Key to the pronunciation

Key for New Edition entries

Go to the Key for the Second Edition.

The pronunciations given are those in use among educated urban speakers of standard English in Britain and the United States. While avoiding strongly regionally or socially marked forms, they are intended to include the most common variants for each word. The keywords given are to be understood as pronounced in such speech.

A. British English

I. Consonants

Symbol		Example	Keyboard equivalent
b	as in	big /bg/	b
d	...	dig /dg/	d
d	...	judge /dd/	dZ
	...	then /n/, bathe /be/	D
f	...	fig /fg/	f
g	...	go /g/	g
h	...	how /ha/	h
j	...	yes /js/	j
k	...	keep /kip/, card /kd/	k
l	...	leap /lip/	l
m	...	mine /mn/	m
n	...	nine /nn/	n
	...	singing /s/, think /k/	N
g	...	finger /fg/	Ng
p	...	pine /pn/	p
r	...	run /rn/, hurry /hri/	r
s	...	see /si/, cease /sis/	s
	...	shop /p/, dish /d/	S
t	...	tan /tan/	t
t	...	chop /tp/, ditch /dt/	tS
	...	thin /n/, path /p/	T
v	...	van /van/	v
w	...	wear /w/, where /w/	w
z	...	zoo /zu/	z
	...	vision /vn/, regime /reim/	Z
x	...	(Scots) loch /lx/	x
	...	(Welsh) penillion /pnn/, Llandaff /andaf/	L

In addition, the consonants l, m, and n can take on the function of a vowel in some unstressed syllables. It should generally be clear when this interpretation is intended, but in cases of potential ambiguity, the consonant symbol appears with a diacritic, as , , , as e.g. maddle /madl/, macromodelling /makrmd/; macroseism /makrszm/, ransoming /rans/; madden /madn/, maddening /mad/. When searching pronunciations, the symbols , , and have as their keyboard equivalents l=, m=, and n= respectively.

II. Vowels and Diphthongs
a	as in	trap /trap/, and some pronunciations of bath /ba/	a
a	...	mouth /ma/	aU
	...	start /stt/, palm /pm/, and some pronunciations of bath /b/	A:
e	...	face /fes/	eI
	...	dress /drs/	E
	...	square /skw/	E:
	...	another /n/	@
	...	nurse /ns/	@:
	...	goat /gt/	@U
i	...	happy /hapi/	i
i	...	fleece /flis/	i:
	...	kit /kt/, rabbit /rabt/	I
	...	near /n/	I@
	...	force /fs/, north /n/, thought /t/	O:
	...	choice /ts/	OI
	...	lot /lt/, cloth /kl/	Q
u	...	goose /gus/	u:
	...	foot /ft/	U
	...	cure /kj/, jury /dri/	U@
	...	strut /strt/	V
	...	price /prs/	VI
ã	...	fin de siècle /fã dsjkl/	a~
	...	bon mot /bm/, rapprochement /rprm/	Q~

represents free variation between // and // represents free variation between // and // When searching pronunciations, the symbols and have as their keyboard equivalents 1 and } respectively.

Stress The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrate /srbret/. The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebration /srbren/. The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable may be pronounced with either primary or secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrospinal /srbrspnl/. When searching pronunciations, the superior stress mark () has a double quotation mark (") as its keyboard equivalent, and the inferior stress mark () has the percentage symbol (%) as its keyboard equivalent. B. U.S. English I. Consonants The consonants of U.S. English are essentially the same as those used in British English, but they have a different distribution. In particular: After a vowel, U.S. English can have /r/ regardless of the sound which follows, whereas British English retains the /r/ only when it is followed by a vowel. Compare U.S. mar /mr/, marring /mr/ with British mar /m/, marring /mr/ Between vowels (except at the start of a stressed syllable) U.S. English has /d/ where British English has /t/. Compare U.S. butter /bdr/, and waiting /wed/ (as against wait /wet/) with British butter /bt/, waiting /wet/, wait /wet/ U.S. speakers are more likely than British speakers to distinguish between wear (with /w/) and where (with either /w/ or /hw/). II. Vowels and Diphthongs
a	as in	price /pras/	aI
a	...	mouth /ma/	aU
	...	lot /lt/, palm /pm/, start /strt/, and some pronunciations of cloth /cl/, thought /t/	A
æ	...	trap /træp/, bath /bæ/	{
e	...	face /fes/	eI
	...	dress /drs/, square /skw()r/, marry /mri/	E
	...	strut /strt/, nurse /nrs/, another /nr/, rabbit /ræbt/	@
i	...	fleece /flis/, happy /hæpi/	i
	...	kit /kt/, near /n()r/	I
o	...	goat /got/	oU
	...	force /f()rs/, north /nr/, and some pronunciations of cloth /cl/, thought /t/	O
	...	choice /ts/	OI
u	...	goose /gus/	u
	...	foot /ft/, cure /kj()r/	U
	...	rapprochement /ræprm/, fin de siècle /f dsjkl/	A~
	...	bon mot /bmo/	O~

represents free variation between // and //
represents free variation between // and //

When searching pronunciations, the symbols and have as their keyboard equivalents 1 and } respectively.

Where //, //, //, or // is followed by /r/, an intervening // is often inserted, e.g. near /n()r/, square /skw()r/, force /f()rs/, cure /kj()r/.

Stress

The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrate /srbret/.

The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebration /srbren/.

The symbol at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable may be pronounced with either primary or secondary stress, as in the first syllable of cerebrospinal /srbrospanl/.

When searching pronunciations, the superior stress mark () has a double quotation mark (") as its keyboard equivalent, and the inferior stress mark () has the percentage symbol (%) as its keyboard equivalent.

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Key for New Edition entries

A. British English

I. Consonants

II. Vowels and Diphthongs

Stress

B. U.S. English

I. Consonants

II. Vowels and Diphthongs

Stress