Pronunciation key
The pronunciations shown are approximate, using southern British ('received pronunciation') as the reference point for the transcription. There are of course many local variations in pronunciation especially in Celtic-speaking areas, which I've had to ignore.
The main stressed syllable in a word is shown by underlining. In cases where the words are in everyday Modern English, as in Land's End, I show just the stress.
I only give pronunciations when they can’t be easily guessed from the spelling.
The main stressed syllable in a word is shown by underlining. In cases where the words are in everyday Modern English, as in Land's End, I show just the stress.
I only give pronunciations when they can’t be easily guessed from the spelling.
Consonants
| p | as in pin |
| b | as in big |
| t | as in top |
| d | as in dog |
| k | as in kin |
| g | as in got |
| f | as in fat |
| v | as in van |
| th | as in thin |
| TH | as in the |
| s | as in sit |
| z | as in zip |
| sh | as in shop |
| zh | as in fusion |
| ch | as in chest |
| dg | as in jest |
| h | as in hot |
| m | as in map |
| n | as in net |
| ng | as in sing |
| l | as in lip |
| r | as in rip |
| w | as in well |
| j | as in you |
Short vowels
| i | as in it |
| e | as in met |
| a | as in cat |
| o | as in not |
| u | as in put |
| uh | as in cup and also the |
Long vowels
| ee | as in see |
| ah | as in pal |
| oo | as in soon |
| aw | as in hall |
| er | as in bird |
| eR | as in bird, with R sounded |
Diphthongs
| ay | as in hay |
| iy | as in my |
| oh | as in low |
| oy | as in boy |
| ow | as in now |
| eer | as in near |
| air | as in air |
| oouh | as in cure |
Other symbols
| æ: | in Old English, as in the first part of air |
| y | in Old English, a rounded vowel, as in French tu |
| kh | in Old English, Welsh and Gaelic, as in Scots loch |
| gh | in Gaelic, the voiced form of kh |
| uu | in Gaelic, a high back unrounded vowel - like an oo with lips spread |
| hw | in Old English, a voiceless w, as in whit |
| hr | in Welsh, a voiceless r, as in rhos |
| hl | in Welsh, a voiceless l, as in llan |