noun

a sound used in speech that is like the “ch” sound in “church” or the “j” sound in “judge”

noun

a consonant sound such as “l,” “d,” “n,” or “t,” made with the tongue touching the skin behind your top front teeth

verb

to breathe out air while pronouncing a sound, for example the “h” in “hat”

noun

a sound produced while breathing out air, for example the sound of the “h” in “hat”

noun

the sound produced when you pronounce something by breathing air out through your mouth

noun

the repeating of sounds in words that are close together, especially in poetry, for example “I tried to light the fire”

adjective

a bilabial sound is one that you produce using both lips, for example the sound of “m” or “p”

noun

a syllable that has a consonant at its end

noun

a vowel sound made with your tongue near the top of your mouth

noun

a speech sound made by stopping all or some of the air going out of your mouth

verb

to pronounce a vowel or consonant without passing air over your vocal cords

noun

a sound consisting of one or two vowels that is the combination of two sounds said one after the other. The vowel sounds in the words “find” and “fail” are diphthongs.

noun

the practice of leaving a sound out when you say a word or group of words, for example when you say it quickly in ordinary conversation

noun

a speech sound that is made by pushing air out through a small space between your teeth and your tongue or lips, or between your tongue and palate (=the inside upper part of your mouth). “F,” “z,” and “th” are fricatives.

adjective

a front vowel is made in the front part of your mouth

adjective

a glottal sound is one that you make in speaking when you partly or completely stop air as it passes through the throat

noun

a glottal stop

noun

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken English a glottal stop is often used instead of a “t” sound in the middle or at the end of a word.

noun

a written letter, group of letters, number, or symbol that represents a single sound in speech

noun

a pause between two vowel sounds that come one after the other, for example in the word naive

noun

the way in which your voice rises or falls when you speak

noun

International Phonetic Alphabet: a system of symbols used for representing speech sounds

adjective

labial sounds are ones that you pronounce with your lips closed or close together or with your top teeth touching your bottom lip. “p,” “b” , “f,” “v,” and “m” are labial sounds

noun

a sound that you pronounce with your lips closed or close together or with your top teeth touching your bottom lip, for example “p,” “b,” “f,” “v,” or “m”

noun

a sound pronounced with the top teeth touching the bottom lip, for example “f” and “v”

noun

a sound pronounced with the lips and upper back part of your mouth, for example “w”

noun

the sound “l” or “r”

adjective

a long vowel is a vowel that is pronounced for a longer time than most other vowels

adjective

a letter that is mute is not pronounced

noun

a speech sound such as “m” or “n” that is produced mainly through your nose

noun

a vowel that you pronounce with your tongue on the bottom of your mouth

adjective

if you pronounce a sound that is palatal, especially a consonant, you pronounce it by moving your tongue near or against the hard palate

noun

an individual speech sound that makes one word different from another. For example, the “b” and “f” in “bill” and “fill.”

noun

the study of the phonemes of a language

adjective

relating to the sounds used in speech

adjective

using special symbols as a way of showing speech sounds in writing

adjective

relating to the science of phonetics

noun

the study of the sounds used in speech

adjective

relating to the sounds used in speech, or to the study of these sounds

noun

the study of the pattern of speech sounds used in a particular language

noun

the pattern of speech sounds used in a particular language

noun

a sound that you make by quickly stopping your breath leaving your mouth and then suddenly letting it go again. The sounds “k,” “p,” and “t” are plosives.

noun

the strongest emphasis that you give to a particular syllable when you say a word. Primary accents are marked ˈ in this dictionary.

noun

primary accent

adjective

pronounced with the end of your tongue bent backward

noun

a vowel sound used in unstressed syllables, for example the sound of “a” in “above.” Its symbol is ə.

noun

the second strongest emphasis on a part of a word or sentence

noun

a speech sound that sounds like a vowel but is a consonant, for example “w”

adjective

a short vowel or syllable is one that you pronounce quickly

adjective

making a sound like the letters “s” or “sh”

noun

one of the sibilant speech sounds, for example “s” or “sh”

adjective

a silent letter is a letter in a word that has no sound when you say the word but that must be used when the word is spelled or written

noun

a consonant sound produced by stopping and then starting the flow of air through your mouth

verb

to pronounce a particular word or syllable (=part of a word) more loudly or with greater force than other words or syllables

adjective

a stressed word or syllable (=part of a word) is pronounced more loudly or with greater force than other words or syllables

noun

a mark that shows which part of a word is pronounced with the most emphasis

noun

a word or a part of a word that has only one vowel sound. For example “son” has one syllable and “father” has two syllables.

noun

the degree to which the sound of a word or part of a word is high or low

adjective

an unstressed word or syllable (=part of a word) is pronounced more quietly or with less force than other words or syllables

adjective

an unvoiced sound is produced without using your vocal cords. In English, “/t/,” “/s/,” and “/f/” are unvoiced sounds.

noun

a consonant sound made when the back of your tongue touches your uvula

adjective

relating to vowels, or consisting of a vowel

adjective

voiced sounds are produced by passing air over your vocal cords

adjective

voiceless sounds are produced without passing air over your vocal cords

noun

a sound that you make when you speak without closing your mouth or throat

adjective

a weak word, or a weak part of a word, is not emphasized when you say the word

noun

adjective

adjective

adjective

adjective

adverb

adjective

adjective

adjective