English pronunciation varies considerably across the English speaking world. WordWeb only provides a rough guide, concentrating on the “standard” American and RP (BBC English) varieties that are widely comprehended. The correct local pronunciation will depend on where you are. In particular the vowel sounds vary very widely; words that rhyme in one locale may not in another (though in many cases vowel sounds change in a consistent pattern).
Hold the mouse cursor over the pronunciation to display a larger breakdown into the following sounds:
b but a cat, anger u ado, about
d door ã cast, grass* ú up, brother
f fall aa arm, calm û book, put
g good aw out, now
h happy e bet, egg
j jug eh air, wear
k cut ee sleep, each
l list ey day, rain
m moon eu coiffeur
n near i tip, inch
p part I eye, fry ch rich
r rest** o organ, law sh shut
s soft ó cot, orange* th theme
t turn oo too, food dh the
v village ow toad, own zh confusion
w wet ów cold, whole ng sing
y yet oy boy, boil xh Bach
z zoom
* These vowel sounds move around considerably with location. In the US ó often sounds similar to aa or sometimes o. In the south UK ã is the same as aa, but in the US and north UK usually the sound is like a (the actual sound of a is also different).
** In British “RP” r is generally only sounded if before a vowel; ur is sometimes as in fir.
Primary stresses are marked with ‘, secondary stresses with `. The stress can vary depending on part of speech and in some cases the sense.
Sounds that are sometimes present are enclosed in brackets.
Examples:
other ' údhu(r) quirky 'kwurkee
overlook [n] 'owvur`lûk coast kowst
overlook [v] `owvur'lûk deny di'nI
There are some broad rules on whether optional sounds are voiced or not. The
sound is almost always present in British English (and many other varieties), but often absent in US English; so news is pronounced n
ooz - which is nooz in the US and nyooz in the UK Optional (r) sounds are usually present at some level in US English, but not sounded in British English. So other sounds like údhu in the UK but like údhur in the US.
It's a liitle bit much but take it easy.