Spelling of the English Sounds

8/12/2019 Spelling of the English Sounds

1/22

Sound Spellings Example OtherPronunciation

Non-Phonetic Remarks

/l/let

l/ll like

black

ball

circle

double

little

/r/red

r/rr red

sorry

year

wr write

wrap

wrong

/b/boy

b/bb back

rabbit

job

In words that end in the letters -mb, the bis silent, and onlythe m soundis pronounced (examples include the words climb,limband thumb).

/p/pen

p/pp pet

happy

hope

rope

In words that begin with the lettersps-, thepis silent and onlythe s soundis pronounced (examples include the wordsps

ychology,psalmandps

ychic). This spelling pattern isuncommon.

/d/do

d/dd downladder

sad

The pronunciation of the -edending depends on the finalsound before the suffix.

/t/top

t/tt take

attach

eat

letter

The pronunciation of the -edending depends on the finalsound before the suffix.


2/22



/!/go

g/gg girl

begin

egg

j sound(gentle) When thegspelling is followed by the letters e, i, or y, thejsoundis the most common pronunciation (examples includethe wordsgentle,giantandgy

psy).

-gue intrigue

league

vague

g sound+vowelsound (guest

Theguespelling is generally only pronounced as a g sound

when it is at the end of a word. In the beginning or middle of aword, theguespelling is likely pronouncedg sound+vowelsound (examples include the wordsguestandguerilla).

(n+)g anger

language

single

ng sound(song When the ngspelling occurs in the middle of a word, it may bepronounced as an ng soundfollowed by ag soundor just an ngsound(consult your dictionary to be sure which is used forspecific words). At the end of a word, or as part of the -ingending, the ngspelling does not typically include ag sound.

/k/cat

k kid

skin

broke

When the knspelling occurs at the beginning of a word the k issilent. (examples include the words knowand knee).

ck chicken

black

duck

c cat

focus

lilac

specificcomic

s sound(city) When the cspelling is followed by the letter eor the letter i,the s soundis the most common pronunciation (examplesinclude the words centerand city).

ch chorus

choir

chaos

ache

sh sound(chef)ch sound(chip)

The ch sound, not the k soundor sh sound, is the mostcommon pronunciation for the chspelling.


3/22



qu quit

quiet

squeak

The quspelling is not pronounced strictly a k sound, but israther a k soundfollowed by a w sound.

-que antique

uniqueboutique

k sound+w

sound+vowelsound (quest)

The quespelling is generally only pronounced as a k soundwhen it is at the end of a word; otherwise it is likely

pronounced k sound+w sound+vowel sound (examples includethe words questionand banquet).

/!/voiced th

them

th them

mother

smooth

In general, the voiced thsound occurs in far fewer words thanthe unvoiced th. However, the voiced thsound is morecommon in function words (such as articles, pronouns, anddemonstratives). For example, the function words the, that,them, these, they, their(and more), are pronounced with avoiced th.

/"/unvoiced th

think

th think

methodbath

In general, the voiced thsound occurs in far fewer words thanthe unvoiced th. However, the voiced thsound is more

common in function words (such as articles, pronouns, anddemonstratives). For example, the function words the, that,them, these, they, their(and more), are pronounced with avoiced th.

/z/zoo

z zoo

dozen

quiz

s visit

his

because

s sound(past) asis

histhose

because

The letter sis more likely to be pronounced as a z soundthanan s soundwhen it occurs between vowel soundswithin aword. If the letter sis part of a prefix (such as the word

disability), this is less likely to be true. At the end of a wordthe letters sor seare equally likely to be pronounced as an ssoundor a z sound. It is important to note the correctpronunciation at the time of learning new vocabulary withthese spellings.

x exit

example

anxiety

s sound(box) Students must realize that the letterxcan be pronounced as ksound + s soundor as g sound+ z sound. A combination ofsyllable stress and surrounding sounds determine the correctletterxpronunciation.


4/22



-s/-es boys

cars

finishes

s sound(cats) Whether the -s/-essuffix is pronounced with a z soundor withan s sounddepends on the final sound before the suffix.

-ise/-ize emphasize

exerciseimprovise

-ism tourism

journalism

activism

/s/so

s/ss so

past

kiss

z sound(visit) The letter sis more likely to be pronounced as a z soundthanan s soundwhen it occurs between vowel soundswithin aword. If the letter sis part of a prefix (such as the worddisability), this is less likely to be true. At the end of a word

the letters sor seare equally likely to be pronounced as an ssoundor a z sound. It is important to note the correctpronunciation at the time of learning new vocabulary withthese spellings.

c(+e) center

licence

bounce

When the cspelling is followed by the letter eor the letter i,the s soundis the most common pronunciation (examplesinclude the words centerand city).

c(+i) circle

city

medicine

When the cspelling is followed by the letter eor the letter i,the s soundis the most common pronunciation (examplesinclude the words centerand city).

sc science

muscle

descend

s sound+ksound(scare)

The scspelling is most likely to be pronounced as an s soundwhen the spelling occurs in the middle of a word. At thebeginning of a word, it is more likely to be pronounced as the ssoundfollowed by the k sound, as in the words scareandscript.


5/22



x box

next

oxygen

z sound(exit) Students must realize that the letterxcan be pronounced as ksound + s soundor as g sound+ z sound. A combination ofsyllable stress and the surrounding sounds determine thecorrect letterxpronunciation.

-s/-es catswants

laughs

z sound(boys) Whether the -s/-essuffix is pronounced with an s soundorwith a z sounddepends on the final sound before the suffix.

-ous/-ious cautious

curious

dangerous

/"/zh sound

usual

-ge beige

garagemassage

j sound(gentle) genre Thege spelling for the zh soundusually, but not exclusively,occurs the end of words. Also note that thej sound

pronunciation of thege(as in the words ageand huge) is muchmore common than the zh sound.

-sion version

conclusion

decision

sh sound(passion)

The -sionsuffix is only likely to be pronounced with a zh soundwhen it is preceded by an r soundor a vowel sound (as in thewords versionand invasion). In most other circumstances, thesh soundis the more likely pronunciation for this suffix.

s+ure leisure

measure

exposure

sh sound(pressure)

seizure If the s+urespelling is preceded by a vowel sound, the word islikely pronounced with the zh sound. When the letter sispreceded by a consonant sound or is spelled with two adjacentletter s's(as in the wordspressureand insure), it is usuallypronounced as the sh sound.

s+u+al casual

usual

visual

luxurious


6/22



/#/sh sound

she

sh ship

ashame

wish

ch chef

machinemoustache

ch sound(chip)

k sound(chaos)

The ch sound(not the sh sound), is the most commonpronunciation for the chspelling.

-tion station

solution

intuition

ch sound(question)

The -tionsuffix is only likely to be pronounced with a ch soundwhen it is preceded by an s sound(as in the words questionand suggestion). In most other circumstances, the sh soundisthe more likely pronunciation for this suffix.

-sion passion

admission

expansion

zh sound(vision)

The -sionsuffix is only likely to be pronounced with a zh soundwhen it is preceded by an r soundor a vowel sound (as in thewords versionand vision). In most other circumstances, the shsoundis the more likely pronunciation for this suffix.

s+ure pressure

assure

insure

zh sound(closure)

sure In the s+urespelling, the letter sis usually only pronounced asthe sh soundwhen it is preceded by a consonant sound or isspelled with two adjacent letter s's. If the s+urespelling ispreceded by a vowel sound, the word is likely pronounced witha zh sound(as in the word closure).

c+ious/t

+ious

cautious

precious

spacious

ocean

issue

sugar

/v/very

v/ve very

never

have

When a word ends in a v sound, the letter vis almost alwaysfollowed by the letter e


7/22



/f/face

f/ff fine

lift

stuff

ph phase

orphangraph

-gh laugh

enough

cough

/h/he

h hello

happy

behind

wh who

whole

whose

When the letters whare followed by the oo sound(such as theword who) or the long osound (such as the word whole), theletters whare likely to be pronounced as an h sound. When theletters whare followed by any other sounds, the whis likely tobe pronounced as a w sound(examples include the words whenand why).

/$/j sound

joy

j jump

juice

eject

dg budget

bridge

edge

g(+i) giant

logic

imagine

g sound(girl)


8/22



g(+e) gentle

agenda

age

g sound(get) While theg soundis possible for theg+espelling (as in thewordsget,geek, andgear), thej soundis a far more commonpronunciation for this spelling.

d(+u) procedure

educate

schedule

d sound(reduce)

While thej soundis possible for the d+uspelling, the d sound

is a far more common pronunciation for this spelling (as in thewords industryand reduce). Thej soundcan be mostanticipated when the vowel sound preceding the d+uisstressed.

-logy trilogy

apology

mithology

/%/ch sound

cheese

ch chip

teacher

rich

k sound(chorus)

sh sound(chef)

cello

tch kitchen

itch

watch

t(+u) virtue

century

spatula

t sound(study) While the t+uspelling is preceded by the letter sor begins astressed (or secondarily stressed) syllable, the t soundis themore common pronunciation (as in the words studyandsolitude)

-(s)tion question

exhaustion

suggestion

sh sound(station)

The -tionsuffix is only likely to be pronounced with a ch soundwhen it is preceded by an s sound. In most othercircumstances, the sh soundis the more likely pronunciationfor this suffix (examples include the words stationand action).

/m/me

m/mm made

summer

exam


9/22



-mn autumn

column

condemn

When the mnspelling occurs at the end of a word it is usuallypronounced as an m sound(the nis silent). If a suffix is addedto the word, however, the n soundmay be pronounced. Forinstance, the n soundis not pronounced in the words autumnor column, but is pronounced in the words columnalandcondemnation.

In the middle of a word, the mnis more frequently pronouncedas an m soundfollowed by an n sound(as in the words chimneyand remnant). Consult a dictionary for the correctpronunciation of individual words.

-mb climb

limb

dumb

When the mbspelling occurs at the end of a word it is usuallypronounced as an m sound(the bis silent). In the middle of aword, the mbis more frequently pronounced as an m soundfollowed by a b sound(as in the words numberand ambition).Consult a dictionary for the correct pronunciation of individualwords.

/n/

no

n/nn note

bannertwin

kn know

knock

knee

When the knspelling occurs at the beginning of a word the k issilent.

gn gnome

sign

campaign

n sound+gsound (signal)

When thegnspelling occurs at the beginning or end of a wordit is usually pronounced as an n sound. In the middle of a wordit is more likely to be pronounced as ag soundfollowed by ann sound(as in the words signaland ignore). Consult a

dictionary for the correct pronunciation of individual words.

/#/ng sound

sing

ng hung

spring

song

When the ngspelling occurs in the middle of a word, it may bepronounced as an ng soundfollowed by ag sound(as in thewords angryorfinger. At the end of a word, or as part of the -ingending, the pronunciation of this spelling does not typicallyinclude ag sound.


10/22



n(+k) ankle

link

bank

n(+c) uncle

functionextinct

The letter nin the n(+c)spelling is only pronounced as the ngsound when the pronunciation of the letter cis pronounced as

a k sound. If the letter cis pronounced as an s sound, theletter nwill be pronounced as an n sound(as in the wordsdanceandpencil).

/w/we

w win

sweet

rewind

When the wis followed by an r(as in the words write, wrap,and wrist) the w+rcombination is more likely to bepronounced as an r sound, not a w sound.

wh when

why

whilewhat

h sound(who) The letters whare more likely to be pronounced as an h soundwhen they are followed by the oo sound(such as the wordwho) or the long osound (such as the word whole).

qu quit

quiet

queen

The quspelling is not strictly a w sound, but is rather a wsoundpreceded by a k sound.

one

choir

memoir

The words oneand wonare homonyms and are pronounced thesame.

/j/y sound

yes

y yes

you

beyond

long e(happy)long i(my

short i(myth)

The letter yis often a part of the oi soundwhen it is spelled oy,as in the word toy,or part of the long asound when it is spelleday,as in the word day. When it is part of a vowel spelling, the ysoundmerges with the vowel sound and is no longer considereda distinct y sound. Instead, it is a portion of the two-soundvowel.


11/22

Sound Spellings Example Other Pronunciation Non-Phonetic Remarks

/e&/long a

cake

a_e

(VCe)

same

cake

safe

short a (have) When the aispelling is followed by the letter ror the consonant ofthe a_espelling is the letter r(as in the words stairand care), thesound is more likely to be pronounced as the air soundinstead of thelong asound followed by the r sound.

ai rain

paid

faith

When the aispelling is followed by the letter ror the consonant ofthe a_espelling is the letter r(as in the words stairand care), thesound is more likely to be pronounced as the air soundinstead of the

long asound followed by the r sound.

ay say

play

way

eigh eight

weigh

sleigh

-a(+te) celebratedecorate

evaluate

short i(delicate)

Only verbs using the -atesuffix are pronounced with a long asound,otherwise the short ipronunciation is more common (as in the wordsdelicateand unfortunate).

they

great

break

grey

caf

/i/long e

keep

ee keep

free

seem

short i(been)


12/22


ea each

dream

tea

peace

bean

short e(dead)

ie_e piecegrieve

achieve

ie brief

priest

field

long i(pie) Along with the long eand long ipronunciation, the iespelling isoccasionally pronounced as two adjacent vowel sounds, such as thewords quiet, alien, and science. Consult a dictionary to be certain ofthe pronunciation of unfamiliar words spelled ie.

-y happymarry

pony

agency

quality

mythology

topography

long i(my)The consonant+y suffixesare most frequently pronounced with a long

esound. An exception is the -fy suffix, which is usually pronouncedwith a long isound (as in the words notifyandglorify).

-e me

weshehe

The -espelling is pronounced as the long eonly in single-syllablewords where the eis the final and only vowel in the spelling of the

word.

/'&/long ibike

i_e

(VCe)

icehidesmile


13/22


igh lightbrightsigh

ie tiepie

die

long e(brief) Along with the long eand long ipronunciation, the iespelling isoccasionally pronounced as two adjacent vowel sounds, such as thewords quiet, alien, and science. Consult a dictionary to be certain ofthe pronunciation of unfamiliar words spelled ie.

-y shyskydry

long e(happy)

-y- cyclepsycho

dynamichyper

short i(symbol)

-ize/-ise emphasizeexercise

improvise

-fy clarifyspecifyidentify

eye

mind

kind

child

buy


14/22


/o(/long ohome

o_e

(VCe)

jokeropehopevote

When the common long ospellings are followed by the letter ror theconsonant of the o_espelling is the letter r(as in the wordsfor, soarand more), the sound is more likely to be pronounced as the or soundinstead of the long osound followed by the r sound. If the orspellingoccurs on an unstressed syllable (as in the words honorandfactor), aschwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

oa boat

soaptoast

When the common long ospellings are followed by the letter ror theconsonant of the o_espelling is the letter r(as in the wordsfor, soar

and more), the sound is more likely to be pronounced as the or soundinstead of the long osound followed by the r sound. If the orspellingoccurs on an unstressed syllable (as in the words honorandfactor), aschwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

ow snowown

known

ow sound(cow)

o

(CVC)

mostgo

both

short o(box)

aw sound(dog)

When the common long ospellings are followed by the letter ror theconsonant of the o_espelling is the letter r(as in the wordsfor, soarand more), the sound is more likely to be pronounced as the or sound

instead of the long osound followed by the r sound. If the orspellingoccurs on an unstressed syllable (as in the words honorandfactor), aschwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

though

goes

/ju/long ucute

u_e

(VCe)

cutecubehuge

oo sound(rude) A long uspelling is generally pronounced as a long u(not an oosound) sound when it comes after the following consonant sounds:

! m sound

! k sound

! f sound! b sound! v sound! h sound

Following other consonant sounds, these spellings are more likely tobe pronounced as the oo sound.

ue fuelhue

rescue

oo sound(clue) The -uespelling is usually silent when it occurs at the end of a wordand follows the lettersg, ng, or q(examples include the wordsfatigue, tongue, and unique). An exception is the word argue, whichends in a long usound.


15/22


ew fewpewskew

OO sound(chew)

usual

university

beautifulmusic

future

human

//short a

cat

-a-

(CVC)

askbathclass

When the consonant following the letter ais the letter r(as in thewords starand car), the sound is usually pronounced as the ar soundinstead of the short asound followed by the r sound. If the arspelling occurs on an unstressed syllable (as in the words dollarandsugar), a schwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

havelaugh

/)/short e

bed

-e-

(CVC)

bedsendyes

When the consonant following the letter eis the letter r(as in thewords herand after), the sound is usually pronounced as the schwa+rinstead of the short esound followed by the r sound.

ea headbread

heaven

long e(dream)

said

says

friend

guest

again


16/22


/&/short i

sit

-i-

(CVC)

itlip

spin

When the consonant following the letter iis the letter r(as in thewords stirandgirl), the sound is usually pronounced as the schwa+rinstead of the short isound followed by the r sound.

consonant-

y-

consonant

mythsymbolsystem

long i(cycle)

-ate accuratepassionateunfortunate

long a(celebrate)

The -atesuffix is pronounced with a short isound when the word isbeing used as a noun or an adjective. When the -atesuffix is beingused as a verb, a long apronunciation is more common (as in thewords celebrateand evaluate).

-ive activeexcessivealternative

-ed landedskated

celebrated

no vowel The vowel sound of the -edending is pronounced with a short isoundwhen the sound before the -edis a t soundor a d sound.

been

give

busy

building

/'/short o

top

-o-(CVC)

oddbox

shock

long o(most)aw sound(dog)

When the consonant following the letter ois the letter r(as in thewordsforand order), the sound is usually pronounced as the orsoundinstead of the short osound followed by the r sound. If the orspelling occurs on an unstressed syllable (as in the words honoranddoctor), a schwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

father

S d S lli E l O h P i i N Ph i R k


17/22


/*/short u

sun

-u-

(CVC)

usduckjust

other u(put) When the consonant following the letter uis the letter r(as in thewords blurandfur), the sound is usually pronounced as the schwa+rinstead of the short usound followed by the r sound.

won/onedonenonefromcome

enoughmotherbrother

The words oneand wonare homonyms and are pronounced the same.

/(/

other uput

oo good

lookbook

oo sound(soon)

-u-

(CVC)

putfull

sugar

short u(just) When the consonant following the letter uis the letter r(as in thewords blurandfur), the sound is usually pronounced as the schwa+rinstead of the other usound followed by the r sound.

-ure pure

cureinsure

schwa+r

(nature)

The urespelling is only common when it occurs are the end of a wordon a stressed syllable. On an unstressed syllable, the schwa+rpronunciation is more common (as in the words closureandadventure).

could

should

would

woman

S d S lli E l Oth P i ti N Ph ti R k


18/22


/u/oo

soundsoon

oo soonfood

school

other u(good)

u_e

(VCe)

rude

intrudesalute

long u(cute)

-ue cluetrueglue

long u(fuel) The -uespelling is silent when it occurs at the end of a word andfollows the lettersg, ng, or q(examples include the wordsfatigue,tongue, and unique). An exception is the word argue, which ends in along usound.

ew drewchew

flew

long u(few)

through

two

who

do

move

fruit

shoe

movie

/+/aw

sounddog

aw lawawfuldrawn

Sound Spellings Example Other Pronunciation Non Phonetic Remarks


19/22


-o-

(CVC)

doglostsoft

short o(top)long o(most)

When the consonant following the letter ois the letter r(as in thewordsforand order), the sound is usually pronounced as the orsound. If the orspelling occurs on an unstressed syllable (as in thewords honorandfactor), a schwa+rpronunciation is also possible.

au cautionhaunt

author

augh(+t) caughtdaughter

taught

ough(+t) broughtthoughtfought

The oughspelling is pronounced with the aw soundwhen it isfollowed by the letter t. There are no pronunciation patterns whenoughoccurs at the end of a word. For example, the words enough,through, and thougheach have different pronunciations for the oughspelling.

(w+)a wantwashwatch

The letter ais often pronounced as the aw soundwhen it occursbetween the letter wand a consonant. Exceptions to this patterninclude the words wax, waste, and wagon.

gone

talk

walk

almost

/+&/oi

soundjoin

oi oilvoicepoint



20/22


oy boyjoyloyal

lawyerThe word lawyercan be pronounced with either the oi soundor the awsoundfollowed by a y sound.

/a(/owsounddown

ow cowbrown

owl

long o(snow)

ou mousecountout

/,/schwa+rher

er herverbafter

Because the schwa+rhas no discernible vowel sound, it is considered a

syllabic consonant. Syllabic consonants include a vowel in the spelling,even though that vowel is not pronounced. When learning about r-controlled vowels, syllable stress is important because any unstressedsyllable containing an rmay be pronounced as schwa+r, no matterwhich vowel is included in the spelling.

ir girlbirthstir

ur burnpurpleoccur

ear learnpearlheard

long e+r sound(hear)



21/22


(w+)or wordworkworld

vowel+r(unstressed

syllable)

doctorforget

dollar

Schwa+ris a likely pronunciation for any vowel+rspelling that occursadjacent to a stressed syllable.

-er teacherfaster

smaller

were

/'r/ar

soundcar

ar armstart

car

are

/+r/or

soundmore

or cornnorthshort

When the orspelling follows a w, schwa+ris a more likelypronunciation (examples include the words work, worldand word).

-ore morestorebefore

oar boardroarsoar



22/22


(w+)ar warmwarningaward

-ory categorydormitory

territoryfourfloordoor

/)r/air

sound

chair

air chairpairstair

-are darerare

scare

-ary contraryprimary

dictionary

there/their/theyrewherestereoterrible

Documents

Spelling of the English Sounds