The English language has 44 basic sounds, called phonemes. These sounds come from the 26 letters of the alphabet, used alone or mixed together. The sounds split into two main groups: 20 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds.
Vowel Sounds (20 Total)
Vowel sounds let air flow freely from the mouth without stopping. They split into short/pure sounds and double sounds (diphthongs).
- Short Vowels:
/ɪ/as in sit/e/as in egg/æ/as in cat/ʌ/as in cup/ʊ/as in book/ɒ/as in on/ə/(Schwa) as in about
- Long Vowels:
/iː/as in see/ɑː/as in car/ɔː/as in door/uː/as in food/ɜː/as in bird
- Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels):
/eɪ/as in face/aɪ/as in bike/ɔɪ/as in boy/aʊ/as in cow/əʊ/as in go/ɪə/as in here/eə/as in hair/ʊə/as in tour
Consonant Sounds (24 Total)
Consonant sounds block or slow the air flow using the teeth, tongue, or lips. They can be unvoiced (air only) or voiced (using vocal cords).
- Unvoiced Consonants:
/p/as in pen/t/as in tea/k/as in cat/f/as in fish/θ/as in think/s/as in sun/ʃ/as in shoe/tʃ/as in chair/h/as in hat
- Voiced Consonants:
/b/as in bag/d/as in dog/g/as in go/v/as in van/ð/as in this/z/as in zoo/ʒ/as in vision/dʒ/as in jam/m/as in man/n/as in no/ŋ/as in sing/l/as in leg/r/as in run/w/as in win/j/as in yes
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