View source for Help:IPA

{{NAMESPACENUMBER}}

Here is a basic key to the symbols of the '''[[International Phonetic Alphabet]]'''. For the smaller set of symbols that is sufficient for English, see [[Help:IPA/English]]. Several rare IPA symbols are not included; these are found in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|main IPA article]] or on the [[International Phonetic Alphabet chart|extensive IPA chart]]. For the Manual of Style guideline for pronunciation, see [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation]].

For each IPA symbol, an English example is given where possible; here "RP" stands for [[Received Pronunciation]]. The foreign languages that are used to illustrate additional sounds are primarily the ones most likely to be familiar to English speakers, [[French phonology|French]], [[Standard German phonology|Standard German]], and [[Spanish phonology|Spanish]]. For symbols not covered by those, recourse is taken to the populous languages [[Standard Chinese#Phonology|Standard Chinese]], [[Hindustani phonology|Hindustani]], [[Arabic phonology|Arabic]], and [[Russian phonology|Russian]]. For sounds still not covered, other smaller but better analyzed languages are used, for example [[Swahili language#Sounds|Swahili]] and [[Zulu language#phonology|Zulu]] (for the [[Bantu languages|Bantu branch]]) or [[Turkish phonology|Turkish]] (for [[Turkic languages|Turkic branch]]) for their respective related languages.

The left-hand column displays the symbols like this: {{IPAblink|a|audio=y}}. Click on "listen" to hear the sound; click on the symbol itself for a dedicated article with a more complete description and examples from multiple languages. Consonant sounds are spoken once followed by a vowel and once between vowels.

{{Compact ToC |center=yes |custom1=Others |custom1name=Others |custom2=Marks added to letters |custom2name=Diacritic marks |custom3=Brackets |custom4=Rendering issues|custom5=Computer input using on-screen keyboard |custom5name=Computer input |custom6=See also |custom7=External links}}

==Main symbols==
<!-- PLEASE READ BEFORE ADDING EXAMPLES OR LANGUAGES TO THE KEY
This key is intended for newbies to the IPA and should therefore be kept as short and sweet as possible. Descriptions should be brief, without technical terms like "back vowel" or "labial" or "fricative"; and examples should be from familiar languages that are ''well described phonetically''.
-->

The symbols are arranged by similarity to letters of the [[Latin alphabet]]. Symbols which do not resemble any Latin letter are placed at the end.

{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em"
! Symbol !! Examples !! Description

|- id="A"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> A
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|a|audio=y}}
| German ''M'''a'''nn'', French ''g'''a'''re''
| For many English speakers, the first part of the ''ow'' sound in ''cow''. Found in some dialects of English in ''c'''a'''t'' or ''f'''a'''ther''.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ä|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 他 ''t'''ā''''', American English ''f'''a'''ther'', Spanish ''c'''a'''s'''a''''', French ''p'''a'''tte''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɐ|audio=y}}
| RP ''c'''u'''t'', German ''Kais'''er'''slaut'''er'''n''
| (In transcriptions of English, {{IPA|[ɐ]}} is usually written {{angbr IPA|ʌ}}.)
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɑ|audio=y}}
| RP ''f'''a'''ther,'' French ''p'''â'''te'', Dutch ''b'''a'''d''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɑ̃|audio=Fr-en.ogg}}
| French ''C'''aen''''', ''s'''an'''s'', ''t'''em'''ps''
| Nasalized {{IPA|[ɑ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɒ|audio=y}}
| RP ''c'''o'''t''
| Like {{IPA|[ɑ]}}, but with the lips slightly rounded.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʌ|audio=y}}
| American English ''c'''u'''t''
| Like {{IPA|[ɔ]}}, but without the lips being rounded. (When {{angbr IPA|ʌ}} is used for English, it may really be {{IPA|[ɐ]}} or {{IPA|[ɜ]}}.)
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|æ|audio=y}}
| RP ''c'''a'''t''
|

|- id="B"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> B
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|b|audio=y}}
| English '''''b'''a'''bb'''le''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɓ|audio=y}}
| Swahili '''''b'''wana''
| Like a {{IPA|[b]}} said with a gulp. See [[implosive consonant]]s.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|β|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''la '''B'''amba'', Kinyarwanda ''a'''b'''ana'' "children", Korean 무궁화 [muɡuŋβwa̠] ''mugung'''h'''wa''
| Like {{IPA|[b]}}, but with the lips not quite closed.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʙ|audio=y}}
|Nias ''simbi'' [siʙi] "lower jaw"
|Sputtering.

|- id="C"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> C
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|c|audio=y}}
| Turkish '''''k'''ebap'' "[[kebab]]", Czech s'''t'''ín "shadow", Greek '''''κ'''αι'' "and"
| Between English '''''t'''une'' (RP) and '''''c'''ute.'' Sometimes used instead for {{IPA|[tʃ]}} in languages like Hindi.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ç|audio=y}}
| German ''I'''ch'''''
| More of a y-coloration (more palatal) than {{IPA|[x]}}. Some English speakers have a similar sound in '''''h'''uge''. To produce this sound, try whispering loudly the word "ye" as in "Hear ye!".
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɕ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 西安 '''''X'''i'an'', Polish '''''ś'''ciana''
| More y-like than {{IPA|[ʃ]}}; something like English '''''sh'''e.''
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɔ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#O|O]]
|

|- id="D"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> D
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|d|audio=y}}
| English '''''d'''a'''d'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɗ|audio=y}}
| Swahili '''''D'''o'''d'''oma''
| Like {{IPA|[d]}} said with a gulp.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɖ|audio=y}}
| American English ''har'''d'''er''
| Like {{IPA|[d]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ð|audio=y}}
| English '''''th'''e, ba'''th'''e''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|dz|audio=y}}
| English ''a'''dds''''', Italian '''''z'''ero''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|dʒ|audio=y}}
| English '''''j'''u'''dg'''e''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|dʑ|audio=y}}
| [[Polish phonology|Polish]] ''nie'''dź'''wiedź'' "bear"
| Like {{IPA|[dʒ]}}, but with more of a y-sound.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|dʐ|audio=y}}
| Polish '''''dż'''em'' "jam"
| Like {{IPA|[dʒ]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.

|- id="E"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> E
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|e|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''f'''e''';'' French ''cl'''é''''', German ''Kl'''ee'''''
|Similar to English ''h'''e'''y'', before the y sets in.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɘ|audio=y}}
| Australian English ''b'''ir'''d''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ə|audio=y}}
| English '''''a'''bove,'' Hindi ठग {{IPA|[ʈʰəɡ]}} ''(thug)'' "thief"
| (Only occurs in English when not stressed.)
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɚ|audio=y}}
| American English ''runn'''er'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɛ|audio=y}}
| English ''b'''e'''t''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɛ̃|audio=Fr-Un-fr FR-Paris.ogg}}
| French ''S'''ain'''t-Étienne'', ''v'''in''''', ''m'''ain'''''
| Nasalized {{IPA|[ɛ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɜ|audio=y}}
| RP ''b'''ir'''d'' (long)
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɝ|audio=y}}
| American English ''b'''ir'''d''
|

|- id="F"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> F
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|f|audio=y}}
| English '''''f'''un''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɟ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#J|J]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʄ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#J|J]]
|

|- id="G"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> G
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɡ|audio=y}}
| English '''''g'''a'''g'''''
| (Should look like [[file:opentail_g.svg|6px]]. No different from a Latin "g")
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɠ|audio=y}}
| Swahili ''U'''g'''anda''
| Like {{IPA|[ɡ]}} said with a gulp.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɢ|audio=y}}
|
| Like {{IPA|[ɡ]}}, but further back, in the throat. Found in [[Persian phonology|Persian]] and some Arabic dialects for {{IPA|/q/}}, as in ''[[Muammar Gaddafi]].''<!-- Needs verification -->
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʒ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Z|Z]]
| English ''bei'''g'''e.''

|- id="H"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> H
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|h|audio=y}}
| American English '''''h'''ouse''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɦ|audio=y}}
| English ''a'''h'''ead,'' when said quickly.
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʰ|audio=y}}
|
| The extra puff of air in English ''top'' {{IPA|[tʰɒp]}} compared to ''stop'' [stɒp], or to French or Spanish {{IPA|[t]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ħ|audio=y}}
| Arabic {{wikt-lang|ar|مُحَمَّد}} ''Mu'''h'''ammad''
| Far down in the throat, like {{IPA|[h]}}, but stronger.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɥ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Y|Y]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɮ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#L|L]]
|

|- id="I"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> I
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|i|audio=y}}
| English ''s'''ea''''', French ''v'''i'''lle'', Spanish ''Valladol'''i'''d''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɪ|audio=y}}
| English ''s'''i'''t''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɨ|audio=y}}
| Russian ты "you"
| Often used for unstressed English ''ros'''e'''s.''

|- id="J"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> J
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|j|audio=y}}
| English '''''y'''es, hallelu'''j'''ah,'' German '''''J'''unge''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʲ|audio=y}}
| In Russian '''Л'''е'''н'''ин {{IPA|[ˈlʲenʲɪn]}}
| Indicates a sound is more y-like.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʝ|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''ca'''y'''o'' (some dialects)
| Like {{IPA|[j]}}, but stronger.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɟ|audio=y}}
| Turkish '''''g'''ör'' "see", Czech '''d'''íra "hole"
| Between English '''''d'''ew'' (RP) and ''ar'''g'''ue.'' Sometimes used instead for {{IPA|[dʒ]}} in languages like Hindi.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʄ|audio=y}}
| Swahili '''''j'''ambo''
| Like {{IPA|[ɟ]}} said with a gulp.

|- id="K"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> K
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|k|audio=y}}
| English ''ki'''ck''', s'''k'''ip''
|

|- id="L"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> L
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|l|audio=y}}
| English '''''l'''eaf''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɫ|audio=y}}
| English ''woo'''l'''''<br>Russian ма'''л'''ый {{IPA|[ˈmɑɫɨj]}} "small"
| "Dark" el.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɬ|audio=y}}
| Welsh '''''ll'''wyd'' {{IPA|[ɬʊɪd]}} "grey"<br>Zulu '''''hl'''ala'' {{IPA|[ɬaːla]}} "sit"
| By touching roof of mouth with tongue and giving a quick breath out. Found in [[Welsh language|Welsh]] placenames like '''''Ll'''ango'''ll'''en'' and '''''Ll'''ane'''ll'''i'' and [[Nelson Mandela]]'s Xhosa name ''Roli'''hl'''a'''hl'''a.''
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɭ|audio=y}}
|
| Like {{IPA|[l]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɺ|audio=y}}
|
| A flapped {{IPA|[l]}}, like {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[ɾ]}} said together.<!--This sound is not found in Japanese, so please don't use that language as an example.-->
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɮ|audio=y}}
| Zulu '''''dl'''a'' "eat"
| Rather like {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[ʒ]}}, or {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[ð]}}, said together.

|- id="M"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> M
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|m|audio=y}}
| English '''''m'''i'''m'''e''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɱ|audio=y}}
| English ''sy'''m'''phony''
| Like {{IPA|[m]}}, but lips touch teeth as they do in {{IPA|[f]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɯ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#W|W]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʍ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#W|W]]
|

|- id="N"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> N
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|n|audio=y}}
| English '''''n'''u'''n'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ŋ|audio=y}}
| English ''si'''ng''''', Māori '''''ng'''a''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɲ|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''Pe'''ñ'''a,'' French ''champa'''gn'''e''
| Rather like English ''ca'''ny'''on'' ({{IPA|/nj/}} said quickly).
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɳ|audio=y}}
| Hindi वरुण {{IPA|[ʋəruɳ]}} ''Varu'''n'''a''
| Like {{IPA|[n]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɴ|audio=y}}
| Castilian Spanish ''Do'''n''' Juan'' {{IPA|[doɴˈχwan]}}
| Like {{IPA|[ŋ]}}, but further back, in the throat.

|- id="O"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> O
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|o|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''n'''o''','' French '''''eau''''', German ''B'''o'''den''
| Somewhat reminiscent of American English ''n'''o'''.''
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɔ|audio=y}}
| German '''''O'''ldenburg'', French ''Gar'''o'''nne''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɔ̃|audio=Fr-on.ogg}}
| French ''Ly'''on''''', ''s'''on'''''
| Nasalized {{IPA|[ɔ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ø|audio=y}}
| French ''f'''eu''''', ''b'''œu'''fs'', German ''G'''oe'''the''
| Like {{IPA|[e]}}, but with the lips rounded like {{IPA|[o]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɵ|audio=y}}
| Dutch ''h'''u'''t'', French ''j'''e''''', Swedish ''d'''u'''m''
| Halfway between {{IPA|[o]}} and {{IPA|[ø]}}. Similar to {{IPA|[ʊ]}} but with the tongue slightly more down and front. The Dutch vowel is often transcribed with {{angbr IPA|ʏ}} or {{angbr IPA|œ}}, whereas the French vowel is typically transcribed with {{angbr IPA|ə}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|œ|audio=y}}
| French ''b'''œu'''f'', ''s'''eu'''l'', German ''G'''ö'''ttingen''
| Like {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, but with the lips rounded like {{IPA|[ɔ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|œ̃|audio=Fr-un-fr BE.ogg}}
| French ''br'''un''''', ''parf'''um'''''
| Nasalized {{IPA|[œ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɶ|audio=y}}
| 
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|θ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Others|Others]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɸ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Others|Others]]
|
|- id="P"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> P
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|p|audio=y}}
| English ''pi'''p'''''
|

|- id="Q"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> Q
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|q|audio=y}}
| Arabic {{wikt-lang|ar|قُرْآن}} '''''Q'''ur’ān''
| Like {{IPA|[k]}}, but further back, in the throat.

|- id="R"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> R
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|r|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''pe'''rr'''o,'' Scots ''bo'''rr'''ow''
| "Rolled R". (Often used for other rhotics, such as English {{IPA|[ɹ]}}, when there's no ambiguity.)
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɾ|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''pe'''r'''o,'' Tagalog ''dali'''r'''i'', Malay ''kaba'''r''''', American English ''ki'''tt'''y/ki'''dd'''ie''
| "Flapped R".
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʀ|audio=y}}
| Dutch '''''r'''ood'' and German '''''r'''ot'' (some speakers)
| A trill in the back of the throat. Found for /r/ in some conservative registers of French.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɽ|audio=y}}
| Hindi साड़ी {{IPA|[sɑːɽiː]}} "sari"
| Like flapped {{IPA|[ɾ]}}, but with the tongue curled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɹ|audio=y}}
| RP ''bo'''rr'''ow''
| <!--This is not the sound or ''run,'' which is [ɹʷ].-->
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɻ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 人民日报 '''''R'''énmín '''R'''ìbào'' "People's Daily", American English ''bo'''rr'''ow, butt'''er'''''
| Like {{IPA|[ɹ]}}, but with the tongue curled or pulled back, as pronounced by many English speakers.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʁ|audio=y}}
| French ''Pa'''r'''is'', German '''''R'''iemann (some dialects)''
| Said back in the throat, but not trilled.

|- id="S"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> S
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|s|audio=y}}
| English '''''s'''a'''ss'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʃ|audio=y}}
| English '''''sh'''oe''<!--italicized 2008-10-03-->
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʂ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 少林 ''('''Sh'''àolín)'', Russian Пу'''ш'''кин ''(Pu'''sh'''kin)''
| Acoustically similar to {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, but with the tongue curled or pulled back.<br>

|- id="T"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> T
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|t|audio=y}}
| English ''to'''t''', s'''t'''op''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʈ|audio=y}}
| Hindi ठग {{IPA|[ʈʰəɡ]}} ''(thug)'' "thief"
| Like {{IPA|[t]}}, but with the tongue curled or pulled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ts|audio=y}}
| English ''ca'''ts''','' Russian '''ц'''арь '''''ts'''ar''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|tʃ|audio=y}}
| English '''''ch'''ur'''ch'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|tɕ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 北京 Běi'''j'''īng ({{audio|Zh-Beijing.ogg|listen|help=no}}), Polish '''''ci'''ebie'' "you"
| Like {{IPA|[tʃ]}}, but with more of a y-sound.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|tʂ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 真正 '''''zh'''ēn'''zh'''èng'', Polish '''''cz'''as''
| Like {{IPA|[tʃ]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.

|- id="U"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> U
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|u|audio=y}}
| American English ''f'''oo'''d'', French ''v'''ou'''s'' "you", German ''Sch'''u'''macher''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʊ|audio=y}}
| English ''f'''oo'''t'', German ''B'''u'''ndesrepublik''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʉ|audio=y}}
| Australian English ''f'''oo'''d'' (long)
| Like {{IPA|[ɨ]}}, but with the lips rounded as for {{IPA|[u]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɥ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Y|Y]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɯ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#W|W]]
|

|- id="V"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> V
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|v|audio=y}}
| English '''''v'''er'''ve'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʋ|audio=y}}
| Hindi वरुण {{IPA|[ʋəruɳə]}} "Varuna"
| Between {{IPA|[v]}} and {{IPA|[w]}}. Used by some Germans and Russians for ''v/w'', and by some speakers of British English for ''r''.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɤ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Y|Y]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɣ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#Y|Y]]
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʌ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#A|A]]
|

|- id="W"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> W
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|w|audio=y}}
| English '''''w'''ow''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʷ|audio=y}}
| 
| Indicates a sound has lip rounding, as in English '''''r'''ain'' 
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʍ|audio=y}}
| '''''wh'''at'' (some dialects)
| like {{IPA|[h]}} and {{IPA|[w]}} said together
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɯ|audio=y}}
| Turkish ''kay'''ı'''k'' "caïque", [[Scottish Gaelic]] ''gaol''
| Like {{IPA|[u]}}, but with the lips flat; something like {{IPA|[ʊ]}}.<!--This sound is not found in Japanese, so please don't use that language as an example-->
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɰ|audio=y}}
| Spanish ''a'''gu'''a''
|Like [w], but with the lips flat.

|- id="X"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> X
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|x|audio=y}}
| Scottish English ''lo'''ch''''', German ''Ba'''ch''','' Russian '''х'''ороший {{IPA|[xɐˈroʂɨj]}} "good", Spanish '''''j'''oven''
| between {{IPA|[k]}} and {{IPA|[h]}}
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|χ|audio=y}}
| [[Dutch phonology|northern Standard Dutch]] ''S'''ch'''eveningen'', Castilian Spanish ''Don '''J'''uan'' {{IPA|[doɴˈχwan]}}
| Like {{IPA|[x]}}, but further back, in the throat. Some German and Arabic speakers have {{IPA|[χ]}} for {{IPA|[x]}}.

|- id="Y"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> Y
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|y|audio=y}}
| French ''r'''u'''e'', German ''B'''ü'''low''
| Like {{IPA|[i]}}, but with the lips rounded as for {{IPA|[u]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʏ|audio=y}}
| German ''D'''ü'''sseldorf''
| Like {{IPA|[ɪ]}}, but with the lips rounded as for {{IPA|[ʊ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɣ|audio=y}}
| Arabic {{wikt-lang|ar|غَالِي}} ''{{transl|ar|ALA|ghālī}}'' and Swahili '''''gh'''ali'' "expensive", Spanish ''sue'''g'''ro''
| Sounds rather like French {{IPA|[ʁ]}} or between {{IPA|[ɡ]}} and {{IPA|[h]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɤ|audio=y}}
| Mandarin 河南 ''H'''é'''nán'', [[Scottish Gaelic]] ''taigh''
| Like {{IPA|[o]}} but without the lips rounded, something like a cross of {{IPA|[ʊ]}} and {{IPA|[ʌ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʎ|audio=y}}
| Italian ''ta'''gli'''atelle''
| Like {{IPA|[l]}}, but more y-like. Rather like English ''vo'''l'''ume.''
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɥ|audio=y}}
| French ''l'''u'''i''
| Like {{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[w]}} said together.
|-

|- id="Z"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> Z
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|z|audio=y}}
| English '''''z'''oo''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʒ|audio=y}}
| English ''vi'''si'''on,'' French '''''j'''ournal''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʑ|audio=y}}
| old-styled Russian по'''зж'''е {{IPA|[ˈpoʑːe]}} "later", Polish '''''ź'''le''
| More y-like than {{IPA|[ʒ]}}, something like ''bei'''ge'''y.''
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʐ|audio=y}}
| Russian '''ж'''ир "fat"
| Like {{IPA|[ʒ]}} with the tongue curled or pulled back.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɮ|audio=y}}
| see under [[#L|L]]
|

|- id="Others"
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;">[[#top|^ top]]</div> Others
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|θ|audio=y}}
| English '''''th'''igh, ba'''th'''''
|
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ɸ|audio=y}}
| Japanese 富士 {{IPA|[ɸɯdʑi]}} '''''F'''uji'', Māori {{IPA|[ˌɸaːɾeːˈnuiː]}} '''''wh'''arenui''
| Like {{IPA|[p]}}, but with the lips not quite touching
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʔ|audio=y}}
| English ''uh-oh, Hawai'''‘'''i,'' German ''die Angst''
| The 'glottal stop', a catch in the breath. For some people, found in ''bu'''tt'''on'' {{IPA|[ˈbʌʔn̩]}}, or between vowels across words: ''Deus ex machina'' {{IPA|[ˌdeɪəsˌʔɛksˈmɑːkɪnə]}}; in some nonstandard dialects, in ''a apple'' {{IPA|[əˈʔæpl̩]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʕ|audio=y}}
| Arabic {{wikt-lang|ar|عَرَبِيّ}} ''{{transl|ar|ALA|'''ʻ'''arabī}}'' "Arabic"
| A light sound deep in the throat.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ǀ|audio=y}}
| English ''tsk-tsk!'' or ''tut-tut!,'' Zulu ''i'''c'''i'''c'''i'' "earring"
| (The English click used for disapproval.) Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including {{IPA|[kǀ], [ɡǀ], [ŋǀ]}}. The Zimbabwean MP [[Welshman Ncube|N'''c'''ube]] has this click in his name, as did [[Cetshwayo kaMpande|'''C'''etshwayo]].
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ǁ|audio=y}}
| English ''tchick! tchick!,'' Zulu ''i'''x'''o'''x'''o'' "frog"
| (The English click used to urge on a horse.) Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including {{IPA|[kǁ], [ɡǁ], [ŋǁ]}}. Found in the name of the [[Xhosa people|'''X'''hosa]].
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ǃ|audio=y}}
| Zulu ''i'''q'''a'''q'''a'' "polecat"
| (The English click used to imitate the trotting of a horse.) A hollow popping sound, like a cork pulled from a bottle. Several distinct sounds, written as digraphs, including {{IPA|[kǃ], [ɡǃ], [ŋǃ]}}.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ʘ|audio=y}}
| ǂ’Amkoe '''''ʘ'''oa'' "two"
| Like a kissing sound.
|-
| class="nowrap" style="font-size: 120%;" | {{IPAblink|ǂ|audio=y}}
| Khoekhoe '''''ǂg'''ā-amǃnâ'' [ǂààʔám̀ᵑǃã̀ã̀] "to put in the mouth"
|Like an imitation of a chewing sound.
|}

==Marks added to letters==
Several marks can be added above, below, before or after letters. These are here shown on a carrier letter such as the vowel ''a.'' A more complete list is given at {{Section link|International Phonetic Alphabet|Diacritics and prosodic notation}}.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em"
! Symbol !! Example !! Description
|-
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;"></div> Signs above a letter
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Nasal vowel|[ã]]]}}
| French ''vi'''n''' bla'''n'''c'' {{IPA|[vɛ̃ blɑ̃]}} "white wine"
| A [[nasalization|nasal]] vowel, as with a Texas twang.
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Central vowel|[ä]]]}}
| Portuguese ''v'''á''''' {{IPA|[vä]}} "go"
| A [[central vowel]] pronounced with the tongue position in the middle of the mouth; neither forward nor back.
|-
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;"></div> Signs below a letter
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Diphthong|[a̯]]]}}
| English ''co'''w''''' {{IPA|[kʰaʊ̯]}}, ''ko'''i''''' {{IPA|[kʰɔɪ̯]}}
| This vowel does not form a syllable of its own, but runs into the vowel next to it. (In English, the diacritic is generally left off: {{IPA|[kaʊ]}}.)
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Voicelessness|[n̥]]]}}
|English '''''b'''oy'' [b̥ɔɪ̯], '''''d'''oe'' [d̥oʊ̯]
([[Fortis and lenis#Characteristics|see also]])
| Sounds like a loud whisper; {{IPA|[n̥]}} is like a whispered breath through the nose. {{IPA|[l̥]}} is found in Tibetan '''''Lh'''asa.''
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Syllabic consonant|[n̩]]]}}
| English ''butt'''on'''''
| A consonant without a vowel. (English {{IPA|[n̩]}} is often transcribed {{IPA|/ən/}}.)
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Dental consonant|[d̪]]]}}
| Spanish '''''d'''os,'' French '''''d'''eux''
| The tongue touches the teeth more than it does in English.
|-
<!-- There is no point in distinguishing left and right, since a user can't tell the difference. -->
! colspan="3" | <div style="font-weight: normal; float: right;"></div> Signs next to a letter
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Aspirated consonant|[kʰ]]]}}
| English '''''c'''ome''
| Aspirated consonant, pronounced with a puff of air. Similarly {{IPA|[tʰ pʰ tsʰ tʃʰ tɕʰ]}}.
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Ejective consonant|[k’]]]}}
| Zulu ''u'''k'''uza'' "come"
| Ejective. Like a popped {{IPA|[k]}}, pushed from the throat. Similarly {{IPA|[tʼ pʼ qʼ tʃʼ tsʼ tɬʼ]}}.
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Length (phonetics)|[aː]]]}}
| English ''shh!'' {{IPA|[ʃː]}}
| Long. Often used with English vowels or diphthongs: ''Mayo'' {{IPA|/ˈmeːoː/}} for {{IPA|[ˈmeɪ̯ɜʊ̯]}}, ''etc.''
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Length (phonetics)|[aˑ]]]}}
| RP ''caught'' {{IPA|[ˈkʰɔˑt]}}
| Semi-long. (Although the vowel is different, this is also longer than ''cot'' {{IPA|[ˈkʰɒt]}}.)
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Stress (linguistics)|[ˈa]]]}}
| rowspan="2" | ''pronunciation''<br>{{IPA|[pɹ̥əʊ̯ˌnɐnsiˈeɪʃn̩]}}
| Main stress. The mark denotes the stress of the ''following'' syllable.
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Secondary stress|[ˌa]]]}}
| Weaker stress. The mark denotes the stress of the ''following'' syllable.
|-
| style="text-align:center; font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[[Syllable|[.]]]}}
| English ''courtship'' {{IPA|[ˈkɔrt.ʃɪp]}}
| [[Syllable]] break. (this is often redundant and therefore left off)
|}

==Brackets==

Two types of brackets are commonly used to enclose transcriptions in the IPA:
*/Slashes/ indicate sounds that are distinguished as the basic units of words in a language by native speakers; these are called [[phoneme]]s. Changing the symbols between these slashes would either change the identity of the word or produce nonsense. For example, since there is no meaningful difference to a native speaker between the two sounds written with the letter L in the word ''lulls,'' they are considered the same phoneme, and so, using slashes, they are given the same symbol in IPA: {{IPA|/ˈlʌlz/}}. Similarly, Spanish ''la bamba'' is transcribed phonemically with two instances of the same ''b'' sound, {{IPA|/la ˈbamba/}}, despite the fact that they sound different to a speaker of English. Thus a reader who is not familiar with the language in question might not know how to interpret these transcriptions more narrowly.
*[Square brackets] indicate the narrower or more detailed [[phonetics|phonetic]] qualities of a pronunciation, not taking into account the norms of the language to which it belongs; therefore, such transcriptions do not regard whether subtly different sounds in the pronunciation are actually noticeable or distinguishable to a native speaker of the language. Within square brackets is what a foreigner who does not know the structure of a language might hear as discrete units of sound. For instance, the English word ''lulls'' may be pronounced in a particular dialect more specifically as {{IPA|[ˈlɐɫz]}}, with different letter L sounds at the beginning and end. This may be obvious to speakers of languages that differentiate between the sounds {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[ɫ]}}. Likewise, Spanish ''la bamba'' (pronounced without a pause) has two different b-sounds to the ears of foreigners or linguists—{{IPA|[la ˈβamba]}}—though a native Spanish speaker might not be able to hear it. Omitting or adding such detail does not make a difference to the identity of the word, but helps to give a more precise pronunciation.

A third kind of bracket is occasionally seen:
*Either //double slashes// or |pipes| (or occasionally other conventions) show that the enclosed sounds are theoretical constructs that are not actually heard. (This is part of [[morphophonology]].) For instance, most phonologists argue that the ''-s'' at the ends of verbs, which surfaces as either {{IPA|/s/}} in ''talks'' {{IPA|/tɔːks/}} or as {{IPA|/z/}} in ''lulls'' {{IPA|/lʌlz/}}, has a single underlying form. If they decide this form is an ''s,'' they would write it //s// (or |s|) to claim that phonemic {{IPA|/tɔːks/}} and {{IPA|/lʌlz/}} are essentially {{IPA|//tɔːks//}} and {{IPA|//lʌls//}} underneath. If they were to decide it was essentially the latter, //z//, they would transcribe these words {{IPA|//tɔːkz//}} and {{IPA|//lʌlz//}}.

Lastly,
*{{angbr|Angle brackets}} are used to set off [[orthography]], as well as [[transliteration]] from non-Latin scripts.  Thus {{angbr|lulls}}, {{angbr|la bamba}}, the letter {{angbr|a}}.  Angle brackets are not supported by all fonts, so a template {{tl|angle bracket}} (shortcut {{tl|angbr}}) is used to ensure maximal compatibility. (Comment there if you're having problems.)

==Rendering issues==
<!-- linked from [[Help:IPA/English]] -->
IPA [[typeface]] support is increasing, and is now included in several typefaces such as the [[Times New Roman]] versions that come with various recent computer [[operating systems]]. [[Diacritic|Diacritics]] are not always properly rendered, however. IPA typefaces that are freely available online include [[Gentium]], several from the [[Summer Institute of Linguistics|SIL]] (such as [[Charis SIL]], and [[Doulos SIL]]), [[Dehuti]], [[DejaVu fonts|DejaVu Sans]], and [[Bitstream Cyberbit|TITUS Cyberbit]], which are all [[Free software Unicode typefaces|freely available]]; as well as commercial typefaces such as Brill, available from [[Brill Publishers]], and  [[Lucida Sans Unicode]] and [[Arial Unicode MS]], shipping with various [[Microsoft]] products. These all include several ranges of characters in addition to the IPA. Modern [[Web browser]]s generally do not need any configuration to display these symbols, provided that a typeface capable of doing so is available to the operating system.

Particularly, the following symbols may be shown improperly depending on your font:

{{Collapse top|title=Voiced velar plosive}}
These two characters should look similar:
:{|class=wikitable
|-textalign=top
|<big><big>{{IPA|ɡ}}</big></big>
|[[file:opentail_g.svg|8px]]
|}
If in the box to the left you see the symbol [[File:ꞬMSReferenceSansSerif.png|12px]] rather than a lower-case open-tail g, you may be experiencing a well-known bug in the font ''MS Reference Sans Serif''; switching to another font may fix it.

On your current font: {{IPA|[ɡ]}},

and in several other fonts:

{{MFSample|[ɡ]}}
{{Collapse bottom}}

{{Collapse top|title=Affricates and double articulation}}
The ''tie bar'' is intended to cover both letters of an affricate or doubly articulated consonant. However, if your browser uses Arial Unicode MS to display IPA characters, the following incorrectly formed sequences may look better than the correct order (letter, tie bar, letter) due to a bug in that font:
:ts͡, tʃ͡, tɕ͡, dz͡, dʒ͡, dʑ͡, tɬ͡, kp͡, ɡb͡, ŋm͡.
Here is how the proper configuration displays in your default IPA font:
:{{IPA|t͡s, d͡z, t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, t͡ɕ, d͡ʑ, t͡ɬ, k͡p, ɡ͡b, ŋ͡m}},
and in several other fonts:
{{MFSample|t͡s, d͡z, t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, t͡ɕ, d͡ʑ, t͡ɬ, k͡p, ɡ͡b, ŋ͡m}}
{{Collapse bottom}}

{{Collapse top|title=Angle brackets}}
True angle brackets, &#x27E8; &#x27E9;, are unsupported by several common fonts. Here is how they display in your default settings:

:⟨...⟩ (unformatted)
:{{IPA|⟨...⟩}} (default IPA font)
:⟨...⟩ (default Unicode font),

and in several specific fonts:

{{MFSample|⟨...⟩}}
{{Collapse bottom}}

==Computer input using on-screen keyboard==
Online IPA keyboard utilities are available and they cover a range of IPA symbols and diacritics:
*[https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/IPAcharts/inter_chart_2018/IPA_2018.html IPA i-charts (2018)]
*[https://r12a.github.io/pickers/ipa/ IPA character picker]
*[http://ipa.typeit.org/full/ TypeIt.org]
*[https://westonruter.github.io/ipa-chart/keyboard/ IPA Chart Keyboard]

==See also==
*[[Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet]]
*[[Diphthong#Diphthongs in various languages|IPA charts for diphthongs in various languages]]
*[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (pronunciation)#Entering IPA characters]]

==External links==
*[https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/IPAcharts/inter_chart_2018/IPA_2018.html Official interactive IPA chart with letter descriptions, audio, and input assist] {{spoken}}
*[http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm IPA pronunciation chart with audio] {{spoken}}
*[https://sail.usc.edu/span/rtmri_ipa/ MRI videos of production of the sounds of the IPA charts] {{spoken}}
*[https://www.seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipa-charts/ Ultrasound and MRI videos of production of the sounds of the IPA charts] {{spoken}}
*[http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10/blogs/gotunicode/2008/09/getting-jaws-61-to-recognize-e.html Getting JAWS 6.1 to recognize "exotic" Unicode symbols] – for help on getting the [[screen reader]] [[JAWS (screen reader)|JAWS]] to read IPA symbols
*[http://ipa-reader.xyz/ IPA Reader] – web-based IPA synthesizer using [[Amazon Polly]]

{{IPA keys}}
{{IPA navigation}}