ENGLISH PHONETICS & PHONOLOGY

Weak & Strong Forms

spelling LR weak forms FP strong
a /ə/ /eɪ/
am /əm/; /m/ ▶ /æm/
an /ən/; /n/ /æn/
and /ənd/between V; /nd/, /ən/+C; /n/ after C /ænd/
are ∞ /ə/+C; /ər/, /r/+V ▶ /ɑː/
as /əz/ /æz/
at /ət/ ▶ /æt/
be /bi/ ▶ /biː/
been /bɪn/ /biːn/
but /bət/ ▶ /bʌt/
by /bə/ rapid speech; /baɪ/ elsewhere ▶ /baɪ/
can /kən/, /kn/, /kŋ/ ▶ /kæn/
could /kəd/, /kd/ ▶ /kʊd/
do (aux.) /du/, /d/; /də/ before C ▶ /duː/
does /dəz/, dz/ ▶ /dʌz/
(aux.)
for ∞ /fə/+C; /fər/, /fr/ elsewhere ▶ /fɔː/
from /frəm/, /frm/ ▶ /frɒm/
had (aux.) /həd/, /əd/; /d/ after pronouns ▶ /hæd/
has (aux.) /həz/, /əz/ after sibilants; /s/ after /p, t, k/; ▶ /hæz/
/z/ elsewhere.
have /həv/, /əv/, /v/ ▶ /hæv/
(aux.)
he /hi/; /i/ after sibilant /hiː/
her ∞ /hə/,/ə/ /hɜː/
him /hɪm/ in initial and final; /ɪm/ elsewhere ▶ /hɪm/
his /hɪz/ in initial and final; /ɪz/ elsewhere ▶ /hɪz/
I /ə/ in rapid speech; /aɪ/ elsewhere /aɪ/
is /s/ after voiceless; / ɪz/ after sibilants; /z/ ▶ /ɪz/
elsewhere
me /mi/ /miː/
must /məst/; /məs/+C ▶ /mʌst/
my /maɪ/; /mə/ in rapid speech; /mi/ in Cockney /maɪ/
nor ∞ /nə/ rapid speech /nɔː/
 not /nt/ after C in contractions; /nɒt/ elsewhere /nɒt/
of /əv/, /v/, /ə/ /ɒv/
or ∞ /ɒ/, /ə/ /ɔː/
Saint /sənt/, /snt/, /sən/, /sn/ /seɪnt/
shall /ʃəl/, /ʃl/ ▶ /ʃæl/
she /ʃi/ /ʃiː/
should /ʃəd/, /ʃd/ /ʃʊd/
Sir ∞ /sə/ /sɜː/
so /sə/ occasional /səʊ/
some /səm/, /sm/ unspecified quantity; /sʌm/ /sʌm/
elsewhere
than /ðən/, /ðn/ /ðæn/
that /ðæt/ when demostrative; /ðət/ when /ðæt/
conjunction
the /ðə/+C; /ði/+V /ðiː/
their ∞ /ðə/ /ðeə/
them /ðəm/, /əm/, /m/ /ðem/
there ∞ /ðə/ /ðeə/
till /tɪl/ /tɪl/
to /tə/+C; /tu/+V or /w/ ▶ /tuː/
until /ənˈtɪl/, /nˈtɪl/ /ʌnˈtɪl/
us /əs/; /s/ in let’s /ʌs/
was /wəz/; /wəs/+voiceless C ▶ /wɒz/
we /wi/ /wiː/
were ∞ /wə/+C; /wər/+V ▶ /wɜː/
who /hu/ when relative; /huː/ when interrogative /huː/
will /wɪl/, /l/ ▶ /wɪl/
would /wəd/, /əd/, /d/ ▶ /wʊd/
you /ju/; /jə/ in rapid speech /juː/
your ∞ /jɔː/; /jə/ in rapid speech /jɔː/

LR: Linking /r/ before vowels.

FP: strong form in final position

V: vowel

C: consonant