How to learn English phonetics?

124

05 September 2025

Readers-friendly

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

Phonetics is a key part of learning English. In the first lessons at language schools, teachers introduce students to the rules of pronunciation. This is necessary because in English, words are often read and sounded differently than they are written. Combinations of letters can create sounds that are unfamiliar to Ukrainian speakers. Learning phonetics means communicating in English naturally, without the noticeable accent characteristic of those whose native language is Ukrainian.

Basic rules for reading English sounds

British English has 44 phonetic units, which include 24 consonants and 20 vowels, 8 of which are diphthongs — sounds that always combine two vowels in one pronunciation. Below are all the phonemes with transcriptions.

Consonant phonemes:

[f] — five [d] — do [v] — very [k] — key
[θ] — thick [g] — gas [ð] — this [tʃ] — chin
[s] — so [dʒ] — Jim [z] — zoo [m] — mother
[ʃ] — ship [n] — no [ʒ] — pleasure [ŋ] — long
[h] — horse [l] — less [p] — park [r] — river
[b] — book [j] — yellow [t] — tea [w] — white

Vowel letters — monophthongs:
[i:] — eat [ə] — paper [i] — it [ʌ] — cup
[e] — pen [ʊ] — cook [æ] — bad [u:] — school
[a:] — art [ɜ:] — girl [ɒ] — box [ɔ:] — all

Vowel phonemes — diphthongs:
[ai] — like [eə] — air [aʊ] — house [ʊə] — poor
[ɔi] — boy [əʊ] — home [ei] — lake [iə] — ear

English sounds are classified as vowels and consonants depending on how they are formed. Vowel phonemes are produced by the vibration of the vocal cords and the free passage of air through the vocal tract. Consonants are formed when the airflow encounters obstacles created by the tongue, lips, teeth, or other parts of the vocal tract. Next, we will look at how these phonemes are formed in English.

Basic rules for reading English vowel sounds: how to learn to pronounce English sounds correctly?

Below is a brief description of English vowel phonemes with examples of common words that are easy for beginners to pronounce.

[ʌ] — a short, relaxed sound.
Examples: bus [bʌs] — bus, cup [kʌp] — cup.
Spelled: u before consonants or o before m, n, v, th.

[æ] — somewhere between [е] and [а], no equivalent in Ukrainian.
Examples: cat [kæt] — cat, hat [hæt] — hat.
Spelled: a before consonants.

[a:] — a long, rich vowel, longer than the Ukrainian [а].
Examples: car [ka:r] — automobile, park [pa:k] — park.
Spelled: ar, as, and also a before f, nt, th.

[ai]
Diphthong: short [ʌ] + barely audible [i].
Examples: bike [baik] — bicycle, white [wait] — white.
Spelled: i, y (often before ld, nd, gh or with a silent e).

[aʊ] — diphthong: combination of [ʌ] + [ʊ].
Examples: house [haʊs] — house, mouse [maʊs] — mouse.
Spelled: ou, ow (exceptions: country, cousin).

[aiə], [aʊə] — a combination of the diphthongs [ai], [aʊ] with a neutral [ə].
Examples: fire [faiə] — fire, hour [aʊə] — hour.
Spelled: i/y + r + e, io; ow + vowel, our.

[i] — short, like unstressed [і] in Ukrainian.
Examples: milk [milk] — milk, ship [ʃip] — ship.
Spelled: i or unstressed e.

[i:] — long, similar to [і] with stress.
Examples: green [gri:n] — green, tea [ti:] — tea.
Spelled: e, ea, ee, ei, ie (exception — key).

[e] — short [е], tongue relaxed.
Examples: pen [pen] — pen, red [red] — red.
Spelled: e before consonants.

[ei] — [e] + [i].
Examples: face [feis] — face, cake [keik] — cake.
Spelled: a + consonant + e, ey.

[ə] — neutral vowel.
Examples: sofa [səfə], banana [bəˈnɑːnə].
Spelled: or, er, ar in unstressed positions or a at the beginning/end.

[iə] — [i] + [ə].
Examples: idea [aiˈdiə] — idea, ear [iə] — ear.
Spelled: ear, eer, e + r + vowel.

[ɜ:] — long, difficult to pronounce.
Examples: word [wɜ:d] — word, nurse [nɜ:s] — nurse.
Spelled: e, i, u, y + r, ear + consonant.

[ɒ] — halfway between [a] and [o].
Examples: dog [dɒg], hot [hɒt].
Spelled: o before consonants.

[ɔ:] — long, deep [o].
Examples: door [dɔ:] — door, call [kɔ:l] — to call.
Spelled: o + r, al + consonant, au, aw.

[ɔi] — [ɔ] + [i].
Examples: join [dʒɔin] — to join, toy [tɔi] — toy.
Spelled: oi, oy.

[əʊ] — [ə] + [ʊ].
Examples: home [həʊm] — home, road [rəʊd] — road.
Spelled: oa, ow, o + consonant + e.

[ʊ] — short sound, lips rounded.
Examples: book [bʊk] — book, push [pʊʃ] — to push.
Spelled: oo + k, u after consonants.

[u:], [ju:] — long [u:] or [j] + [u:].
Examples: moon [mu:n], music [mju:zik].
Spelled: oo, u + l + e, ew, u + consonant.

[ʊə], [jʊə] — [ʊ] + [ə], or with [j] at the beginning.
Examples: tour [tʊə] — tour, cure [kjʊə] — to cure.
Spelled: ure after a consonant.

[eə] — [e] + [ə].
Examples: hair [heə] — hair, chair [tʃeə] — chair.
Spelled: are, air, eir.

Consonants: how to pronounce sounds in English correctly?

Learning how to read consonant sounds in English and their pronunciation is usually easier. Although there are more consonants than vowels in general, many of them have analogues in Ukrainian, so learning them is not particularly difficult.

[p], [b], [k], [g], [f], [v], [m].
Alveolar consonants, the jaws close and open. Almost like Ukrainian [п], [б], [к], [г], [ф], [в], [м].
Examples: pen, box, clean, goose, football, vest, miss.

[n], [l], [t], [d].
Short sounds, the tip of the tongue touches the gums.
Examples: net, less, tip, dull.

[s], [z].
Fricative sibilant sounds, air passes between the tip of the tongue and the gums.
Examples: some, start, visit, zebra.

[θ], [ð].
Interdental, no equivalent in Ukrainian. Pass through the middle of the tongue to its tip.
Examples: they, then, thin, tenth.

[ŋ].
Nasal back of the tongue, pressed against the middle of the palate. Similar to [n], but softer.
Examples: song, England, long.

[r].
Rotational, the tip of the tongue rises to the palate.
Examples: river, street, reason.

[j].
Soft [й].
Examples: yes, yet.

[tʃ], [dʒ].
Affricates: [tʃ] like [ч], [dʒ] similar to дж.
Examples: cheese, teacher, gym, cage.

[h].
Guttural, weak, pronounced on exhalation.
Examples: he, how, hotel.

[ʃ], [ʒ].
Sibilants: [ʃ] — sh, [ʒ] — j/zh.
Examples: ship, shape, vision, pleasure.

[w].
Lips are rounded and pushed forward.
Examples: week, wool, word, worm.

How to deal with difficult transcription cases

To always effectively deal with difficult cases of English transcription, it is worth applying a comprehensive approach. Here are some practical tips:

Focus on listening.

Listen to native speakers and repeat after them: audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube. Compare your pronunciation with a dictionary with phonetic transcription.

Break down into sounds.

Break the word into syllables and pronounce each sound separately. For example: thought → [θɔːt] → θ – ɔː – t.

Use articulation cues.

Pay attention to the position of your tongue, lips, and teeth. Place a mirror in front of you and check the movements of your mouth when pronouncing difficult sounds, such as [θ], [ð], [ʃ], [ʒ].

Practice with rhymes and word pairs.

Compare similar sounds to feel the difference: ship [ʃɪp] – sheep [ʃiːp], bat [bæt] – bet [bɛt].

Practice nasal and affricate sounds.

[ŋ] is often omitted → pronounce sing, long. Practice affricates [tʃ], [dʒ] using short words: chip, jam.

Record yourself.

Recording and comparing with the original allows you to notice your weak points.

Don't strive for perfection right away.

Difficult sounds are pronounced correctly through repetition. You shouldn't be able to do it right away. It is better to focus on how sounds are read in English as a whole, rather than on mastering the pronunciation of a single phoneme.

If you can't get the hang of the accent for a long time, don't be upset. English, as a language of international communication, is primarily about clearly expressing your thoughts and being able to understand the person you are talking to, rather than having perfect pronunciation. A more in-depth study of phonetics is necessary for those who plan to live or work in an English-speaking environment, especially in the UK. In the US, where the population is more diverse, accents are usually treated with more tolerance. It is worth remembering that the English language has many dialects, and native speakers from Scotland or Australia, for example, may have difficulty understanding each other.

The variety of English sounds can be intimidating at first, and theoretical materials seem endless. The best way is not only to attend classes, but also to communicate more with native speakers. Dialogues with English-speaking people will help you remember the correct pronunciation of popular words. Pay attention to stress, the soft melody of speech, and the emotionality of statements. Try recording your speech on audio, analyzing it, and correcting mistakes — this is an effective way to improve your pronunciation.