Using the Phonetic Alphabet

Using the Phonetic Alphabet

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Mouhammed in Egypt about using the phonetic alphabet.

Question

Dear Teacher,

I want to ask about the most important sources through which I can learn to improve the [pronunciation] of English letters, [for] trying to master the American accent.

Thank you,

Mouhammed

Answer

I’m happy to answer this question, Mouhammed.

Understanding phonemes and the phonetic alphabet

You can use the phonetic alphabet to help you know each sound of American English. Let's start by looking at what the phonetic alphabet is.

Each separate sound we make when we talk is called a phoneme. For example, the word “cat” has three phonemes: /k/, /æ/, /t/ --“cat.”

For every phoneme we say, in any language, we can show that phoneme by using a special symbol, or sign. Those symbols are what make The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA. Notice that in the example with “cat,” only the phonetic symbol for the letter “t” looks the same as the English letter for that sound.

For many phonemes, the phonetic symbol does not look the same as the letters of the English alphabet that make the sound of the phonemes. Consider the word “need,” for example. It is spelled N-E-E-D but the phonetic symbol signifying the vowel looks like the English letter “i.”

Using the phonetic alphabet

How can you use the phonetic alphabet? Try to identify the phonemes that are difficult for you. For example, small differences between some vowel sounds in American English may be difficult for some non-native speakers to hear. Consider the following example:

bit bet

Did you clearly hear the difference between the two words? Hearing the sounds more clearly can help you pronounce them.

The IPA Pronunciation Guide on the website Vocabulary.com has an audio element so you can listen to the sound of each symbol. It also provides example words that contain the sound of each symbol. So, you can use the guide to practice hearing and saying any phoneme in American English.

The VOA Learning English video series How to Pronounce has many lessons that use IPA symbols to help learners practice the sounds of American English. The 21 lessons “Games with Vowel Sounds” and the "Listening Practice” lessons are good places to start.

On the VOA Learning English website, you can play a short piece of audio and listen for phonemes you want to practice. You can hear words pronounced clearly and look at the way English spelling represents the phonemes you hear.

For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? We want to hear from you! Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. And please let us know where you are from, too.

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

I’m Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.