In an earlier blog entry, I posted some charts outlining the International Phonetic Alphabet. Some of the symbols are different from the usual alphabet, and have special names. Here are some common ways of describing the symbols used for English vowels:
| symbol | word | name |
| i | beat | i |
| ɪ | bit | lax i |
| e | bait | e |
| ɛ | bet | epsilon |
| æ | bat | ash |
| a | double-storey a | |
| ə | about | schwa |
| ɜ | backwards epsilon | |
| ä | a umlaut | |
| ʉ | u barred | |
| ɵ | o barred | |
| ʌ | but | caret, upside down v |
| ɑ | bought | single-storey ɑ |
| u | boot | u |
| ʊ | book | lax u, upside down omega |
| o | boat | o |
| ɔ | bored | open o |
| ɒ | upside down single-storey ɑ | |
| ɚ | after | schwa hook |
Here are the phonetic descriptions of those same symbols:
| symbol | word | vowels |
| i | beat | unrounded front close |
| ɪ | bit | unrounded front near-close |
| e | bait | unrounded front close-mid |
| ɛ | bet | unrounded front open-mid |
| æ | bat | unrounded front near-open |
| a | unrounded front open | |
| ə | about | unrounded central mid |
| ɜ | unrounded central near-open | |
| ä | unrounded central open | |
| ʉ | rounded central close | |
| ɵ | rounded central close-mid | |
| ʌ | but | unrounded back open-mid |
| ɑ | bought | unrounded back open |
| u | boot | rounded back close |
| ʊ | book | rounded back near-close |
| o | boat | rounded back close-mid |
| ɔ | bored | rounded back open-mid |
| ɒ | rounded back open | |
| ɚ | after | rhotic unrounded central mid |
Here are the names of the symbols used for consonant sounds in English:
| symbol | word | name |
| p | pen | p |
| b | ban | b |
| m | man | m |
| w | was | w |
| f | fan | f |
| v | van | v |
| θ | thin | theta |
| ð | that | eth |
| t | ten | t |
| d | do | d |
| n | not | n |
| s | see | s |
| z | zap | z |
| ɾ | water | r fishhook |
| l | laugh | l |
| ʃ | shop | long esh |
| ʒ | vision | long ezh |
| ɹ | run | upside down r |
| j | yet | j |
| k | can | k |
| g | get | g |
| ŋ | sing | engma |
| ʔ | often | gelded question mark |
| h | have | h |
Here are the phonetic descriptions of those same symbols:
| symbol | word | phonetic description |
| p | pen | voiceless bilabial plosive |
| b | ban | voiced bilabial plosive |
| m | man | bilabial nasal |
| w | was | labio-velar approximant |
| f | fan | voiceless labiodental fricative |
| v | van | voiced labiodental fricative |
| θ | thin | voiceless dental fricative |
| ð | that | voiced dental fricative |
| t | ten | voiceless alveolar plosive |
| d | do | voiced alveolar plosive |
| n | not | alveolar nasal |
| s | see | voiceless alveolar fricative |
| z | zap | voiced alveolar fricative |
| ɾ | water | alveolar flap |
| l | laugh | lateral alveolar approximant |
| ʃ | shop | voiceless postalveolar fricative |
| ʒ | vision | voiced postalveolar fricative |
| ɹ | run | postalveolar approximant |
| j | yet | palatal approximant |
| k | can | voiceless velar plosive |
| g | get | voiced velar plosive |
| ŋ | sing | velar nasal |
| ʔ | often | glottal plosive |
| h | have | voiceless glottal fricative |
