English Vowel and Diphthong Phonetics with Example Words

English Vowel and Diphthong Phonetics

a — Low back, unrounded, lax

Examples: pot, car.

• Positions: initial — olive; middle — cottage.
• R-colored (/+r/) examples: swap — swab; knot — nod; bock — bog; cop — cob; barr — barred.

c — Mid-low back, rounded, tense

Examples: fall, raw.

• Positions: initial — office; middle — form; final — law.
• R-colored (/+r/) examples: course; dross — draws; source — sores; court — chord; cost — caused; brought — broad.

O — Diphthong, mid to high, rounded, tense

Examples: post, coal.

• Positions: initial — ocean; middle — most; final — low.
• Word pairs / examples: lope — lobe; doss — doze; oat — owed; host — hosed; loayn — loathe.

u — High back, rounded, lax

Examples: put, look.

• Positions: middle — stood.
• R-colored (/+r/) examples: tour.
• Word pairs / examples: put — would; look — full; book — stood; mool — pull; woof — wool.

U — High back, rounded, tense

Examples: boot, truth.

• Positions: initial — ooze; middle — noon; final — tattoo.
• Word pairs / examples: bruce — bruise; boot — booed; proof — prove; sooth — soothe; deuce — dues.

v — Mid-low central, unrounded, lax

Examples: run, cut.

• Positions: initial — under; middle — son.
• Word pairs / examples: cut — culled; shunt — shunned; buss — buzz; cup — cub; duck — Doug.

3r — Mid-low central, rounded, tense (r-colored)

Examples: certain, herd.

• Positions: initial — earn; middle — firm; final — stir.
• Word pairs / examples: surf — serve; shirt — shirted; curse — curs; curt — curd; perch — purge.

e — Mid-low central, unrounded, lax

Examples: America.

• Positions: initial — asleep; middle — dynamite; final — drama.

er — Mid-low central, rounded, lax (r-colored)

Examples: stringer, better.

• Positions: initial — urbane; middle — survey; final — paper.

au — Low central to high back, tense (diphthong)

Examples: out, loud.

• Positions: initial — owl; middle — round; final — how.
• R-colored (/+r/) examples & pairs: hour; mount — moud; rout — rowed; clout — cloud; souse — sows; houseN — houseV.

I-ai — Low central to high front, tense (diphthong)

Examples: kind, cry.

• Positions: initial — ice; middle — line; final — bye.
• R-colored (/+r/) example: liar.
• Word pairs / examples: white — wide; nice — nighs; right — ride; rice — rise; life — live.

I-c oi — Mid low back to high front, tense (diphthong)

Examples: noise, toy.

• Positions: initial — oyster; middle — corn; final — boy.
• Word pairs / examples: joint — joined; voice — boys; exploit — employed; choice — noise; moist — poised.

i — High front, unrounded, tense

Examples: see, sea.

• Positions: initial — eagle; middle — need; final — ski.
• R-colored (/+r/) example: hear.
• Word pairs / examples: heat — heed; cease — seize; leak — league; teeth — teethe; belief — believe.

I — High front, unrounded, lax

Examples: pig, kit.

• Positions: initial — itch; middle — dip; final — bit.
• Word pairs / examples: bit — bid; fist — fizzed; rick — rig; nip — nib; tint — tinned.

e — Mid-high front, unrounded, tense

Examples: pale, day.

• Positions: initial — ate; middle — fate; final — grey.
• Word pairs / examples: waif — wave; ape — abe; face — phase; late — laid; paint — paned.

3 — Mid-low front, unrounded, lax

Examples: ten.

• Positions: initial — egg; middle — beg.
• R-colored (/+r/) example: air.
• Word pairs / examples: wt — wed; spent — spend; dense — dens; cess — says; peck — peg.

ae — Low front, unrounded, lax

Examples: cap.

• Positions: initial — ask; middle — lamb.
• Word pairs / examples: crap — crab; half — have; batch — badge; tack — tag; can't — canned.