Vowels Pronunciation

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Vowels Pronunciation

English and Spanish languages both have the same vowels. The difference between them is that in Spanish the vowels only have one sound, while in American English there are 14 vowel sounds:

"See-it, say-yes, fat, bus-top, two-books, no-law, bird, my-cow-boy"

1. /i:/  see
2./ɪ/  it
3. /eɪ/  say
4. /ɛ/  yes
5. /æ/  fat
6. /ʌ/  bus
7. /ɑ:/  stop
8. /u:/  two
9. /ʊ/  books
10. /oʊ/  no
11. /ɔ/   law *
12. /ɚ/  bird

Diphthong Sounds

13. /aɪ/  my
14. /aʊ/  cow
15. /oɪ/  boy

* It was decided not to indicate the contrast between these two sounds (7 & 11), since this contrast isn’t made by a large number of speakers, and isn’t necessary for non-native speakers to learn.

Following the vowel sounds for each vowel:

Aa

3. /eɪ/
a as in famous (80%)
Group 1: a+consonant+vowel, a+consonant+r+vowel   label, April
Group 2: a+consonant+e silent, a+consonant+l+e silent   came, table
Group 3: ai+consonant, ai+consonant+e silent   train, raise
Group 4: ay  day

4. /ɛ/
Group 1: ai+consonant   said
Group 2: a+consonant   many

5. /æ/
Group 1: a+consonant+(consonant) (97%)   bad, class
Group 2: a+v+vowel, a+x+vowel   trave, taxi
Group 2: au+consonant  laugh

6. /ʌ/
Group 1: a (exception)   what

7. /ɑ:/
Group 1: a+consonant+(consonant)  father
Group 2: a+l+consonant  call
Group 3: au+consonant, au+consonant+e silent, au+ght   automobile, cause, caught
Group 4: aw  saw

12. /ɚ/
Group 1: a silent+r+(consonant)   altar, backward

/ɑɚ/
Group 1: ar   park
Group 2: ar+ge   large
Group 3: ar+e silent   are

/eɚ/
Group 1: air   pair
Group 2: ar+e silent   share
Group 3: ar+(r)   marry

/oɚ/
Group 1: ar   war

Schwa: /ə/   America

Ee

1. /i:/
e as in we (72%)
Group 1: e, e+consonant+vowel   be, equal
Group 2: e+consonant+e silent  scene
Group 3: ee  see
Group 4: ee+consonant+e silent breeze
Group 5: ea  tea
Group 6: ea+consonant+e silent please
Group 7: ey (final)   key
Group 8: ei+consonant, ei+consonant+e silent   either, receive
Group 9: eo  people

2. /ɪ/
Group 1: ey (final)  money
Group 2: e (exceptions)  pretty, been

3. /eɪ/
Group 1: ei+gh  weight
Group 2: ea+consonant  great
Group 3: ey  they

4. /ɛ/
Group 1: e+consonant+(consonant) (91%)  yes, better
Group 5: e+v+vowel, e+x+vowel   seven, exit
Group 2: ea+consonant  ready

8. /u:/
Group 1: ew   threw

12. /ɚ/
Group 1: e silent+r+(consonant)   her (40%)
Group 2: ea silent+r+consonant  earn, heard
(In this group /ɚ/ is pronounced before the following consonant. The consonant is obligatory in this pattern)
earn, heard
Group 3: e+r+e silent (exception)   were

/eɚ/
Group 1: er+e silent   there
Group 2: eir   their
Group 3: er+(r)   very
Group 4: ear   wear

/iɚ/
Group 1: ear   ear
Group 2: er+e silent   here
Group 3: eer   beer

/ajɚ/ (13. /aɪ/ + 12. /ɚ/)
Group 1: er   buyer
(In this group the palatal sound /aj/ precedes the sound /ɚ/ for the combined pronunciation of /ajɚ/)

13. /aɪ/
Group 1:   height

Schwa: /ə/
Silent: /Ø/   face, news

Ii

1. /i:/
Group 1: ie+consonant+(consonant), ie+consonant+e silent   thief, field, niece
Group 2: i+consonant+e silent   police

2. /ɪ/
Group 1: i+consonant+(consonant) (68%)  this, sister
Group 2: i+v+vowel, i+x+vowel   give, mixer

4. /ɛ/
Group 1: ie+consonant  friend

12. /ɚ/
Group 1: i silent+r+(consonant)  sir
Group 2: i+e silent+r+(consonant)  soldier

/ɑɚ/
Group 1: o+ir   noir, menoir
(This group spelled with "oir" is pronounced /wɑɚ/, the "o" is /w/ and the "ir" is /ɑɚ/)

/ajɚ/ (13. /aɪ/ + 12. /ɚ/)
Group 1: ire   hire
Group 2: iar   friar
Group 3: ir   choir
(In this group the palatal sound /aj/ precedes the sound /ɚ/ for the combined pronunciation of /ajɚ/)

13. /aɪ/
Group 1: i, i+consonant+vowel, i+consonan+consonant (-igh, -ind, -imb)    I, spiral, high, kind, climb (80%)
Group 2: i+consonant+e silent  like
Group 3: ie  tried

Schwa: /ə/   America
Silent: /Ø/   bird

Oo

2. /ɪ/
Group 1: o (exception)  women

6. /ʌ/
Group 1: o+consonant (usually n, m, v, or voiced th)  son, money, cover, nothing
Group 2: o+consonant+e silent (usually n, m, v, or voiced th)   done, come, above
Group 3: ou+consonant  cousin
Group 4: oo+d  blood
Group 5: oe (exception)   does

7. /ɑ:/
Group 1: o+consonant+(consonant)   not, fog, sorry, song (69%)
Group 2: o+dg+e silent   lodge
Group 3: ow   zoo
Group 4: oo   knowledge
Group 5: ou+ght   bought
Group 6: oa+consonant   broad
Group 7: o+consonant+e silent   gone

8. /u:/
Group 1: oo   zoo (38%)
Group 2: o   to
Group 3: ou   you
Group 4: o+consonant+e silent   move
Group 5: oo+consonant+e silent   loose
Group 6: oe   shoe

9. /ʊ/
Group 1: oo+consonant or k   good
Group 2: ou+ld   should
Group 3: o (exception)   woman

10. /oʊ/
Group 1: o (87%), o+consonant+vowel, o+consonant+consonant (-old, -oth, -ost, -on't)   so, open, hold, (sold, both, most, don't)
Group 2: o+consonant+e silent  wrote
Group 3: ow  slow
Group 4: oa+consonant   road
Group 5: ou+l, ou+gh   shoulder, though
Group 6: oe  Joe

12. /ɚ/
Group 1: o silent+r+(consonant)    actor, work
Group 2: ou silent+r   glamour

/oɚ/
Group 1: or+e silent   more
Group 2: or+(consonant)   form
Group 3: our   four

/uɚ/
Group 1: oor   poor
Group 2: our   tour

/awɚ/ (14. /aʊ/ + 12. /ɚ/)
Group 1: our   flour
Group 2: ower   power
(In this group the sound /aw/ precedes the sound /ɚ/ for the combined pronunciation of /awɚ/)

/ojɚ/ (15. /oɪ/ + 12. /ɚ/)
Group 1: oyer   coyer
(In this group the sound /oj/ precedes the sound /ɚ/ for the combined pronunciation of /ojɚ/)

14. /aʊ/
Group 1: ou+consonant(consonant)  shout, sound (56%)
Group 2: ow   crowd
Group 2: ou+consonant+e silent, ou+nc+e silent   route, ounce

15. /oɪ/
Group 1: oi  join (62%)
Group 2: oy  boy
Group 3: oi+consonant+e silent, oy+consonant+e silent   noise, Joyce

Schwa: /ə/   collide
Silent: /Ø/   worse

Uu

2. /ɪ/
Group 1: u+consonant and ui+consonant   busy, build

4. /ɛ/
Group 1: ue+consonant  guest

6. /ʌ/
Group 1: u+consonant+(consonant)  sun (86%)
Group 2: u+consonant+(consonant)   bus, jump

8. /u:/
Group 1: u+consonant+vowel   ruler
Group 2: u+consonant+e silent   June

Palatalization with vowel 8
In some words the palatal sound /j/ precedes the sound /u:/ for the combined pronunciation of /ju:/.

8. /ju:/
Group 1: u (word initial)  use
Group 2: l/n/t/d+u (syllable initial)   value, manual, actul, gradual
Group 3: c/g/f/v+u (when c sounds /k/)  cute, regular, refuse, revue
Group 4: h/m/p/b+ u   huge, amuse, reputation, vocabulary

9. /ʊ/
Group 1: u+consonant+(consonant), u+ll, u+sh   put, sugar, pull, push (54%)

12. /ɚ/
Group 1: u silent+r+(consonant)   fur, nurse
Group 2: u silent+r+e silent    treasure, sure, picture, injure
(This group of words have an unaccented syllable "ure"; the "u" is silent and the preceding consonant is palatalized before the vowel /ɚ/ sound with the /ʒ/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /ʤ/ sounds.

/jɚ/
Group 1: ure   cure
(This group spelled with "ure" are preceded by /j/ sound- palatalization of the consonant, for the combined pronunciation of /jɚ/)

/juɚ/
Group 1: ur   fury
(This group spelled with "ur" are preceded by /j/ sound- palatalization of the consonant, for the combined pronunciation of /juɚ/)

13. /aɪ/
Group 1: uy  buy
Group 2: g or q+ui+consonant+e silent    guide

14. /aʊ/
Group 1: ou+consonant(consonant)  south
Group 2: ou+consonant+e silent   house
Group 3: ou+nc+e silent   pronounce
Group 4: ow   town

Schwa: /ə/   subtract
Silent: /Ø/   sure

Yy (Semivowel)

1. /i:/
(This sound is a short unaccented /i/ in this group)
Group 1: y (final)   baby

2. /ɪ/
Group 1: y+consonant+(consonant)  symbol

13. /aɪ/
Group 1: y  cry
Group 2: y+consonant+e silent, y+consonant+l+e silent    rhyme, cycle
Group 3: y+e silent   eye

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Following are major spelling patterns for the vowels with percentage for frequency of occurrence:

Aa - 80% is /eɪ/
Ee - 72% is /i:/
Ii - 68% is /ɪ/
Oo - 69% is /ɑ:/
Uu - 86% is /ʌ/

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