Sound To Spelling Correspondences
The following table shows for each sound, the various spelling patterns used to denote it. The symbol "…" stands for an intervening consonant. The letter sequences are in order of frequency with the most common first. Some of these patterns are very rare or unique, such as au for the sound in laugh (some accents). In some cases, the spellings shown are found in only one known English word (such as "mh" for /m/, or "yrrh" for /ɜr/).
| Consonants | ||
|---|---|---|
| IPA | Spelling | Examples |
| /p/ | p, pp, gh | pill, happy, hiccough |
| /b/ | b, bb | bit, rabbit |
| /t/ | t, tt, ed, pt, th, ct | ten, hitter, topped, pterodactyl, thyme, ctenoid |
| /d/ | d, dd, ed, dh, t (in some dialects), tt (in some dialects) | dive, ladder, failed, dharma, waiter, flatter |
| /ɡ/ | g, gg, gue, gh | go, stagger, catalogue, ghost |
| /k/ | c, k, ck, ch, cc, qu, cu, que, kk, kh, q | cat, key, tack, chord, account, liquor, biscuit, mosque, trekker, khan, burqa |
| /m/ | m, mm, mb, mn, mh, gm, chm | mine, hammer, climb, hymn, mho, diaphragm, drachm |
| /n/ | n, nn, kn, gn, pn, nh, cn, mn | nice, funny, knee, gnome, pneumonia, piranha, cnidarian, mnemonic |
| /ŋ/ | ng, n, ngue | sing, link, tongue |
| /r/ | r, rr, wr, rh, rrh | ray, parrot, wrong, rhyme, diarrh(o)ea |
| /f/ | f, ph, ff, gh, pph, u | fine, physical, off, laugh, sapphire, lieutenant (Br) |
| /v/ | v, vv, f, ph, w (in some dialects) | vine, savvy, of, Stephen, Diwali |
| /θ/ | th, chth, phth, tth, fth (in some dialects) | thin, chthonic, phthisis, Matthew, twelfth |
| /ð/ | th | them, breathe |
| /s/ | s, c, ss, sc, st, ps, sch (in some dialects), cc, se, ce, z (in some dialects) | song, city, mess, scene, listen, psychology, schism, flaccid, horse, juice, citizen |
| /z/ | s, z, x, zz, ss, ze, c (in some dialects) | has, zoo, xylophone, fuzz, scissors, breeze, electricity |
| /ʃ/ | sh, ti, ci, ssi, si, ss, ch, s, sci, ce, sch, sc | shin, nation, special, mission, expansion, tissue, machine, sugar, conscience, ocean, schmooze, crescendo |
| /ʒ/ | si, s, g, z, j, ti, sh (in some dialects) | division, leisure, genre, seizure, jeté, equation, Pershing |
| /tʃ/ | ch, t, tch, ti, c, cc, tsch, cz | chin, nature, batch, bastion (some accents), cello, bocce, putsch, Czech |
| /dʒ/ | g, j, dg, dge, d, di, gi, ge, gg | magic, jump, judgment, bridge, graduate, soldier, Belgian, dungeon, exaggerate |
| /h/ | h, wh, j, ch | he, who, fajita, chutzpah |
| /j/ | y, i, j, ll, e | yes, onion, hallelujah, tortilla, eoarchean |
| /l/ | l, ll, lh | line, hallo, Lhasa |
| /w/ | w, u, o, ou, wh (in most dialects) | we, persuade, choir, Ouija board, what |
| /hw/ | wh (in some dialects) | wheel |
| Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| IPA | Spelling | Examples |
| /iː/ | e, ea, ee, e…e, ae, ei, i…e, ie, eo, oe, ie...e, ay, ey, i, y, oi, ue, ey, a | be, beach, bee, cede, Caesar, deceit, machine, field, people, amoeba, hygiene, quay, key, ski, city, chamois, Portuguese, geyser (Br), karaoke |
| /ɪ/ | i, y, ui, e, ee, ie, o, u, a, ei, ee, ia, ea, i...e, ai, ii, oe | bit, myth, build, pretty, been (some accents), sieve, women, busy, damage, counterfeit, carriage, mileage, medicine, bargain, shiitake, oedema |
| /uː/ | oo, u, o, u…e, ou, ew, ue, o…e, ui, eu, oeu, oe, ough, wo, ioux, ieu, oup, w | tool, luminous, who, flute, soup, jewel, true, lose, fruit, maneuver (US), manoeuvre (Br), canoe, through, two, Sioux, lieutenant (US), coup, cwm |
| /ʊ/ | oo, u, o, oo...e, or, ou, oul | look, full, wolf, gooseberry, worsted, courier, should |
| /eɪ/ | a, a…e, aa, ae, ai, ai...e, aig, aigh, al, ao, au, ay, e (é), e...e, ea, eg, ei, ei...e, eig, eigh, ee (ée), eh, er, es, et, ey, ez, ie, oeh | bass, rate, quaalude, reggae, rain, cocaine, arraign, straight, Ralph (sometimes in Br), gaol (Br), gauge, pay, ukulele (café), crepe, steak, thegn, veil, beige, reign, eight, matinee (soirée), eh, dossier, demesne, ballet, obey, chez, lingerie (US), boehmite |
| /ə/ | a, e, o, u, ai, ou, eig, y, ah, ough, ae, oi | another, anthem, awesome, atrium, mountain, callous, foreign, beryl, Messiah, borough (Br), Michael, porpoise |
| /oʊ/ | o, o…e, oa, ow, ou, oe, oo, eau, oh, ew, au, aoh, ough, eo | so, bone, boat, know, soul, foe, brooch, beau, oh, sew, mauve, pharaoh, furlough, yeoman |
| /ɛ/ | e, ea, a, ae, ai, ay, ea…e, ei, eo, ie, ieu, u, ue, oe | met, weather, many, aesthetic, said, says, cleanse, heifer, jeopardy, friend, lieutenant (Br), bury, guess, foetid |
| /æ/ | a, ai, al, au, i | hand, plaid, salmon, laugh (some accents), meringue |
| /ʌ/ | u, o, o…e, oe, ou, oo, wo | sun, son, come, does, touch, flood, twopence |
| /ɔː/ | a, au, aw, ough, augh, o, oa, oo, al, uo, u, ao | fall, author, jaw, bought, caught, cord, broad, door, walk, fluorine (Br), sure (some accents), extraordinary |
| /ɒ/ | o, a, eau, ach, au, ou | lock, watch, bureaucracy, yacht, sausage, cough |
| /ɑː/ | a, ah, aa, i | father, blah, baa, lingerie (US) |
| /aɪ/ | ae, ai, aie, aille, ais, ay, aye, ei, eigh, ey, eye, i, i…e, ia, ie, ic, ig, igh, is, oi, ui, uy, uye, y, y...e, ye | maestro, krait, shanghaied, canaille (RP), aisle, kayak, aye, heist, height, geyser (US), eye, mic, fine, diaper, tie, indict, sign, high, isle, choir, guide, buy, guyed, tryst, type, bye |
| /ɔɪ/ | oi, oy, awy, uoy oy…e, eu | foil, toy, lawyer, buoy, gargoyle, Freudian |
| /aʊ/ | ou, ow, ough, au | out, now, bough, tau |
| /ɑr/ | aar, ar, are, arre, ear, er, our, uar, arrh | bazaar, car, are, bizarre, heart, sergeant, our (some accents), guard, catarrh |
| /ɛər/ | aar, aer, air, aire, ar, are, ayer, ayor, ear, eir, er, ere, err, erre, ey're, e'er | Aaron, aerial, hair, millionaire, ware, vary, prayer, mayor, bear, heir, stationery (some accents), where, err (variant), parterre, they're, e'er |
| /ɪər/ | ear, eer, eir, eor, ere, ers, e're, ier, iere, ir | ear, beer, weir, theory (US), here, revers, we're, pier, premiere, menhir |
| /ɜr/ | er, or, ur, ir, yr, our, ear, err, eur, yrrh, ar, oeu, olo | fern, worst, turn, thirst, myrtle, journey, earth, err, amateur, myrrh, grammar, hors d'oeuvre, colonel |
| /juː/ | u, u…e, eu, ue, iew, eau, ieu, ueue, ui, ewe, ew | music*, use, feud, cue, view, beautiful*, adieu*, queue, nuisance*, ewe, few, * in some dialects, see yod-dropping |
Read more about this topic: English Orthography, Spelling Patterns
Famous quotes containing the words sound and/or spelling:
“Methinks the human method of expression by sound of tongue is very elementary, & ought to be substituted for some ingenious invention which should be able to give vent to at least six coherent sentences at once.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“Some let me make you of the heartless words.
The heart is drained that, spelling in the scurry
Of chemic blood, warned of the coming fury.
By the sea’s side hear the dark-vowelled birds.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
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