Some Pronunciation Rules for English

Words


I. How Y is pronounced in an English word.

Y is pronounced either as [ai] or [i:].

1. In a one-syllable word, y is pronounced as [ai].

my by fly shy try cry
fry sky

2. In a two-syllable word, y is pronounced as [i:].

party puppy candy bunny funny pony
turkey happy cherry tiny penny city
baby


II. How C is pronounced in an English word.

C is pronounced either as [s] or [k].
city country cider circle

1. When C is followed by E or Y, it is pronounced [c].

cent cell cellar center ice
Cycle cyclone cypress

2. When C is followed by o, u a, it is pronounced as [k].

country cold
cup cut curb
can cat cap
couple computer

The city has cement.
The country has corn.
We cycle in the city and drive our car in the country.


III. How G is pronounced in an English word.

1. When G is followed by E, I, or Y, it is pronounced as []
gem giant gym george

2. When G is followed by U, or A, it is pronounced as [], or [].
gum gun gap gas garden

Gorgeous George
Wagon danger strangle stranger


IV. Pronunciation of vowel letters.

1. Long a and short a

e.g. cap cape

-at cat bat hat rat fat sat
-ad sad had bad mad
-ag bag wag rag tag
-an can fan ran pan
-am ram ham jam yam
-ap map nap tap

If E is at the end of the word, A is pronounced as a long vowel.
gate take rake base race face wave cage

ending in r
car jar tar far

2. Long i and short i

-id lid kid did bid
-ig pig rig big dig wig
-in pin tin bin fin win
-ip lip rip dip hip tip
-it hit sit pit fit kit

If E is at the end of the word, I is pronounced as a long vowel.
kite bike vine ride dime

3. Long o and short o

-og dog log fog jog hog
-op pop hop top mop
-ot hot got pot not
-ob sob cob mob job

If E is at the end of the word, O is pronounced as a long vowel.
rose hope pole

4. Long u and short u


-ut nut cut hut rut up cup put cup pup
-ub cub tub cub tub
-us bus
-un bun fun sun run
-ug bug tug mug hug

If E is at the end of the word, O is pronounced as a long vowel.
tune cube cute

Tongue tension a secret key
MAY 16, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT
Tongue tension is important for pronouncing English short vowels well. All of the short vowels in American
English need a relaxed tongue. In fact, some books and dictionaries call these vowels lax vowels.
THE SECRET KEY for lax vowels
Most students of English do not seem to know about tongue tension. Many of my students have said that they
were never told about relaxing the tongue. Thats why I call it the secret key.
THE CRITICAL FACTOR for some
For two vowels, Short-e and Short-i, tongue tension is critical. Failing to relax your tongue for these two vowels
can make them sound more like a different vowel, which can cause misunderstandings.
Short-e can get confused with Long-A (see Sell or Sale?)
Short-i can get confused with Long-E (see This or These?)
Pronouncing the other Short vowels
Short-a-1 man hat
For this vowel, the tongue is low in the front of the mouth. The mouth needs to be open enough so that the
tongue can go low enough, and with a relaxed tongue.
Short-a-2 car ball
Short-o-1 hot stop
These two vowels share the same sound. For this sound, the tongue is in the center, neither front nor back,
and the tongue is low, so the mouth needs to be open. Think of saying ah for the doctor. The tongue is
relaxed and the lips are not rounded. (this is compared to Short-u in Boss or bus?)
Short-o-2 month son
Short-u fun duck
These two vowels also share the same sound. For this sound, the tongue is completely relaxed in the middle of
the mouth: neither front nor back, not high, not low, and the lips are not rounded. (this is the same as Schwa)
Short-oo book good
This vowel is pronounced in the same place in the mouth as the Long-U, as in nuke, but with a relaxed
tongue, as in nook. This is the only Short vowel with rounded lips. (see Short-oo?)
If you begin to relax your tongue for these vowels, you can improve the clarity of your pronunciation. Note: If
relaxing your tongue seems difficult, think about relaxing it all the way back to the throat the tongue muscle
extends into the throat.
FILED UNDER SHORT A, SHORT E, SHORT I, SHORT O, SHORT OO, SHORT U, SHORT VOWELS, VOWELS
Boss or bus?
FEBRUARY 21, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT
Do those two words sound the same to you? If so, youre not alone. Many students of English have trouble
with the difference between Short-o and Short-u.
These two vowel sounds are similar in some ways, but in English they are definitely different. The difference
between them may seem small to the ear of a student of English, but the difference in the meaning is big.
There are many words that depend on that small difference in the sound.
Here is a fairly short list of examples:
Short-o / Short-u
long / lung
cop / cup
dock / duck
not & knot / nut
dog / dug
doll / dull
lost / lust
got / gut
sock / suck
gone / gun
bomb / bum
talk / tuck
crossed / crust
lock / luck
caught & cot / cut
song / sung
collar / color
hot / hut
cost / cussed
rob / rub
So, what is the difference between Short-o and Short-u?
First, the similarities. They might seem the same to your ear because:
they are both made with a relaxed tongue,
they are both in the central part of the mouth (not in the front or the back),
and they are both made without rounding the lips.
The difference is:
how high or low the tongue is.
Short-u is in the middle center of the mouth this is the same as Schwa (see The Sound of Schwa) the
tongue is neither up high nor down low. But for Short-o, the tongue needs to be lower, which means that the
mouth needs to be more open.
Try it!
Lets use the words fun and fawn. Start with the word fun. This word needs Short-u, so the tongue should
be relaxed in the middle of the mouth (not high, not low, not front, not back), and do not round your lips: fun.
Now, the next word is almost the same, but the mouth needs to be more open so that the tongue can go down
lower: fawn.
That is the difference between bus and boss.
One other reason that these two sounds might seem confusing is that the Letter O sometimes borrows the
Short-u sound. For example, the word love uses Short-u rather than Long-O or Short-o. There are several
frequently used words that do this, such as: nothing, some and of. (See more examples in The Sounds
of O and inWhat is Schwa?) In addition, there are a few words that look like they should sound the same,
but use different vowel sounds: the word gone uses Short-o, but done and none use Short-u.
(Try the tongue twister Fuzzy Wuzzy for a fun way to practice the Short-u sound)
FILED UNDER SHORT O, SHORT U, VOWEL O, VOWEL U, VOWELS
What is Schwa?
FEBRUARY 7, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT
Schwa is the name for the most frequently used vowel sound in English. It is used for Short-u, the alternate
Short-o, and reduced vowels.
Short-u
The Short-u sound is in many words that are spelled with a U, such as: fun, up, just, much, under, bug, shut,
must, such, us, but, luck, mud, number, rush, judge, truck, deduct.
Alternate Short-o
The letter O often borrows the Short-u sound, especially in frequently used words. For example: love, month,
some, done, from, of, son, front, among, other, nothing, none, wonder, does, mother, come.
Reduced vowels
Schwa is the sound that any vowel letter can take in an unstressed (or weak) syllable.
A In the word ago, the stress is on the 2nd syllable, so the letter A is in the weak or unstressed syllable.
So instead of sounding like Long-A or Short-a, it becomes schwa.
E In the word system the stress is on the 1st syllable, so the letter E sounds like schwa. In the word
before the 2nd syllable is stressed, so the E in the 1st syllable becomes schwa.
I In the word pencil the 1st syllable is stressed, leaving the I in the unstressed syllable, so it sounds like
schwa.
O In the word second the stress is on the 1st syllable, so the letter O takes the schwa sound.
It would be hard to say very much in English without using the schwa sound. The good news is that it is the
easiest vowel sound to make! If youre not sure how to say it, The Sound of Schwa gives an explanation.
FILED UNDER REDUCTIONS, SCHWA SOUND, SHORT O, SHORT U, VOWELS
The Sounds of O
DECEMBER 3, 2010 LEAVE A COMMENT
I find that 80% to 90% of my students do not know that the English letter O has more than one sound! The
letter O regularly uses 3 different sounds, so a lot of ESL students pronounce many common words wrong
just because they dont know.
The 3 basic sounds are: Long-O, Short-o, and Alternate Short-o (Short-o-2).
Long-O
This is the universal or normal sound for O the sound with rounded lips (almost every language uses this
sound).
Some common words that use this sound: go / home / show / short / know / open / low / over / no /
Short-o
This sound is the same sound as the A in words like mama and car.
Some common words that have the Short-o sound: not / gone / coffee / copy / hot / wrong / lot / long / off / on /
stop /
To pronounce the O in these words clearly, the lips should NOT be rounded and the mouth should be open
with the tongue low and relaxed.
Alternate Short-o (Short-o-2)
This sound is the same sound as the U in words like cup or fun.
Quite a few words use the Alternate Short-o sound: done / come / some / love / above / nothing / tongue / of /
oven /
To pronounce the O in these words clearly, the lips should NOT be rounded, and the tongue should be very
relaxed in the middle of the mouth, and the mouth is less open than for regular Short-o.
TRY IT!
Here are some words that can be confused. In these pairs, the first words below have Long-O, the second
words have Short-o: note not / hope hop / soak sock / coast cost / coma comma / coat cot / alone
along
A few odd words: Some words that are used every day, but do not use one of the 3 O sounds are: do,
to/two, shoe.
NOTE: If you have been learning British pronunciation the patterns for some words are different. In fact, the
patterns and articulation of the O and A sounds is one of the primary areas of difference between American
and British English accents (there is less difference between them for the E I and U sounds in general).
Difference Between Long Vowels and
Short Vowels in English
By James Stuart, eHow Contributor
Understanding the difference between short and
long vowels will help you understand the English language.
The English language has six vowels: a, e, i, o, u and, in some instances, y. However,
the English language has many more vowel sounds. These are generally divided into
two categories: short vowel sounds and long vowel sounds. Although there are many
exceptions, there are a few general rules that apply to short and long vowel sounds.
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1. Short Vowel Pronunciation
o As the name would imply, short vowels have a much shorter pronunciation than long
vowel sounds. Short vowels produce only one sound and do not require the speaker to
open his mouth very wide. The speaker's jaw is relaxed and barely moves during the
production of short vowel sounds. The speaker's tongue is placed in different positions
but is also usually relaxed. Short vowels can occur in stressed syllables, such as "o" in
offer, or unstressed syllables, like the first "o" in tomato.
Long Vowel Pronunciation
o Many long vowel sounds are diphthongs, which combine two short vowel sounds into
one long sound. Long vowel sounds require the speaker to move the mouth from a
closed position to an open one or vice-versa. The speaker's tongue glides into position
during pronunciation and is often tense. When pronounced, long vowel sounds share
the same pronunciation as vowels when they are pronounced as part of the alphabet.

Short Vowel Spelling
o Although English spelling patterns are difficult and usually contain many exceptions,
there are a few general rules that differentiate short and long vowel sounds. Words
with only one vowel, especially when they are sandwiched between two consonants,
often produce a short vowel sound, such as dog, tin or well. Short vowels are also
usually correct when they appear in isolation at the beginning of a word, such as ant,
up or end.
Long Vowel Spelling
o Long vowel sounds have more complicated spelling patterns and more exceptions than
short vowel sounds. Words that end with a silent e, such as bake, lone or mule, often
produce longer sounds. Another common spelling pattern for long vowel sounds is two
vowel sounds placed together, for example: root, oaf or through. Many long vowel
sounds also occur when there is one vowel at the end of words, such as do, why or go.
Many o or i sounds followed by two or more vowels, such as cold or might, also
produce long vowel sounds.


English Pronunciation: S and Z Sounds

Watch a video.



The S Sound: Make the S by lightly placing your tongue at the top of your
mouth on the ridge behind your front teeth. The air should pass over the top of
the tongue in an even way. Sometimes people develop a whistle or slight lisp
on S because the tongue is not even. If you struggle with making the S sound,
get more practice with S sound pronunciation.

The Z Sound: Z is just like S, except it vibrates. Tense your tongue and as the
air comes out, you should feel the vibration on your tongue and the roof of your
mouth. If you do not feel that energy (which eventually will make the tongue
warm), the vibration is not there. Basically, you are holding your tongue in the
S position, but with more tension. This creates the vibration.








When S Sounds Like Z
There is a very confusing aspect of the S sound in American English. S has more
of a light Z sound in some common words when the S follows a vowel. This rule
is not constant. As a good example: is has the Z sound, but this does not. The
phonetic rule is this: if S follows a vowel or a voiced consonant, it sounds like
Z. However, because there are exceptions and this rule is already a subtle one, I
recommend that you simply be aware of it and listen for it. Also, begin to use it
in some of the common words listed below:

is rise pose eyes confuse easy
says (sounds like "sez")
was raise rose ties these reason
days
his lose mows flies those mov
ies shoes
has use flows good-byes because visit
busy

If you use the Z in a few common words, your awareness will build naturally and
your ear will pick up on the sound when other people in your everyday life use it
in other words. This sound is soft. As it comes at the end of the word, it is quite
brief. The only real difference between this and a regular S is that you're
vibrating the sound a little bit.
Notice that the words above follow sound patterns. You can do the same as you
listen for this sound. If you hear it in one word, other similar words are likely to
have it too.
Remember, as with the T rules, most Americans are unaware of this
distinction. When asked what sound is made at the end of "is," people would
generally say "s," and then speak it with a "z" in the next thing they say! Rely on
your own ear or advice from an experienced teacher when you need clarification
on specific words.
Advanced ESL: English Pronunciation Continued
Practice of S and Z
Pronounce underlined S's with a Z sound. Review S and Z English pronunciation
rules.
Conversation 1
Two friends are talking.
Patricia: I think Im coming down with something. I started sneezing yesterday
for no reason.
Becky: Theres a bad flu going around. You should go to bed for the day.
Patricia: You think so? Im not sick yet.
Becky: I can usually sleep off the flu before it gets bad. But I have to sleep a lot
right after I get the first symptoms.
Patricia: Interesting. Maybe Ill try that!
Becky: Why not? Watch some movies and take it easy!


Conversation 2
Two brothers are meeting on a holiday.
Paul: Good to see you again. How long has it been?
Greg: Six months, I guess. Hows your family?
Paul: Everyones good. My wife decided to home-school our youngest.
Greg: Really? Is that difficult?
Paul: Oh yeah. Its time-consuming for her. Shell try to put him back in regular
school next year.
Greg: So why the choice to home-school?
Paul: The teacher this year was terrible and there was no way to transfer him to
another class.
Greg: Thats no good. The school should have been more flexible.

Phonics, Syllable and Accent Rules
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Phonics Rules

The vowels are "a,e,i,o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes the diphthongs
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech.
They are: "b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z,ch,sh,th,ph,wh, ng, and gh".

1. Sometimes the rules don't work.
There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many
languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.

2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel.
English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.

3. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central",
and "city".

4. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and
"gist".

5. When 2 consonants are joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant
digraph. They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph
and wh".

6. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples:
"fat, bed, fish, spot, luck".

7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is
long. Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".

8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is
silent. Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow". NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In
a diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are:
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.

9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually
long. Examples: "pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".

10. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is
not long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term,
sir, fir, fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".
Basic Syllable Rules

1. To find the number of syllables:
---count the vowels in the word,
---subtract any silent vowels, (like the silent "e" at the end of a word or the second vowel when
two vowels a together in a syllable)
---subtract one vowel from every diphthong, (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.)
---the number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables.
The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the number of
vowels sounds heard. For example:
The word "came" has 2 vowels, but the "e" is silent, leaving one vowel sound andone syllable.
The word "outside" has 4 vowels, but the "e" is silent and the "ou" is a diphthong which counts as
only one sound, so this word has only two vowels sounds and therefore, two syllables.

2. Divide between two middle consonants.
Split up words that have two middle consonants. For example:
hap/pen, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner, and Den/nis. The only exceptions are the consonant
digraphs. Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one sound. The
exceptions are "th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh".

3. Usually divide before a single middle consonant.
When there is only one syllable, you usually divide in front of it, as in:
"o/pen", "i/tem", "e/vil", and "re/port". The only exceptions are those times when the first
syllable has an obvious short sound, as in "cab/in".

4. Divide before the consonant before an "-le" syllable.
When you have a word that has the old-style spelling in which the "-le" sounds like "-el", divide
before the consonant before the "-le". For example: "a/ble", "fum/ble", "rub/ble"
"mum/ble" and "this/tle". The only exception to this are "ckle" words like "tick/le".

5. Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes and roots which have vowel sounds.
Split off the parts of compound words like "sports/car" and "house/boat". Divide off prefixes such
at "un/happy", "pre/paid", or "re/write". Also divide off suffixes as in the words "farm/er",
"teach/er", "hope/less" and "care/ful". In the word "stop/ping", the suffix is actually "-ping"
because this word follows the rule that when you add "-ing" to a word with one syllable, you
double the last consonant and add the "-ing".
Accent Rules

When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than the
others. The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. It may seem that the placement
of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some rules that usually work.

1. Accents are often on the first syllable. Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.

2. In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word. Examples:
box'/es, un/tie'.

3. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented.
Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.

4. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last syllable.
Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.

5. When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double
consonants is usually accented. Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.

6. The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious,
and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate. Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.

7. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented. Examples:
ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.