Transcription is the recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols, i.e. sounds of the English language.
There are 44 sounds in the English language, of which 20 are vowels and 24 are consonants.
Vowel sounds . There are 20 vowel sounds in English: 7 – short vowels 5 – long vowels 8 – diphthongs/double vowels
Consonant sounds (consonants) . There are 24 consonants in English: 8 – voiceless consonants 8 – voiced consonants 8 – other consonants
English pronunciation
English often sounds more dynamic compared to the smoother Russian. It is a little faster (about 10% - 15%, according to various studies), and sometimes it seems to us that not all words are pronounced in fast speech.
If you have difficulty understanding English by ear and want to hear English better, come to our free training “How to learn to understand English by ear.” Registration is open!
Despite the fact that the languages come from the same Indo-European family - which means they are based on the same pronunciation system - there are a number of significant differences in the pronunciation of Russian and English sounds, words and phrases.
Important features of English pronunciation (in comparison with Russian)
English has more vowel sounds than Russian. They are pronounced, as a rule, with less strain on the lips.
We have 6 of them: [a], [y], [o], [e], [i], [s], but in English there are 12 of them: /ɪ/, /ɪː/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/ , /æ/, /ɛ/, /ɜː/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/, /ʊ/, /ʊː/, /ə/.
English sounds generally have two variants: short and long: /ɪ/ and /ɪː/, /ɒ/ and /ɔː/, /ʊ/ and /ʊː/ light and deeper: /ʌ/ and /ɑː/ open and closed: /æ/ and /ɛ/
Unique English vowel sounds: /æ / - somewhere between A and E /ɜː/ (soft O) - somewhere between O and E /ə/ - weak schwa (extremely weak sound, somewhere between A, O, E - pronounced in most unstressed syllables).
In the English language, our compound vowel sounds E [ye], Yo [yo], Yu [yu], Ya [ya] are missing, but there are diphthongs.
English diphthongs are the double sounds /aɪ/ (time), /eɪ/ (space), /ɔɪ/ (boil), /ɛə/ (care), /əʊ/ (know), /aʊ/ (now), /ɪə / (fear), and /ʊə/ (cure).
The first sound of a diphthong is pronounced more clearly than the second. This is why we often hear poorly or confuse words with diphthongs when listening.
English consonants often differ in their pronunciation even of sounds similar to Russian.
The Russian language has as many as 36 consonant sounds (with 21 letters), but in English there are only 24. It is important to remember that even similar sounds (for example, /p/ or /d/ are pronounced differently than in Russian - see the details in the table below ).
Unique English consonant sounds: /w/ - semivowel sound, something between U and V /ð/ and /θ/ - interdental sound (voiceless and voiced variations), something between V and Z (F and S in the voiceless variation) / ŋ/ - nasal N
The main difference between the pronunciation of Russian and English consonants is that in Russian we often deafen final consonant sounds (for example, the words god and goth can sound the same), but in English this does not happen. It is important to remember this, since we can confuse pairs of words (for example, bed - bet) and have difficulty hearing final consonants.
Also difficult are the so-called “clusters” - combinations of several consonant sounds within or at the junctions of words. Words like three, sixth and others can cause problems with pronunciation.
I recommend using the interactive sound table or mobile app from Cambridge to practice sound pronunciation and improve your accent.
The same letter can represent several sounds depending on its position in the word.
The most important difficulty in learning English is mastering its reading rules.
Despite the fact that the English alphabet has only 26 letters (unlike the Russian 33), learning to read words and phrases in English is not so easy.
1/ The vowel sounds in the alphabet have a so-called “open” pronunciation, different from other European languages.
How to read the sounds of the English alphabet
2/ Vowel sounds in stressed words are read differently, depending on the type of syllable in which they appear.
3/ Unstressed vowel sounds are pronounced with a very weak sound schwa /ə/.
This sound is so weak that we often simply cannot hear it. In our English pronunciation we often pronounce it too intensely.
For example, the word vegetable is pronounced not VEGETABLE with the same intensity of all sounds, but /vedʒt(ə)b(ə)l/ , that is, after the clear stressed syllable VE there are reduced syllables, all sounds of which are read using schwa, and they are almost inaudible (and often you can’t hear it at all).
I will talk about this feature of English stress in more detail in the article “How to learn to understand English by ear.”
4/ Many vowel and consonant sounds in writing are indicated by combinations of letters that need to be remembered.
Errors in pronunciation lead to problems in listening to rapid English speech. I recommend purchasing our Complete Guide to Reading Rules .
It will help fill gaps in your knowledge of pronunciation rules and help you avoid common mistakes.
What is transcription
The English language has 26 letters and 44 sounds. Transcription is a graphical representation of sounds; it visually shows how a word or phrase should sound. The International Phonetic Alphabet is the most common set of characters; many of those who learn English from school are accustomed to it.
Even if you perfectly know all the rules for reading the native language of Foggy Albion, you may be surprised by a rather impressive list of exceptions. In some of them, even native speakers make mistakes. For example, how many of you can guess how the word a colonel (colonel) is read?
Suddenly? And how!
Many students doubt whether it is worth learning transcription, because modern dictionaries have the function of voicing words. Of course, electronic dictionaries make the process of learning a language easier, but transcription is still a useful tool in establishing correct pronunciation. Firstly, not every person has a good ear for music, which means they may mishear a word. Secondly, many people find it easier to remember what is written than what they hear. Thirdly, if you are keeping a dictionary by hand, it is important to write down the vocabulary with transcription in order to remember the correct pronunciation.
Pronunciation and reading of vowels
| Sound | Pronunciation feature | Typical combinations | Exception words |
| /ə/ | Weak unstressed sound - something between a very weak A and E | Any vowel without stress, mainly a, o, u, e | |
| /ɪ/ | “And short” Lips slightly stretched in a half-smile, tongue in front of the mouth. We pronounce light I. | i in a closed syllable i f, f i lm, h i s e in endings danc e s, start e d | o w o men e E nglish, d e cide a vill a ge, chocol a te |
| /ɪː/ | “And long” Lips slightly stretched, tongue in front of mouth. We pronounce the long I. We don’t strain our lips. | ee s ee , sl ee p most words with ea s ea , r ea d, e a t, pl ea se e in the open syllable tr ee , b e , the se | i under stress in borrowed words mach i ne, pol i ce ie f ie ld, p ie ce, ach ie ve ei rec ei ve ey at the end of words k ey , hock ey eo p eo ple |
| /e/ | “E closed” Lips slightly stretched, tongue in front of mouth. We don’t lower our jaws. We pronounce closed E. | e in a closed syllable e gg, b e t, w e nt | ea d ea d, br ea th a a ny, a te, s ay s, s ai d u b u ry ie fr ie nd ei l ei sure |
| /æ/ | “E open” The mouth is open, the lower jaw is lowered. The tip of the tongue is slightly raised. We pronounce something between E and A. | a in a closed syllable c a t, fl a t, m a rry, h a nd, r a n | ai pl ai t |
| /ʌ/ | “And short” We don’t tense our lips, our mouth is slightly open. We pronounce light A | u in a closed syllable b u s, m u st, f u nny | o o ne, m o ther, London , c o mpany ou y ou ng, tr ou ble ough / ʌf/ en ou gh, r ou gh some oo bl oo d, fl oo d ul at the beginning of words u ltimate, u ltimatum |
| /aː/ | “A long” We pronounce long A, but do not open our mouth wide. The tongue is moved away from the lower teeth, the base of the tongue is slightly raised. It feels as if there is something round at the back of the mouth. | ar c ar , c ar d, ar tist, p ar k | a f a ther, h a lf, r a ther ear h ear t sometimes au au nt, l au gh |
| /ɒ/ | “O short” Weak O, which is pronounced almost without rounding the lips. In many American accents it sounds closer to A | o + final consonant h o t, sp o t, d o g -ock cl o ck, bl o ck o + double consonant b o ttle a after w, wh, qu w a nt, wh a t, qu a lity | some au bec au se ow kn ow ledge |
| /ɔː/ | “Oh long” It is pronounced drawn out, as the emphasis falls on it, but the position of the lips is less tense than in Russian. | or h or se, sp or t, res or t -oar- b oar d aw s aw , l aw , l aw n most au Au gust, p au se, au dio, d au ghter | a a ll, w a ter ar after w, qu w ar , w ar n, qu ar ter oor d oor , fl oor our f our , c our t ough + consonant b ough t, br ough t, th ough t |
| /ɜː/ | “Tense soft O” The tongue is slightly raised in the mouth, the lips are slightly tense in a rounded shape. There is a small distance between the upper and lower teeth. We pronounce something between O and E. The feeling is as if we are holding a cocktail straw in our mouth, but we do not push our lips forward. | er, ir, ur under stress h er, v er b g ir l, f ir st f ur , t ur n, occ ur | w + or w or d, w or k, w or ld our + consonant j our ney, c our tesy ear + consonant l ear n, ear th |
| /uː/ | “U long” Slightly less tension on the lips than in Russian. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. The lips are rounded, but slightly. We pronounce the long U. | oo f oo d, m oo d u in an open syllable m u sic, s ui t u in words with a final silent e t u ne, J u ne, b l u e ew ch ew | o d o , m o ve, sh o e ou s ou p, thr ou gh ui j ui ce eau b eau tiful |
| /ʊ/ | “U short” Pronounced with almost no tension on the lips. The lips do not move forward. Tongue in the middle of the mouth. | oo b oo k, g oo d u p u t ou c ou ld o w o man |
Feature of English phonetics: we write “Manchester” - we read “Liverpool”
The phonetics of the English language has a noticeable feature: words are often read differently from how they are written, that is, from the spelling of a word it is not always possible to guess how it is pronounced. As linguists joke: “We write “Manchester”, but read “Liverpool.”
In the history of many languages, the following pattern can be traced: the phonetic structure becomes more complex, but the letters and spelling remain the same or change with great delay. English is no exception. At the dawn of its development, words were read and pronounced more or less similarly, but over time this discrepancy became greater and greater, the situation was aggravated by the diversity of dialects, and now we already read the combination of letters –ough in the words though, thought and through in completely different ways, although the words themselves differ by one letter.
Recommended article: How to find out your vocabulary?
Nobody is in a hurry to reform English spelling; there are many reasons for this. For example, the English language has long no longer had a single “control center”. Reforms initiated in London may be coolly received in Sydney and rejected in Washington. And in general, spelling reform is always a painful process that meets resistance among a significant part of native speakers. It's much easier to leave it as is.
Diphthongs
| Sound | Pronunciation feature | Typical combinations | Exception words |
| /aɪ/ | “Ay” The position of the lips is the same as when pronouncing the sound /ʌ/, but the lips are a little more tense. After the first sound, the tongue immediately moves upward to pronounce the sound /ɪ/. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | i in an open syllable in words with a final silent e wr i te, f i ve, d i e, d i ve, arr i ve y under stress appl y , sp y , sl y , tr y before nd, ld k i nd , b i nd, ch i ld igh h igh , r igh t, l igh t | in front of the dumb s is le, is land in front of n p i nt eye ei ei ther, n ei ther uy b uy , g uy |
| /eɪ/ | “Hey” Lip position as when pronouncing the sound /e/. After the first sound, the tongue immediately moves upward to pronounce the sound /ɪ/. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | a in an open syllable r a dio, f a vourite in words with a final silent e pl a te, p a ge ai p ai n, Sp ai n, r ai n, p ai d ay d ay , aw ay | ea gr ea t, br ea k ei ei ght, v ei l ey th ey , gr ey |
| /ɔɪ/ | “Oh” The first sound is pronounced a little more tense than the usual /ɒ/ sound. After the first sound, the tongue immediately moves upward to pronounce the sound /ɪ/. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | oi b oi l, sp oi l oy t oy , enj oy | |
| /ɛə/ | “Ea” We pronounce a vowel similar to the Russian sound [e] in the word this, after pronouncing which we end with a weak [ə] with a hint of the sound [ʌ]. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | air f air , air , ch air are c are , sp are | ear p ear , t ear (tear) ere wh ere , th ere eir th eir |
| /ɪə/ | “Ia” The position of the lips is as when pronouncing the sound /ɪ/, and then we end with a weak [ə] with a hint of the sound [ʌ]. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | eer b eer , d eer ere h ere ear d ear | ier f ier ce eir w eir d ea id ea , r ea l |
| /əʊ/ | “Oh” At the beginning we try to pronounce the sound /ɔ/, then we round our lips a little more and switch to the sound /ʊ/. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | o at the end of words s o , Mexic o , ag o in words with final silent e st o ne, h o me, t o e oa b oa t, c oa st | before ld c o ld before th b o th ow l ow sometimes ou sh ou lder |
| /aʊ/ | “Ay” The position of the lips is the same as when pronouncing the sound /ʌ/, but the lips are a little more tense. After the first sound, the lips round slightly to produce the sound /ʊ/. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | majority ow n ow , b row n , h ow , t ow el majority ou h ou se, ou t, gr ou nd | |
| /ʊə/ | “Ue” The position of the lips is the same as when pronouncing the sound /ʊ/, but the lips are a little more tense, and then we end with a weak [ə] with a hint of the sound [ʌ]. The second element of the diphthong is pronounced with less intensity. | u in an open syllable d u ring, j u ry, sec u rity -ure c ure , s ure , p ure |
Reasons to learn the sounds of English
When studying transcription, you learn the rules of reading. Having analyzed only about a hundred words, you will be able to build logical chains and determine the basic patterns of pronunciation of sounds. Over time, you will be able to pronounce words correctly without much effort. Studying the rules does not eliminate the need to listen to English speech
It is important to develop both auditory and visual memory. By reading aloud you improve your pronunciation skills. The lack of correct pronunciation will become an obstacle in overcoming the language barrier, and in the future will cause the development of a complex when communicating
Incorrect pronunciation can change the meaning of a word or sentence.
Intonation
When working on intonation, it is important to listen to foreign speech. Regularly use audio lessons in your training, repeat after the speaker, try to feel the intonation
Memorize short poems and dialogues. In order to hear yourself from the outside, use a voice recorder, and then work on your mistakes.
Accent.
To develop an accent, it is recommended to study with a native speaker and watch films in English.
We hope that it has now become clear to you that studying phonetics is an important factor in achieving a high language level. Good luck in your studies!
Consonants and letter combinations
| Sound | Pronunciation feature | Typical combinations | Exception words |
| /s/ | “S” Sound similar to Russian S | s at the beginning of words s o, s ee, s ide at the endings - after the voiceless consonant cat s , writ es ss cro ss , fu ss y (except for scissors, possess) s + consonant la s t, s tay ce, cy, ci c entre, sc ience, c ycle, jui c y | sometimes s at the end of words bu s se mou se , cea se s in the middle of words (between vowels) ba s ic |
| /ʃ/ | “Sh” The sound is similar to the Russian Sh, but a little softer. | sh sh op, wi sh in endings with ti- and ci - educa ti on, ini ti al musi ci an, deli ci ous | ch in words of French origin ma ch ine, ch ampagne, ni ch e s in s urance, s ure |
| /tʃ/ | “Ch” The sound is similar to the Russian Ch, but a little softer. | ch - most words ch in, ri ch tch ma tch , ki tch en tu- in suffixes (ture) fu tu re, na tu re, pic tu re, tempera tu re | |
| /ʒ/ | “Zh” The sound is similar to Russian Zh, but much softer. The middle part is raised up, the tip is slightly raised. Compared to Russian, Ж is pronounced in the middle (rather than the front) part of the mouth. | before endings with -u or -i plea su re, u su al, vi si on | -ge (in words of French origin) bei ge , gara ge |
| /dʒ/ | “J” Pronounced similar to the sound /tʃ/, but more sonorous. When pronouncing /d/, the tip of the tongue is raised up and pressed against the alveoli (tubercles at the base of the upper teeth), then the tongue is moved to the middle part of the mouth and a soft /ʒ/ is pronounced | j j am, j ob ge, gi, gy mana ge , a g ent, g ym, ima gine , g in g er (except get, give) -dge ju dg e | |
| /j/ | “Y” The sound is similar to the Russian Y, but with less lifting of the tip of the tongue upward. The edges of the back of the tongue are pressed against the upper teeth. The sound comes out through the middle of the tongue. | y at the beginning of words y ellow, y ou u sometimes at the beginning of words u niversity, u se | after the consonants b e autiful, d ew , f ew , arg u e, qu e ue, mu sic , n ew , p u re, t u ne at the beginning of the words E urope, E uropean |
| /z/ | “Z” The sound is similar to the Russian Z | z z oo, free z e s in the middle of words mu s ic, plea s ant s sometimes at the end of words wa s , ha s in endings - after a voiced consonant or vowel dog s , add s , listen s | |
| /h/ | “X” (much weaker compared to Russian) Pronounced while exhaling. Unlike Russian, there is no bow at the back of the mouth. The tongue does not participate in the formation of this sound, but takes position for the next vowel. | h h ot, h and who wh o, wh om, wh ole | |
| /p/ | “P” Similar to Russian P, but pronounced with more aspiration and noise. The sensation is a bit like spitting. | p p en, p ull, t a p | |
| /b/ | “B” The sound is similar to the Russian B. | b b all, b little, ri b | |
| /t/ | “T” The sound is similar to the Russian D, but when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue is placed on the alveoli (tubercles at the base of the upper teeth), and the sound is more rounded and noisy. | t t able, t ime | |
| /d/ | “D” The sound is similar to the Russian T, but when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue is placed on the alveoli (tubercles at the base of the upper teeth), and the sound is more rounded and noisy. | d d rone, d ull, mu d | |
| /k/ | "K" Similar to Russian K | k lea k , an k le ck lo ck , so ck c (except ce, ci, cy) c lue, c lone, c ould | |
| /g/ | "G" Similar to Russian G | g at the end and middle of words mu g , pe g , an g le -gu in the middle and -gue at the end of words lea gu e, prolo gu e, lan gu age | |
| /l/ | “L” The sound is pronounced when the tip of the tongue is placed on the alveoli and the back palate is slightly raised. It is pronounced something between L and L. The lateral edges of the tongue are lowered, forming a passage for a stream of air. | l, ll l amp, l ist, a l ive, bell l y | |
| /r/ | “R” The sound is very different from Russian. The tongue lies flat, and then the tip of the tongue rises, curling into a kind of “roll”, without touching anything in the mouth. It is important that in English the tongue does not form a barrier to the movement of air and does NOT vibrate. | r, rr r ead, r aw, co rr ect wr at the beginning of words wr ong, wr ite | |
| /m/ | “M” The sound is similar to the Russian M. | m, mm May , re m e m ber, su mm er | |
| /n/ | “N” The sound is similar to the Russian N. | n n ame, pai n kn at the beginning of words kn ee, kn ight | |
| /ŋ/ | “N” nasal Pronounced through the nose. The back of the tongue is raised and the air comes out through the nose. | ng si ng , pi ng look ing , sleep ing | |
| /f/ | “F” The sound is similar to the Russian F. The lower lip is slightly pressed against the lower teeth. | f stu ff , sa f e, f an ph ph one, ph ysics | -gh at the end of words e nou gh , tou gh , rou gh , lau gh |
| /v/ | “V” The sound is similar to the Russian V. The lower lip is slightly pressed against the lower teeth. | v v ery, pro v e | |
| /w/ | Something between B and U. Sharp opening of the lips (from position U we stretch our lips into a smile without touching the teeth) and release the air. The lips immediately move into position to pronounce the next vowel. | w w ar, w ant, w in wh- (except who) wh at, wh en, wh y | |
| /ð/ | Voiced interdental sound. Something between V and Z. We place the tip of the tongue between the teeth and pronounce V. At the same time, the tongue is spread out and not tense. The tip does not need to be pushed far forward. We make sure that the tongue does not go back and does not rest against the lower teeth, as this can lead to whistling. We move the tip of the tongue inward when pronouncing the next vowel. | th between vowels brea th e, ba th e, bro th er | at the beginning of some words th en th ough th is th ese |
| /θ/ | Dull interdental sound. Something between V and Z. We place the tip of the tongue between the teeth and pronounce F. At the same time, the tongue is flattened and not tense. The tip does not need to be pushed far forward. We make sure that the tongue does not go back and does not rest against the lower teeth, as this can lead to whistling. We move the tip of the tongue inward when pronouncing the next vowel. | at the end of most words my th , pa th , wor th , heal th at the beginning of some words th eme, th row, th umb, th ing |
English alphabet - Printable cards with transcription - How to use:
Download the English alphabet as attachments - printable cards from the little fox Bibushi, cut along the orange lines so that the cards are rectangular, and start practicing with your children. Each card contains a printed letter (capital and uppercase), English and Russian transcription, a picture and an English word that begins with this letter, as well as a transcription of this word.
You can download ALL the English alphabet cards in ORIGINAL size in the attachments at the bottom of the page
The English alphabet, like the Russian one, is easier for children to remember when it is presented in pictures. Indeed, in this case, visual memory actively works. Also, such learning of letters is also effective due to the associations that arise in the child during the process of memorization. After all, each letter will be associated with a specific picture. The effectiveness of this method has long been proven by scientists.
The English alphabet consists of 26 letters, 6 of which are vowels (A, E, I, O, U, Y), and 20 are consonants (B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M , N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Z)
So, now you can view and download the English alphabet - printable cards that we have lovingly ))) developed for you!
Please note that in some words you need to put the accent correctly, and in others you need to pronounce a drawn-out sound. Therefore, in transcriptions you will find the following symbols: * is an accent, and the symbol : is a prolonged (or elongated) sound.
Cards No. 1 - English letters Aa (hey), Bb (bi), Cs (si), Dd (di), words - Apple (apple), Baby (baby), Cat (cat), Dog (dog).
Cards No. 2 - English letters Ee (and:), Ff (ef), Gg (ji:), Hh (eych), words - Egg (eg), Flowers (flowers), Girl (gyo:l), House (house ).
Cards No. 3 - English letters Ii (ay), Jj (jay), Kk (key), Ll (el), words - Ice (ice), Juice (juice), Key (ki:), Letter (le*te) .
Cards No. 4 - English letters Mm (um), Nn (en), Oo (ou), Pp (pi:), words - Money (ma*ni), Nurse (ne:s), Orange (o*ringe), Pig (pig).
Cards No. 5 - English alphabet. Letters Qq (Q), Rr (a:), Ss (es), Tt (ti:), words - Gueen (Q:), Rabbit (ra*bit), Smile (smile), Table (table).
Cards No. 6 - Letters of the English alphabet: Uu (yu:), Vv (vi:), Ww (double u:), Xx (ex), words - Umbrella (ambre*le), Vegetable (ve*jitable), Window ( uy*ndow), Xerox (zi*erox).
Card No. 7 - English letters: Yy (yay), Zz (zed), words - Yogurt (e*get), Zebra (zi*bre).
English alphabet - Uppercase and block letters - Printable poster
We have also developed for you an educational poster “The English Alphabet - Capital and Printed Letters” so that children can remember English letters not only in print, but also in capital letters. After all, the handwriting of many letters is very different from their printed form. And so many children have difficulties in this regard.
To make it easier for you to learn the English alphabet, download the poster, print it on colored paper, and then give it to your child to memorize.
It is advisable to start learning capital letters after the child has memorized all the printed English letters using the cards with pictures that we presented above.
English Alphabet Poster - Uppercase and Block Letters
You can download the poster in its original size for printing in the attachments at the bottom of the page.
Letters of the English alphabet - Printable cards for children
Here you can download the letters of the English alphabet, print cards with capital and block letters and test your child to see how well he remembers the letters from the poster. To do this, you need to cut out the printed cards and divide them into two piles - one with capital letters and the other with block letters.
Now you can check the child. Choose any printed card, show it to your child and ask him to find the exact same letter among the capital letters. Then you can reverse the task and find its printed “double” by any capital letter.
You can also modify the activity and ask the child to put all the cards in pairs - printed and capital. In this case, you need to check the completion of the task after the child has sorted all the letter cards of the English alphabet into pairs.
You can download all the cards with letters in the attachments
PRINTED letters of the English alphabet - Flashcards
English block letters - Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh
Printed letters of the English language - Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp.
Cards with English letters - Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz
CAPITAL letters of the English alphabet - Printable cards
Problematic sounds
We have relatively few problems pronouncing English sounds compared to speakers from other language families. However, there are a number of sounds that we need to pay special attention to.
| Sounds | Possible mistakes | Example words |
| /r/ | The tongue tenses and begins to vibrate. It sounds harsh and closer to Russian than to English. | |
| /w/ | The upper lip touches the lower teeth and the opening of the lips is not fast enough. The sound comes out similar to /v/ or is even replaced by the sound /v/. | May be confused: w et - v et w ine - v ine w est - v est |
| /ŋ/ | There is no raising of the upper palate, and the sound is replaced by the sound /n/. In the popular letter combination NG, the unnecessary /g/ is pronounced. | si ng , ri ng , ki ng sleepi ng , maki ng |
| /ð/ /θ/ | If the tip of the tongue is not placed between the teeth - the lower lip breaks and touches the teeth, which leads to the replacement of these sounds with the familiar /v/ and /f/ - the tip of the tongue is pulled back and an unpleasant whistle appears. | May be confused: th ink - s ink th ank - s ank bo th - bo ss th ick - s ick th in - s in th ing - s ing Difficult words: th ree, th row, th rive, th rough, clo th es |
| /h/ | The pronunciation is too harsh, with vibration in the back of the palate. |
How best to teach transcription of sounds for children
We suggest starting to learn English sounds with the help of rhymes and songs. They will help your child become familiar with new letters and sounds in a relaxed atmosphere.
The more often your child listens to and pronounces letters and sounds, the faster he will remember the correct pronunciation.
Here are examples of some videos:
Associations can also help in learning sounds, especially if we are talking about sounds that are difficult to pronounce.
Read also
Online simulator of real dialogue in English
Useful online resources
- BBC Learning English video series on pronunciation of sounds in a British accent.
- Sounds by contrast in pairs - English club material
- A series of Perfect Pronunciation exercises from the famous Merriam Webster dictionary. American accent sounds training.
- Youtube channel Rachel's English is also an excellent resource for mastering the pronunciation of American accent English (for advanced students)
- Sounds American is another Youtube channel with explanations and exercises for practicing the American accent.
- Learn to pronounce English sounds from an Australian teacher - mmmEnglish .
- Thevoicecafe is a school for training any accent in English. Online exercises, mobile application, lessons via Skype.
Recommended dictionaries with audio support
Collins English Dictionary is the most up-to-date dictionary for English language learners. All possible pronunciation options for words are indicated; For many words, videos have been recorded showing how to pronounce these words correctly. The frequency of the word is indicated - how often it is used in colloquial speech - and its most popular combinations.
Oxford Learner's Dictionary (British and American) is an invaluable resource for English learners. The dictionary is English-English, however, the description of the term is specifically simplified for non-native speakers. You can listen to the words in British and American pronunciation. There are spoken lists of words (also in two accents) on all possible topics.
Forvo is a large database of words spoken by native speakers in all possible languages and accents. There is a voiced guide to travel phrases (you need to select Russian in the list of languages).
ABBYY Lingvo Live is a Russian resource in collaboration with Collins Dictionary. Two parallel pronunciations are indicated in British and American accents.
Types of transcription
There are two main types of transcription: phonetic and phonemic. In this article we will not analyze phonetic transcription (narrow transcription), because it is necessary only for philologists and linguists. It is important for us to understand phonemic transcription (broad transcription), which is the average version of the pronunciation of a word - the one you will find in dictionaries.
It’s worth making a reservation here: in Russia they are used to putting transcriptions in square brackets, remember what you did in Russian lessons. The same trend was evident in Soviet English-Russian dictionaries. Meanwhile, in international phonetics it is customary to write phonemic transcription between two oblique lines (slashes): water /ˈwɔː.tər/ (water). All well-known foreign dictionaries use this transcription spelling: Cambridge Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Longman, etc.
Is it possible to write English words in Russian letters?
Sometimes on websites or even in books you can see “English transcription in Russian” or “pronunciation of English words in Russian letters” - that is, writing English words in Russian letters. Like, why learn complicated symbols if you can convey sounds in Russian letters? Then what is not allowed . The phonetics of the Russian language differs from the English phonetics so much that the sound can only be conveyed very, very approximately. We simply do not have some sounds of English speech, as well as vice versa.
