Universidad de Santiago de Chile

Facultad de Humanidades
Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura
Pedagogía en Inglés
Applied Phonetics and Phonology I – 2016

Grapheme Phoneme Correspondence in RP English

Consonants

Phoneme Common Spellings Examples Transcription

/p/ p, pp pit, disappear /pɪt/, /ˌdɪsəˈpɪə/

/b/ b, bb bit, bubble /bɪt/, /ˈbʌbl̩ /

/t/ t, tt, (ed) tickle, mitt, (sipped) /ˈtɪkl̩ /, /mɪt/, (/sɪpt/)

/d/ d, dd, (ed) die, loved /daɪ/, /ˈkʌdl̩ /, /lʌvd/

/k/ k, c, ck, q cup, kite, duck, quiet /kʌp/, /kaɪt/, /dʌk/, /ˈkwaɪət/

/g/ g, gg girl, jogging /gɜːl/, /ˈʤɒgɪŋ/

/f/ f, ff, ph, gh fluff, sphere, tough /flʌf/, /sfɪə/, /tʌf/

/v/ v, v(e) van, dove /væn/, /dʌv/

sit, pass, science, /sɪt/, /pɑːs/, /ˈsaɪəns/, /ˈsaɪkɪk/, /ˈsɪti/,

/s/ s, ss, sc, ps, ci, ce /sel/
psychic, city, cell
zoo, jazz, as, nose, /zuː/, /ʤæz/, /æz/, /nəʊz/, /ˈzaɪləfəʊn/
/z/ z, zz, s, s(e), x
xylophone
/θ/ th thin, breath /θɪn/, /breθ/

/ð/ th this, mother /ðɪs/, /ˈmʌðə/

shoe, mission, sure, /ʃuː/,/ˈmɪʃn̩/, /ʃʊə/, /ʃəˈrɑːd/, /ˈpreʃəs/, /ˈnəʊʃn̩/

/ʃ/ sh, ss, s, ch, ti, ci
charade, precious, notion
massage, measure, /ˈmæsɑːʒ/, /ˈmeʒə/, /kənˈfjuːʒn̩/
/ʒ/ (a)ge, ur(e), io(n)
confusion
mitt, command comb, /mɪt/, /kəˈmɑːnd/ /kəʊm/, /hɪm/
/m/ m, mm, mb, mn
hymn
nice, winner, knight, /naɪs/, /ˈwɪnə/, /naɪt/, /næt/
/n/ n, nn, kn, gn
gnat
/ŋ/ ng, n(k) sing, bank /sɪŋ/, /bæŋk/

/tʃ/ ch, tch, tur(e) cheap, catch, future /ʧiːp/, /kæʧ/, /ˈfjuːʧə/

/dʒ/ j, dge, (a)ge join, judge, wage /ʤɔɪn/, /ˈʤʌʤ/, /weɪʤ/

/l/ l, ll, l(e) lamb, call, single /læm/, /kɔːl/, /ˈsɪŋgl̩ /

/r/ r, rr, wr reach, carrot, wrap /riːʧ/, /ˈkærət/, /ræp/

/j/ y, before (u) (eu) and (i) you, use, feud, onion /juː/, /juːz/, /fjuːd/, /ˈʌnjən/

/w/ w, wh, (q)u witch, where, queen /wɪʧ/, /weə/, /kwiːn/

/h/ h, wh house, whole /haʊs/, /həʊl/

Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Facultad de Humanidades
Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura
Pedagogía en Inglés
Applied Phonetics and Phonology I – 2016

Vowels
Phoneme Common Spellings Examples Transcription
see, me, eat, key, chief, /siː/, /miː/, /iːt/, /kiː/, /ʧiːf/, /ˈiːðə/,
/iː/ ee, e, ea, ey, ie, ei, (eo)
either, (people) (/ˈpiːpl̩ /)
sit, gym, (English), /sɪt/, /ʤɪm/, (/ˈɪŋglɪʃ/), (/ˈwɪmɪn/),
/ɪ/ i, y, (e), (o), (u)
(women), (busy) (/ˈbɪzi/)
bed, breath, (any), (friend),
/e/ e, ea, (a), (ie), (ai) /bed/, /breθ/, (/ˈeni/), (/frend/), (/sed/)
(said)
/æ/ a cat, at /kæt/, /æt/
cart, bath, calm, (heart),
/ɑː/ ar, a, al, (ea), (au) /kɑːt/, /bɑːθ/, /kɑːm/, (/hɑːt/), (/ɑːnt/)
(aunt)
/ɒ/ o pot, on /pɒt/, /ɒn/

/ɔː/ or, aw, au door, saw, pause /dɔː/, /sɔː/, /pɔːz/

/ʊ/ oo, u, ou took, put, could /tʊk/, /pʊt/, /kʊd/

/uː/ oo, u, ew, (ue), (ui), (ou), moo, tube, chew, (blue), /muː/, /tjuːb/, /ʧuː/, (/bluː/), (/sjuːt/),
(o) (suit), (soup), (move) (/suːp/), (/muːv/)
/ʌ/ u, o, oo, ou cup, cover, flood, tough /kʌp/, /ˈkʌvə/, /flʌd/, /tʌf/
Many different spellings,
/ə/ occurs before or after a alone, professional, teacher /əˈləʊn/, /prəˈfeʃn̩l̩ /, /ˈtiːʧə/
stressed syllable
/ɜː/ er, ur, ir her, fur, sir /hɜː/, /fɜː/, /sɜː/
Diphthongs
Phoneme Common Spellings Examples Transcription
time, cry, right, pie, (buy),
/aɪ/ i, y, igh, ie, (uy), (ye) /taɪm/, /kraɪ/, /raɪt/, /paɪ/, (/baɪ/), (/baɪ/)
(bye)
/aʊ/ ou, ow cloud, cow /klaʊd/, /kaʊ/
make, rain, play, (great),
a, ai, ay, (ea),(a) (eigh),(ei), /meɪk/, /reɪn/, /pleɪ/, (/greɪt/), (/ˈbeɪbi/),
/eɪ/ (baby), (eight), (vein),
(ey) (/eɪt/), (/veɪn/), (/ðeɪ/)
(they)
vote, boat, (snow),
o, oa, (ow), (ou), (oe), (ew), /vəʊt/, /bəʊt/, (/snəʊ/), (/ˈʃəʊldə/),
/əʊ/ (shoulder), (toe), (sew),
(ough) (/təʊ/), (/səʊ/), (/dəʊ/)
(dough)
air, share, (various), (pear), /eə/, /ʃeə/, (/ˈveərɪəs/), (/peə/), (/weə/),
/eə/ air, are, (a), (ear), (ere), (ae)
(where), (aeroplane) (/ˈeərəpleɪn/)
/ɪə/ eer, ear, ere, (ier) beer, hear, here, (barrier) /bɪə/, /hɪə/, /hɪə/, (/ˈbærɪə/)

/ɔɪ/ oi, oy boil, boy /bɔɪl/, /bɔɪ/

/ʊə/ ure, (oor), (our) sure, (poor), (tour) /ʃʊə/, (/pʊə/), (/tʊə/)