IPA Phonetic Symbols | Help Centre

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SymbolPhonetic value & Example

low central (or front) unrounded vowel

French la

central vowel ranging between [ɛ] and [ə]

Ethiopic

low back unrounded vowel; often written [a]

spa

low back rounded vowel

British hot

low front unrounded vowel

cat, laugh, plaid

voiced bilabial stop

bib

ḇ

spirantized [b]; historically [β], modern [v]

Hebrew

voiced bilabial fricative

Spanish haber

voiceless alveolar affricate; IPA [ʦ] or [ts]

Italian zucchero, German zu, Yiddish tsimmes

voiceless palatoalveolar affricate; IPA [ʧ] or [tʃ]

church, watch

lax mid back rounded vowel

dog (for many speakers)

voiceless alveolopalatal fricative

Mandarin xi

voiceless palatal fricative

German ich

voiced alveolar stop

dad

ḏ

palatalized [dʸ]; can be pronounced [ǰ]

Egyptian

or spirantized [d], same as [ð]

Ancient Hebrew

ḍ

voiced retroflex stop; IPA [ɖ]

Indic

or emphatic, i.e. pharyngealized [dˁ]

Semitic

voiced dental fricative

this, either

tense mid front unrounded vowel

bait, made

lax mid central vowel (unstressed in English); "schwa"

about, sofa

rhotacized schwa, essentially [ər]

butter, actor

lax mid front unrounded vowel

bet, head

stressed [ɚ] in English; often transcribed the same way

bird, learn

voiceless labiodental fricative

fife, laugh

voiced velar stop

gag

ḡ

spirantized [g]; same as [ɣ]

Ancient Hebrew

voiceless glottal fricative

hit

aspiration of preceding sound

top vs. stop

ḥ

voiceless pharyngeal fricative; IPA [ħ]

Arabic hummus

ḫ

voiceless uvular fricative; same as [χ]

Egyptian, Semitic

ẖ

voiceless fricative; probably palatal [ç]

Egyptian

tense high front unrounded vowel

see, diva

lax high front unrounded vowel

hit

ỉ

special transcriptional symbol; also [j]

Egyptian

high central unrounded vowel

roses

voiced palatal glide; same as [y] in other systems

standard IPA; Mycenaean Greek

or alternate transliteration for [ỉ]

Egyptian

palatalization of preceding sound; also [ʸ]

roughly canyon vs. cannon

voiced palatoalveolar affricate; IPA [ʤ] or [dʒ]

judge

voiceless velar stop

kick, cake

ḳ

voiceless uvular stop; same as [q]

Egyptian

ḵ

spirantized [k]; same as [x]

Ancient Hebrew

voiced alveolar lateral liquid

lip

ḷ

voiced retroflex lateral liquid; IPA [ɭ]

Indic

voiceless alveolar lateral fricative

Semitic; Welsh "ll"

velarized voiced alveolar lateral liquid

hull

voiced bilabial nasal

mom

voiced alveolar nasal

none

voiced velar nasal; don't confuse with sequence [ŋg]

singer

ṇ

voiced retroflex nasal; IPA [ɳ]

Indic

voiced palatal nasal

Spanish ñ, Italian gn

voiced uvular nasal

Japanese word-final "n"

tense mid back rounded vowel

go, hope, boat

mid central unrounded vowel, similar to [ə]

Korean "eo"

voiceless bilabial fricative

(like blowing out a match)

voiceless dental fricative

thing, myth

voiceless bilabial stop

pep

p̅

spirantized [p]; historically [ɸ], modern [f]

Hebrew

runic letter equivalent to [θ]

Icelandic

or runic letter that can be read as either [θ] or [ð]

Old English, some Scandinavian

voiceless uvular stop

Arabic Qatar

voiced alveolar trill (often used for other types of "r")

Spanish perro

voiced (post)alveolar liquid, the English "r"; often just written [r]

run, sorry

voiced alveolar tap; sometimes written [ᴅ]

Am Engl city; Spanish pero

voiced uvular trill

some French dialects, etc.

voiced uvular fricative

French, German, Modern Hebrew "r"

ṛ

voiced retroflex flap; IPA [ɽ]

Indic

voiceless alveolar fricative

sit, hiss, rice, cent

voiceless postalveolar fricative; IPA [ʃ]

ship, push, delicious

voiceless alveolopalatal fricative; IPA [ɕ]

Indic

or voiceless alveolar fricative; historically distinct from [z]

Egyptian (often just "s")

or voiceless fricative; historically distinct from [s]

Hebrew, other Semitic

ṣ

voiceless retroflex fricative; IPA [ʂ]

Indic, Mandarin ("sh")

or emphatic, i.e. pharyngealized [sˁ]

Semitic

voiceless postalveolar fricative; same as [š]

ship, push, delicious

voiceless alveolar stop

stop

ṭ

voiceless retroflex stop; IPA [ʈ]

Indic

or emphatic, i.e. pharyngealized [tˁ]

Semitic

ṯ

palatalized [tʸ]; can be pronounced [č]

Egyptian

or spirantized [t], same as [θ]

Ancient Hebrew

voiceless alveolopalatal affricate

Mandarin ji (cf. aspirated qi)

tʂ

voiceless retroflex affricate

Mandarin zhi (cf. aspirated chi)

tense high back rounded vowel

ooze, prune

lax high back rounded vowel

put, book

high central unrounded vowel, similar to [ɨ]

Korean "eu"

tense high front rounded vowel

French, German, Mandarin

voiced labiodental fricative

verve

mid central unrounded vowel; stressed in English

cut, love

voiced velar fricative

Spanish haga

voiced labial-velar glide

witch

voiceless labial-velar fricative

which for some speakers

voiceless velar fricative

chutzpah, German ach

voiceless uvular fricative

Semitic, Egyptian

voiced palatal glide (in many transcription systems); IPA [j]

yes

high front rounded vowel (in IPA)

French u, German ü

palatalization of preceding sound; IPA [ʲ]

roughly canyon vs. cannon

voiced palatal lateral

Italian gli, Castilian ll

voiced alveolar fricative

fizz, his, rose

ẓ

voiced retroflex fricative; IPA [ʐ]

Indic, Mandarin ("r")

or emphatic, i.e. pharyngealized [zˁ] or [ðˁ]

Semitic

voiced palatoalveolar fricative; IPA [ʒ]

rouge, vision

voiced palatoalveolar fricative; same as [ž]

rouge, vision

’

glottalization of preceding sound (ejective)

Mayan, Ethiopic

‘

aspiration of preceding sound; same as [ʰ]

Chinese (not Pinyin)

glottal stop; also written ’ or ʾ

medial sound in uh-oh

voiced pharyngeal fricative; also written ‘ or ʿ

Arabic ‘ayn