Vowel Sounds Pronunciation in English
Vowel Sounds Pronunciation
English Pronunciation Lesson
Series on Vowel Sounds Pronunciation in English
⇒ Part 1: Vowel Sounds in English
Part 2: [ey]
Part 3: [ɛ] vs. [æ]
Part 4: [ɪ] vs. [ɪy]
Part 5: [ow] vowel sound
Part 6: [uw]
Writing vs. Speaking English
There are only five vowels (letters) in English when we write — a, e, i, o, u (though some consider the “y” letter to be a sixth vowel).
However, if you put these vowels together in different ways when you speak in a “standard” American accent, then we have 14 vowel sounds in spoken American (U.S.) English.
How to Pronounce Vowel Sounds in English
Each vowel sound requires a different mouth position.
If the vowel sounds in English don’t appear in your first language, it’s essential that you get comfortable with uncomfortable mouth positions. That could mean:
→ opening your mouth more than you naturally would;
→ pulling your lips back more than is comfortable for you; and
→ moving your tongue in new ways.
This extra effort to train your mouth for vowel sounds is worth the effort, because inaccurate vowel sounds can interfere with communication.
Vowel sounds in standard spoken American (U.S.) English include the following.
Listen and Repeat
[iy]
[ɪ]
[ʊ]
[uw]
[ow]
[ey]
[ə]
[ʌ]
[ɝ]
[ɚ]
[æ]
[ɛ]
[ɔ]
[ɑ]
Ready to practice?
Listen and Repeat
[iy]
“leave” [liyv]
[ɪ]
“give” [gɪv]
[ʊ]
“book” [bʊk]
[uw]
“blue” [bluw]
[ow]
“go” [gow]
[ey]
“brave” [breyv]
[ə]
“photography” [fə TA grə fiy]
[ʌ]
“stuff” [stʌf]
[ɝ]
“perfect” [PɝR fɪkt]
[ɚ]
“regular” [RɛG gyə lɚr]
[æ]
“jazz” [dʒæz]
[ɛ]
“best” [bɛst]
[ɔ]
“taught” [tɔt]
[ɑ]
“job” [dʒɑb]
Series on Vowel Sounds Pronunciation in English
⇒ Part 1: Vowel Sounds in English
Part 2: [ey]
Part 3: [ɛ] vs. [æ]
Part 4: [ɪ] vs. [ɪy]
Part 5: [ow] vowel sound
Part 6: [uw]
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