusion /r/ | Some accents add /r/ between vowels (less in GA) | idea of · law and order (varies by speaker) | |
| J | /dʒeɪ/ | name of the letter J (jay) | J as in jump · JPEG · spell jam: J-A-M |
| K | /keɪ/ | name of the letter K (kay) | K as in kite · OK · spell kite: K-I-T-E |
| kn- (silent k) | k is silent before n at the start | know, knife, knee, knock, knit |
