https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/help/phonetics.html
Refer to the site above for audible pronunciations.
The Cambridge Dictionary uses the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to show pronunciation in writing. You can recognize these pronunciations by the slashes before and after, for example, /pen/. You can also click on the icons to listen to the pronunciation in UK or US English.
The symbols are sometimes similar to the letters used in English, but there are some important differences. To see how each symbol is pronounced, look at the list below and listen to the pronunciations.
This list shows UK and US pronunciations together so that you can compare them. Note that some sounds are found only in UK English or only in US English.
Vowels
| iː | UK
US |
sheep | UK
US |
| ɪ | UK
US |
ship | UK
US |
| ɑː | UK
US |
father | UK
US |
| æ | UK
US |
hat | UK
US |
| ʌ | UK
US |
cup | UK
US |
| ɔː | UK
US |
horse | UK
US |
| ɒ | UK | sock | UK |
| uː | UK
US |
blue | UK
US |
| ʊ | UK
US |
foot | UK
US |
| e | UK
US |
head | UK
US |
| ɜː | UK | bird | UK |
| ɝː | US | bird | US |
| ə | UK
US |
above | UK
US |
| ɚ | US | mother | US |
| eɪ | UK
US |
day | UK
US |
| aɪ | UK
US |
eye | UK
US |
| ɔɪ | UK
US |
boy | UK
US |
| əʊ | UK | nose | UK |
| oʊ | US | nose | US |
| aʊ | UK
US |
mouth | UK
US |
| ɪə | UK | ear | UK |
| eə | UK | hair | UK |
| ʊə | UK | pure | UK |
| aɪə | UK | fire | UK |
| aʊə | UK | hour | UK |
Consonants
| p | UK
US |
pen | UK
US |
| b | UK
US |
book | UK
US |
| t | UK
US |
town | UK
US |
| t̬ | US | cutting | US |
| d | UK
US |
day | UK
US |
| k | UK
US |
cat | UK
US |
| g | UK
US |
give | UK
US |
| f | UK
US |
fish | UK
US |
| v | UK
US |
very | UK
US |
| θ | UK
US |
think | UK
US |
| ð | UK
US |
this | UK
US |
| s | UK
US |
say | UK
US |
| z | UK
US |
zoo | UK
US |
| ʃ | UK
US |
she | UK
US |
| ʒ | UK
US |
vision | UK
US |
| tʃ | UK
US |
cheese | UK
US |
| dʒ | UK
US |
jump | UK
US |
| m | UK
US |
moon | UK
US |
| n | UK
US |
name | UK
US |
| ŋ | UK
US |
sing | UK
US |
| l | UK
US |
look | UK
US |
| r | UK
US |
run | UK
US |
| w | UK
US |
we | UK
US |
| j | UK
US |
yes | UK
US |
| h | UK
US |
hand | UK
US |
Other Sounds
These sounds are found in some unstressed syllables:
| i | UK
US |
happy | UK
US |
| u | UK
US |
situation | UK
US |
These sounds are found in some words that come from other languages:
| ɒ̃ | UK
US |
croissant | UK
US |
| x | UK
US |
loch | UK
US |
These syllables can be pronounced either with or without a vowel:
| əl | UK
US |
label | UK
US |
| əm | UK
US |
criticism | UK
US |
| ən | UK
US |
sudden | UK
US |
| ər | UK | dictionary | UK |
This symbol shows that /r/ is pronounced at the end of a word in UK English, but only before a vowel. When there is no vowel following, /r/ is not pronounced:
| ◌r | /fɔːr/ | four apples | /ˌfɔːr ˈæp.əlz/ UK |
| four cars | /ˌfɔː ˈkɑːz/ UK |
Stress and Syllable Division
| This symbol shows how the word can be divided into syllables: | |||
| . | syllable division | system | /ˈsɪs.təm/ UK
/ˈsɪs.təm/ US |
| These symbols show the parts of the word that are pronounced strongly. The primary stress is the strongest stress and the secondary stress is a little less strong than the primary stress: | |||
| ˈ | primary stress | surprise | /səˈpraɪz/ UK
/sɚˈpraɪz/ US |
| ˌ | secondary stress | retell | /ˌriːˈtel/ UK
/ˌriːˈtel/ US |
Note that some pronunciations in the American Dictionary and the Essential American English Dictionary are shown slightly differently.
They do not show the long vowel marker /ː/ with the sounds /i/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, and /u/.
In place of the syllable division symbol /./, they show a raised dot /·/.