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We can use something called the phonemic chart to help us understand the difference between how a word is spelt and how it should be said.

The phonemic chart (Click to expand)

The phonemic chart uses symbols to show us the sounds we should make when we say a word. Letters in the standard English alphabet can have lots of different symbols in the phonemic chart depending on the word they are in.

When we use the phonemic chart we put the symbols between two forward slashes (//) to show that it is not the standard alphabet.

Let's look at the example of 'read' again and use the phonemic chart to help us understand the difference between how the two tenses of the verb should be pronounced.

Use the phonemic chart to help you understand the different sounds we are going to look at. You can download and print a copy of the chart from the downloads area at the bottom of the page.

The first symbol we need to focus on is:

The sound of this symbol is sometimes spelled using 'ee' and is in words like cheese, free, tree and bee. It is also sometimes spelled with 'ea' in words like beat, heat, seat and read.

The second symbol we need to focus on is:

This sound is usually spelt using the letter 'e' as in 'red' and 'bed'. It can also be spelt using 'ai' as in 'said', and 'ea' as in 'head'.

Now we know the phonemic symbols for these two sounds, we can look at the examples again to see how the spelling and pronunciation differ.

Learning the phonemic symbols and the sounds they relate to means that you can easily check how to say any word correctly and make sure that people will be able to understand you when you speak to them in English.

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We can use something called the phonemic chart to help us understand the difference between how a word is spelt and how it should be said. The phonemic chart (Click to expand) The phonemic chart uses symbols to show us the sounds we should make when we say a word.

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Phonics is the link between the spelling of a word and its pronunciation. Since English has more sounds than letters, a combination of letters is often necessary to represent a single sound.

At their simplest, short vowel sounds are usually spelled with a single letter, while long vowel and other vowel sounds are generally spelled with combinations of letters. This should not be taken as a strict rule when learning English pronunciation, however, as there are a large number of exceptions. In addition, many spelling patterns of English pronunciation have the possibility of two or more pronunciations using that single spelling. For example, the letters 'e-a' have a different pronunciation in the words team ( long e /i/) and dead ( short e /ɛ/). It is helpful to learn the common spellings for each vowel sound along with knowing all the possible pronunciations for each spelling.

The English language also has a large number of words that are not pronounced the way their spelling suggests. These are called non-phonetic words, and must be memorized individually.

Vowel sounds and syllable stress

Vowel sounds and syllables are closely related. Syllables are naturally occurring units of sound that create the rhythm of spoken English. Words with multiple syllables always have one syllable that is stressed (given extra emphasis).

Unstressed syllables may contain schwa /ə/, and can have almost any spelling. In addition, three consonant sounds, the n sound, l sound, and r sound (called 'schwa+r' /ɚ/ when it is syllabic) can create a syllable without an additional vowel sound. These are called syllabic consonants.

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Learn How to Pronounce the 15 Vowel Sounds of American English

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Phonics is the link between the spelling of a word and its pronunciation. Since English has more sounds than letters, a combination of letters is often necessary to represent a single sound. At their simplest, short vowel sounds are usually spelled with a single letter, while long vowel and other vowel sounds are generally spelled with combinations of letters.

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one of a class of speech sounds in the articulation of which the oral part of the breath channel is not blocked and is not constricted enough to cause audible friction; broadly : the one most prominent sound in a syllable... See the full definition

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American English Vowels | IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) vowel chart FREE DOWNLOAD

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The Vowel Song: Long and Short Vowel Sounds | English Songs | Scratch Garden

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Also found in: Wikipedia.

mon·oph·thong
(mŏn′əf-thông′, -thŏng′)
n.

1. A single vowel articulated without change in quality throughout the course of a syllable, as the vowel of English bed.

2. Two written vowels representing a single sound, as oa in boat.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

monophthong
(ˈmɒnəfˌθɒŋ)

[C17: from Greek monophthongos, from mono- + thongos sound]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mon*oph*thong
(ˈmɒn əfˌθɔŋ, -ˌθɒŋ)

n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Also found in: Wikipedia. (mŏn′əf-thông′, -thŏng′) n. 1. A single vowel articulated without change in quality throughout the course of a syllable, as the vowel of English bed. 2. Two written vowels representing a single sound, as oa in boat. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

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The Vowel Chart - The 12 Monophthongs in British English | Pronunciation Masterclass

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The word "diphthong" comes from the Greek and means "two voices" or "two sounds." In phonetics, a diphthong is a vowel in which there is a noticeable sound change within the same syllable. (A single or simple vowel is known as a monophthong.) The process of moving from one vowel sound to another is called gliding, which is why another name for a diphthong is a gliding vowel but they are also known as compound vowels, complex vowels, or moving vowels. The sound change that turns a single vowel into a diphthong is called diphthongization. Diphthongs are sometimes referred to as "long vowels" but this is misleading. While vowel sounds do change in a diphthong, they do not necessarily take more time to say than a monophthong.

Diphthongs in American English

How many diphthongs are there in the English language? It depends on which expert you ask. Some sources cite eight, others as many as 10. Even syllables containing a single vowel can contain a diphthong. The rule of thumb is: If the sound moves, it's a diphthong; if it's static, it's a monophthong. Each of the following diphthongs is represented by its phonetic symbol.

/a ɪ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "eye" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /i/, /igh/, and /y. Examples: crime, like, lime

/e ɪ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "great" and is most often used with letter combinations that include /ey/, /ay/, /ai/ and /a/. Examples: break, rain, weight

/əʊ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "boat" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ow/, /oa/ and /o/. Examples: slow, moan, though

/a ʊ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "ow!" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ou/ and /ow/. Examples: brown, hound, now

/eə/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "air" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ai/, /a/, and /ea/. Examples: lair, stair, bear

/ɪə/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "ear" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ee/, /ie/ and /ea/. Examples: beer, near, pier

/ɔɪ/ This creates sounds similar to "boy" and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /oy/ and /oi/. Examples: oil, toy, coil

/ʊə/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to "sure" and most occurs with letter combinations that include /oo/, /ou/, /u/, and /ue/. Examples: lure, pure, fur

Diphthongs in Dialects

One of the most interesting ways in which diphthongs relate to spoken language is in how they've evolved into regional accents and dialects from their languages of origin. In the borough Brooklyn, for example, when someone says, "Let the dog out," the word dog contains a distinctive "aw" sound so that "the dog" becomes a "dawg."

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The word "diphthong" comes from the Greek and means "two voices" or "two sounds." In phonetics, a diphthong is a vowel in which there is a noticeable sound change within the same syllable. (A single or simple vowel is known as a monophthong.)

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The Diphthong Song | Jack Hartmann| How to Sing Diphthongs

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Definition of consonant: A consonant is a letter (sound) of the English alphabet that is not a vowel.

What is a Consonant?

What does consonant mean? A consonant is most often identified as a letter that is not a vowel.

More specifically, a consonant is a sound that when paired with a vowel makes a syllable.

A consonant is any sound that a letter makes that is not a vowel sound.

What Letters are Consonants?

English consonant letters: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y (sometimes), Z
Consonant Examples in Words:

car
"c" and "r" are consonants in this word

storm
"s" "t" "r" "m" are consonants in this word

day
"d" is a consonant in this word

Consonants vs. Vowels

Consonants are not vowels. Vowels in the English language are A, E, I, O, U, (and sometimes Y).

Vowels, just like consonants, do not make syllables on their own. A vowel paired with a consonant makes a syllable.

Example of vowel in word:

Forming Syllables

A syllable is a unit of sound that creates meaning in language. Consonants pair with vowels to create syllables.

Syllables can have more than one letter, more than on consonant, and more than one vowel, but they cannot have more than one sound.
Examples:

maker

two syllables

"mak": two consonants "m" "k" plus one vowel "a"

"er": one vowel "e" plus one consonant "r"

slow

one syllable

three consonants "s" "l" "w" and one vowel "o"

banana

three syllables

"ba": one consonant "b" plus one vowel "a"

"na": one consonant "n" plus one vowel "a"

"na : one consonant "n" plus one vowel "a"

lean

one syllable

two consonants "l" "n" plus one vowel "n"

Literary Devices That Use Consonants

The sound specifically created from consonants is used in the literary device called consonance.

Consonance is the repetition of similar consonant sounds within nearby words. It is, in a sense, the opposite literary device to alliteration.

Consonance, as with alliteration, is often used in poetry when writers use sound to create meaning.
Example of Consonance:

the children seemed adorable and endearing

the repetition of the "d" sound in these examples creates the consonance

The following is an example of consonance from American poet Emily Dickinson's "'T was later when the summer went":

'T was later when the summer went

Than when the cricket came,

And yet we knew that gentle clock

Meant nought but going home.

The "t" sound in this example creates the consonance. Dickinson purposefully incorporates consonance into this poem to reflect her intention.

She wants to mimic the sound of the cricket and the sound of the clock. She does so, subtly, by including consonance.

Summary: What are Consonants?

Define consonant: the definition of consonant is one of a class of speech sounds that are enunciated by constricting or closing one or more points of the breath channel. Examples include, c, d, n, p, etc.

In summary, a consonant is a unit of sound (a letter) in English.

Consonants are not vowels.

When consonants combine with vowels, they create syllables.

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What is a Consonant? Definition, Examples of Consonants in English - Writing Explained

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Definition of consonant: A consonant is a letter (sound) of the English alphabet that is not a vowel. What does consonant mean? A consonant is most often identified as a letter that is not a vowel. More specifically, a consonant is a sound that when paired with a vowel makes a syllable.

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24 Consonant Sounds in American English with the IPA