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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | /ɛl/ | name of the letter L (el) | L as in leg · URL · spell leg: L-E-G |
| late · rate | /l/ vs /r/ | l vs r before vowel | late / rate · light / right · alive / arrive |
| linking consonant to vowel | Final consonant links to next vowel — sounds like one phrase | an apple · turn off · pick it up · kind of · got it | |
| linking vowel to vowel | Insert /w/, /j/, or /r/ glide between vowels | go on → go_w_on · see it → see_y_it · law and order | |
| listing intonation | Rise on each item; fall on the last item | Eggs ↗ milk ↗ and bread ↘ · Monday ↗ Tuesday ↗ and Wednesday ↘ | |
| live · leave | /ɪ/ vs /i/ | short i vs long ee (verb forms) | I live here. / I leave now. |
| M | /ɛm/ | name of the letter M (em) | M as in map · MP3 · spell map: M-A-P |
| N | /ɛn/ | name of the letter N (en) | N as in net · NBA · spell net: N-E-T |
| ng | /ŋ/ | ng at end of syllable = ng sound | sing, long, ring, finger, think |
| numbers and compounds | Teens stress second syllable; tens stress first | thirTEEN vs THIRty · fourTEEN vs FORty · sevenTEEN vs SEVenty | |
| O | /oʊ/ | name of the letter O (oh) | O as in open · orange · spell open: O-P-E-N |
| oo (two sounds) | /u/ or /ʊ/ | oo can be long or short | long /u/: food, school · short /ʊ/: book, good, foot |
| ough (many sounds) | varies | -ough is famously inconsistent | though /oʊ/ · through /u/ · cough /ɔ/ · rough /ʌ/ · thought /ɔ/ |
| ow (two sounds) | /aʊ/ or /oʊ/ | ow can be ow or oh | /aʊ/: cow, now · /oʊ/: snow, grow, low |
| P | /pi/ | name of the letter P (pee) | P as in pen · PDF · spell pen: P-E-N |
| pen · pan | /ɛ/ vs /æ/ | e vs a before n | pen / pan · men / man · send / sand |
| PERmit vs perMIT | Noun on first; verb on second | a PERmit (license) · to perMIT (allow) · PROduce vs proDUCE | |
| ph | /f/ | ph sounds like f (from Greek) | phone, photo, graph, dolphin, pharmacy |
| phrasal verbs | Particle often stressed for literal meaning; verb stressed when idiomatic | turn OFF the light · look UP the word · I'm GIVing up | |
| pin · pen | /ɪ/ vs /ɛ/ | i vs e before n | pin / pen · sit / set · din / den · fill / fell |
| pool · pull | /u/ vs /ʊ/ | long oo vs short oo | pool / pull · fool / full · Luke / look |
| PREsent vs preSENT | Noun stress on first syllable; verb stress on second | a PREsent (gift) · to preSENT (show) · REcord (noun) · reCORD (verb) | |
| Q | /kju/ | name of the letter Q (cue) | Q as in queen · FAQ · spell queen: Q-U-E-E-N |
| qu | /kw/ | qu almost always = kw | queen, quick, quit, equal, mosquito |
| R | /ɑr/ | name of the letter R (ar) | R as in red · URL · spell red: R-E-D |
