English Pronunciation Guide
Master the Irregularities of English Sounds
How to Use This Guide
Read each sentence aloud slowly, paying attention to the highlighted words. These contain sounds that often trip up learners. The phonetic transcription shows how the word should sound, and the explanation reveals why English breaks its own rules.
Silent Letters
English loves to write letters it never pronounces. These ghostly characters remain from older pronunciations or borrowed spellings.
"The knight knew that the gnome would climb the castle at Wednesday night."
knight /naɪt/ — silent K and GH
The K was pronounced in Old English. GH once sounded like German "ch".
knew /njuː/ — silent K
All KN- words had audible K until the 17th century.
gnome /nəʊm/ — silent G
Greek origin. The G shows its Greek roots (γνώμη).
climb /klaɪm/ — silent B
The B was once pronounced before M but became silent.
castle /ˈkɑːsəl/ — silent T
French influence dropped the T sound while keeping the spelling.
Wednesday /ˈwenzdeɪ/ — silent D
Named after Woden (Odin). The D disappeared in casual speech.
"She felt doubt as the subtle psalm echoed through the island."
doubt /daʊt/ — silent B
Latin "dubitare" had no B, but scholars added it to look more Latin.
subtle /ˈsʌtəl/ — silent B
Same story: Latin "subtilis" was respelled with B by scholars.
psalm /sɑːm/ — silent P
Greek "psalmos" (ψαλμός). The P-S cluster is foreign to English.
island /ˈaɪlənd/ — silent S
Originally "iland" — the S was added by mistake, confused with "isle".
The -OUGH Chaos
These four letters can make at least 9 different sounds. This is the ultimate test of English pronunciation.
"Though the rough cough and hiccough plough me through, I ought to get through the borough thoroughly enough."
though /ðəʊ/
-OUGH = "oh" sound
rough /rʌf/
-OUGH = "uff" sound
cough /kɒf/
-OUGH = "off" sound
hiccough /ˈhɪkʌp/
-OUGH = "up" sound
plough /plaʊ/
-OUGH = "ow" sound
through /θruː/
-OUGH = "oo" sound
ought /ɔːt/
-OUGH = "aw" sound
borough /ˈbʌrə/
-OUGH = "uh" sound
thoroughly /ˈθʌrəli/
-OUGH = "uh" sound
💡 Why? These words come from different origins and time periods. English spelling was fixed before pronunciation finished changing, leaving this chaos.
Heteronyms: Same Spelling, Different Sounds
These words look identical but sound completely different depending on meaning. Context is your only guide.
"The bandage was wound around the wound."
wound /waʊnd/ (verb)
Past tense of "wind" (to wrap)
wound /wuːnd/ (noun)
An injury. Different origin, same spelling by chance.
"They were too close to the door to close it."
close /kləʊs/ (adjective)
Near in distance. S sounds like "s".
close /kləʊz/ (verb)
To shut. S sounds like "z".
"The farm was used to produce produce."
produce /prəˈdjuːs/ (verb)
To make. Stress on second syllable.
produce /ˈprɒdjuːs/ (noun)
Farm products. Stress on first syllable.
"I had to subject the subject to a series of tests."
subject /səbˈdʒekt/ (verb)
To expose to. Stress on second syllable.
subject /ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/ (noun)
Topic or person. Stress on first syllable.
"The lead singer grabbed the lead pipe."
lead /liːd/ (adjective)
Main, primary. Long "ee" sound.
lead /led/ (noun)
The metal. Short "e" sound like "bed".
The "EA" Confusion
The letters EA can sound completely different even in similar words. There's no reliable rule.
"I read that you read it already. That's great! Let's break for breakfast and have some steak and bread."
read /riːd/ (present)
EA = "ee" sound
read /red/ (past)
EA = "e" sound (same spelling!)
already /ɔːlˈredi/
EA = "e" sound
great /ɡreɪt/
EA = "ay" sound
break /breɪk/
EA = "ay" sound
breakfast /ˈbrekfəst/
EA = "e" sound
steak /steɪk/
EA = "ay" sound
bread /bred/
EA = "e" sound
Stress Shifts: Nouns vs. Verbs
Many English words change meaning based on which syllable you stress. Generally: nouns stress the first syllable, verbs stress the second.
"We must record a new record."
record /rɪˈkɔːd/ (verb)
re-CORD — stress on second syllable
record /ˈrekɔːd/ (noun)
RE-cord — stress on first syllable
"They will present the present to the rebel who chose to rebel."
present /prɪˈzent/ (verb)
pre-SENT — to give
present /ˈprezənt/ (noun)
PRE-sent — a gift
rebel /ˈrebəl/ (noun)
RE-bel — a person who rebels
rebel /rɪˈbel/ (verb)
re-BEL — to resist authority
"The desert soldiers decided to desert after dessert."
desert /ˈdezət/ (noun)
DE-sert — sandy wasteland
desert /dɪˈzɜːt/ (verb)
de-SERT — to abandon
dessert /dɪˈzɜːt/ (noun)
de-SSERT — sweet treat (double S!)
The Two TH Sounds
English has two different TH sounds: voiced (vibrating) and voiceless (just air). Place your hand on your throat to feel the difference!
"I think that this thing is the one they threw through there."
θ Voiceless TH (no vibration)
think /θɪŋk/
thing /θɪŋ/
threw /θruː/
through /θruː/
Just air passing through — like a soft hiss
ð Voiced TH (vibration)
that /ðæt/
this /ðɪs/
the /ðə/
they /ðeɪ/
there /ðeə/
Your vocal cords vibrate — feel your throat buzz
💡 Tip: Common words (the, this, that, they, there, then) usually use voiced TH. Content words often use voiceless TH.
The Schwa /ə/ - English's Laziest Sound
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English — a lazy, unstressed "uh" that can be spelled with ANY vowel letter.
"The banana about to be eaten again by the professor was delicious and nutritious."
banana /bəˈnɑːnə/
A = schwa (twice!)
about /əˈbaʊt/
A = schwa
again /əˈɡen/
A = schwa
professor /prəˈfesə/
E = schwa, O = schwa
delicious /dɪˈlɪʃəs/
OU = schwa
nutritious /njuːˈtrɪʃəs/
OU = schwa
💡 Rule: The schwa ONLY appears in unstressed syllables. Any vowel letter (a, e, i, o, u) can become a schwa when unstressed.
The Three -ED Endings
The past tense -ED has three different pronunciations: /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/. The choice depends on the final sound of the verb.
"She walked, played, and wanted to leave. He stopped, loved, and decided to stay."
-ED = /t/
walked /wɔːkt/
stopped /stɒpt/
After voiceless sounds: /p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/
-ED = /d/
played /pleɪd/
loved /lʌvd/
After voiced sounds: /b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, vowels
-ED = /ɪd/
wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/
decided /dɪˈsaɪdɪd/
After /t/ or /d/ sounds only
The Three Plural -S Sounds
Like -ED, the plural -S has three pronunciations: /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/. Most non-native speakers say /s/ for everything — learn the difference!
"The cats and dogs found three boxes. The books and beds had bushes around them."
-S = /s/
cats /kæts/
books /bʊks/
After voiceless sounds: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/
-S = /z/
dogs /dɒɡz/
beds /bedz/
After voiced sounds: /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /ð/, vowels
-S = /ɪz/
boxes /ˈbɒksɪz/
bushes /ˈbʊʃɪz/
After sibilants: /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/
Irregular Past Tenses
Some common verbs refuse to follow any pattern. These must simply be memorized — but reading them aloud helps!
"Yesterday I went to the store, bought some milk, caught a cold, thought about life, taught a class, and brought home dinner."
go → went /went/
Completely different root
buy → bought /bɔːt/
-OUGHT pattern
catch → caught /kɔːt/
-AUGHT pattern
think → thought /θɔːt/
-OUGHT pattern
teach → taught /tɔːt/
-AUGHT pattern
bring → brought /brɔːt/
-OUGHT pattern
💡 Pattern: Notice how "bought," "caught," "thought," "taught," and "brought" all rhyme? English loves these semi-patterns within its irregularity!
Master Challenge: The Chaos Poem
Read this paragraph aloud without making any mistakes. If you can do this perfectly, your English pronunciation is excellent!
"The colonel in Leicester thoroughly read through a thorough receipt for biscuits. He said it was weird that the heir would queue quietly near the quay while eating a salmon sandwich. The lieutenant laughed at the chaos, knowing that February particularly epitomizes the pronunciation challenges of English."
colonel /ˈkɜːnəl/
Leicester /ˈlestə/
receipt /rɪˈsiːt/
biscuits /ˈbɪskɪts/
heir /eə/
queue /kjuː/
quay /kiː/
salmon /ˈsæmən/
lieutenant /lefˈtenənt/
chaos /ˈkeɪɒs/
February /ˈfebruəri/
epitomizes /ɪˈpɪtəmaɪzɪz/