Phonetic transcription of English words. How to write English transcription

Did you know that english alphabet consists of 26 letters and 46 different sounds? One and the same letter can transmit several sounds at the same time. Don't panic! We will tell you how easy it is to memorize English sounds without boring tables and cramming.

As a rule, in the classroom english child maintains a separate dictionary in which pages are divided into three columns: "word", "transcription", "translation". New words are written there, which then need to be learned. And if everything is clear with the columns “word” and “translation”, then there are often difficulties with “transcription”.

What is transcription? This is a kind of instruction on how to read a word. It is usually written in square brackets. For example: . Symbols inside square brackets are sounds of English language... One symbol = one sound. Only these symbols do not always look like the letters of the alphabet. ... Let's take a look at the English sounds that are most difficult for a child and how to learn them:

We select associations

It's no secret that complex things are easier to remember by the method of associations. This rule works especially well for children.

ʊ - short [y] - very similar to the icon "horseshoe"
æ - wide [e] - open our mouth wide and say "e". We call this symbol "Bug-icon" 🐞
ŋ - [ny] - a funny sound, which is similar to the way the Elephant was talking in the cartoon "38 Parrots" 🐘. I need to say "n", but a little "in the nose", as if you have a runny nose... Try pinching your nose with your fingers, opening your mouth and saying "n". Happened?

ð - interdental [h]
θ - interdental [s]

To remember this pair of sounds, the child can be told a whole fairy tale: “There was once a little bunny (our tongue). But he was very shy, so he sat in the burrow (in the mouth) all the time. But one day he dared to stick the very tip of his nose out of the mink (we stick the tip of the tongue between the teeth). First, he spoke softly [θ], and then loudly [ð].

s, d, n, t- [s], [d], [n], [t] - remember the series "Yeralash" about the English pronunciation? “You need to speak as if you have a hot potato in your mouth,” is the best explanation for the baby. When you make these sounds tongue touches the hard palate and alveoli, a little further than in Russian.
r- [p] - English "p" is not like ours. In Russian, the tongue seems to tremble in the mouth. In English, language "Wraps up" tip back to the soft palate.
w- [y] / [v] - there is no such sound in Russian either. First, we stretch our lips, trying to say "y", but then the lips should, as it were, "spring" without closing in and returning to a smile. Remember how you say "Wow!"
e- narrow [e] - similar to the Russian "e" without the "y". When pronouncing, we open our mouth quite a bit.
ə - voiceless [e] - a voiceless, slightly “squeezed” sound, very short and almost indistinguishable. When you say the word "m O loco ", then you pronounce this sound in place of the first" o ". The symbol is called funny– "Seam".
ɜ - middle [e] - read like the letter e in the word "ice".
j- [th] - very important do not confuse with the letter Jj ("jay")! In transcription, this symbol means not at all what the letter.

To simplify the task even more, we have drawn the basic symbols of the English transcription with the appropriate sounds of the Russian language.

Site tip: tell your child that he or she copes with sounds brilliantly. Indeed, at this stage, the baby should feel relaxed and not hesitate to experiment. Otherwise, the child will think he looks funny and will refuse to continue.

If home lessons do not bring the desired results, come to us. The site teachers will always find an easy way to even the most complex knowledge 📚 free!

This is exactly how beginners look at first when they try to hear the pronunciation of their English interlocutor. And this is not surprising, because s English Wookiees - important point in teaching. Language is a means of communication, primarily orally. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to its sound structure. In this lesson, we will look at the sounds of the English language and find out what transcription is.

Transcription is a written image of the sounds of a language using special signs, with the goal of accurately conveying pronunciation. With its help, you can record the sound of any word, regardless of its belonging to any language. That is, having dealt with transcription once, you will never lose this skill and will be able to use it when learning other languages.

Basic conventions:

Transcription is usually given in square brackets [...] ... Sounds that may not be pronounced are marked in parentheses. (...) .
The transcription of the English language also helps in the correct formulation of stress in words. There are two types of stress, and both are indicated in the transcription. The first is the main stress ( main stress), unlike the Russian language, is placed not above the stressed syllable, but in front of it from above. Second stress - additional ( secondary stress) is placed before the stressed syllable below [‘,] .
A long sound is indicated [:] colon.

In the last lesson, we learned that there are 26 letters in English, of which 6 are vowels and 20 consonants. It is very important to feel the difference between letter and sound. We write and read letters, but we pronounce and hear sounds. Therefore, the next thing we have to remember is that 26 letters of the English language convey 44 sounds.

26 letters = 44 sounds:

20 consonants - 24 consonants sound,
6 vowel letters - conveys 20 vowel sounds.

Transcriptional signs of sounds of the English language

Reading transcriptions or pronunciation of sounds in English.

Now let's figure out how these sounds are pronounced. Take a close look at these tables. They will help you a lot in the future.

Vowel sounds

Sound	Description
[i]	Reminds Russian [and]. Brief. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is at the base of the lower teeth.
[ i:]	Reminds Russian [and] in the word willow... Long. The length of the sound, like all long vowels, changes depending on the position in the word. This sound is the longest at the end of a word before a pause, somewhat shorter before a voiced consonant, and rather short before a voiceless consonant.
[ e]	Sounds like [uh] words these, tin... Brief. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth. The lips are slightly stretched. The lower jaw should not be lowered.
[æ]	Reminds Russian [e] in word this... Brief. When pronouncing, the lips are slightly stretched, the lower jaw is lowered, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth.
[ǝ]	It is called a neutral vowel and is the result of a reduction, i.e. weakening of vowels in an unstressed position. It is something between the sounds [e] and [a].
[ɒ]	Reminds Russian [o]. Brief. When pronouncing, the organs of speech occupy the same position as when pronouncing a sound, the lips are rounded and pushed forward.
[ɔ:]	Reminds Russian [o]. Long. When pronouncing, the organs of speech occupy the same position as when pronouncing a sound, the lips are rounded and pushed forward.
[ a:]	Reminds Russian [a]. Long. When pronouncing English [a], the mouth is open almost like for Russian [a]. The tip of the tongue is pulled away from the lower teeth. The lips are neutral. It is shortened slightly before a voiced consonant, and significantly before a voiceless consonant.
[ʌ]	Reminds Russian [a] in words what, bass... Brief. When pronouncing, the tongue is pushed back, the lips are slightly stretched, the distance between the jaws is quite large.
[ ʊ ]	Reminds Russian [y]. Brief. When pronouncing, the lips almost do not protrude forward, but are noticeably rounded. The tongue is pulled back.
[ u:]	Reminds Russian [y]. Long. When pronouncing, the lips are strongly rounded, but much less pushed forward than when pronouncing Russian [y]. Longer than the Russian equivalent. Often this sound is preceded by the sound [j]. When pronouncing the sound combination, care must be taken that the sound is not softened.
[ɜ:]	It remotely resembles Russian [yo]. Long. When pronouncing, the body of the tongue is raised, the lips are maximally tense and slightly stretched, slightly exposing the teeth, the distance between the jaws is small.

Consonant sounds

Sound	Description
[ b]	Reminds Russian [b]. Voiced.
[ p]	Reminds Russian [n]. Pronounced aspirated, especially noticeable before the stressed vowel. Deaf.
[ d]	Reminds Russian [d]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the alveoli (the bumpy area behind the upper teeth). Voiced.
[ t]	Reminds Russian [t]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the alveoli (the bumpy area behind the upper teeth). Pronounced aspirated before vowels. Deaf.
[ g]	Reminds Russian [g]. Pronounced less tensely. Not stunned at the end of a word.
[ k]	Reminds Russian [k]. Pronounced aspirated.
[ j]	Reminds Russian [th]. Always precedes a vowel.
[ m]	Reminds me of Russian [m]. When pronouncing, the lips are closed more tightly than when pronouncing the corresponding Russian [m], the air comes out through the nose.
[n]	Reminds Russian [n]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the alveoli (the bumpy area behind the upper teeth).
[ l]	Reminds Russian [l]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the alveoli (bumpy area behind the upper teeth), the lateral edges of the tongue are lowered.
[ r]	Reminds Russian [p]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is behind the alveoli. The tongue is tense, and the tip is immobile. Pronounced without vibration.
[ s]	Reminds Russian [s]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli. Deaf.
[ z]	Reminds Russian [z]. When pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli. Voiced.
[ʃ]	Reminiscent of Russian [w]. Softer compared to the Russian counterpart, but care should be taken that it does not become really soft. Deaf
[ tʃ]	Reminds Russian [h]. Pronounced harder than its Russian counterpart. It is pronounced by touching the tip of the tongue to the alveoli. Deaf.
[ dƷ]	Reminds Russians [j]. Pronounced in the same way as, but only loudly with a voice.
[ŋ]	Reminds Russian [n]. In order to pronounce the sound correctly, you need to inhale through your nose with your mouth wide open, and then make the sound [ŋ], exhaling air through your nose.
[ θ ]	There are no analogues in Russian. It remotely resembles Russian [c]. Deaf (no voice). When pronouncing, the tongue is spread over the lower teeth and is not tense. The tip of the tongue forms a narrow gap with the upper teeth. Air passes through this gap. The tip of the tongue should not protrude too much and press against the upper teeth. The teeth are bared, especially the lower ones. The lower lip does not touch the upper teeth.
[ð]	There are no analogues in Russian. It remotely resembles Russian [z]. Voiced (with voice). The organs of speech occupy the same position as the pronunciation of the sound [θ].
[ f]	Reminds of Russian [f]. When pronouncing, the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth. Pronounced more vigorously than the corresponding Russian [f]. Deaf.
[ v]	Reminds Russian [in]. When pronouncing, the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth. Voiced.
[ w]	It resembles a combination of Russian sounds [uv]. When pronouncing, the lips are rounded and significantly extended forward. A jet of exhaled air passes through a circular gap formed between the lips. The lips are parted vigorously.
[ h]	It resembles Russian [x], but unlike it, without the participation of the language. In English, it occurs only before vowels and represents a light, barely audible exhalation.
[Ʒ]	It resembles the Russian sound [w]. Softer than the Russian counterpart. Voiced.

Diphthongs (two-vowels)

Two-vowel sounds (diphthongs)- they consist of two sounds, but pronounced as one whole, the second sound is pronounced a little weaker.

Sound	Description
[ ei]	Reminds of Russian sounds [hey]. Care should be taken that the second element of the diphthong does not turn into the sound [th].
[ ai]	Reminds Russian sounds [ah] in a word tea... Care should be taken that the second element of the diphthong does not turn into the sound [th].
[ɔ i]	Reminds of Russian sounds [oh]. Care should be taken that the second element of the diphthong does not turn into the sound [th].
[ɛǝ]	Reminds of Russian sounds [ea].
[ jʊǝ]	Reminds of Russian sounds [Iue].
[ aʊǝ]	Reminds of Russian sounds [aue].
[ aʊ]	Reminds of Russian sounds [ay].
[ ǝʊ ]	Reminds Russian [eu]. It starts with a vowel, which is something in between the Russian [o] and [e]. When pronouncing, the lips are slightly stretched and rounded.
[ iǝ]	Reminds of Russian sounds [ie].

Sound combinations

Sound	Description
[ pl]	[pl]. Pronounced in one piece before a stressed vowel. The sound [p] is pronounced so energetically that the sound [l] is deafened.
[ kl]	Reminds of Russian sounds [cl]. As well as, before the stressed vowel, it is pronounced together, and the sound [k] is pronounced more energetically, that the sound [l] is partially deafened.
[ aiǝ]	Reminds me of [ae]. When pronouncing, be careful not to hear the sound [j] in the middle of the given sound combination.
[ auǝ]	Reminds me of [aue]. When pronouncing, be careful not to hear the [w] sound in the middle of this combination.
	When pronouncing, the [w] sound is not softened, and the [ǝ:] sound is not replaced by the Russian [e] or [o].

Also, these tables are in a compact form in the spoller (button below), if it is convenient for you, you can print them for study.

"I don't understand transcription", "And how is it written in Russian letters?", "Why do I need these sounds?" success in English.

Without knowing the transcription, it will be difficult for you to understand the structure of English pronunciation, you will constantly make mistakes, have difficulty learning new words and using dictionaries.

Since school, the attitude of many to transcription is frankly negative. In fact, there is nothing complicated in the transcription of English. If you did not understand it, then this topic was not explained to you properly. In this article, we will try to fix it.

To understand the essence of transcription, you must clearly understand the difference between letters and sounds. Letters Is what we write, and the sounds- what we hear. Transcription marks are sounds represented in writing. For musicians, this role is played by sheet music, and for you and me - transcription. In Russian, transcription does not play a big role in taboo, as in English. There are vowels, which are read differently, and combinations that need to be remembered, and letters that are not pronounced. The number of letters and sounds in a word does not always coincide.

For example, the word daughter has 8 letters, and four sounds ["dɔːtə]. If the final [r] is pronounced, as in American English, then there are five sounds. The vowel combination au gives the sound [ɔː], gh is not read at all, er can be read as [ə] or [ər], depending on the version of English.

There are a lot of such examples. It is difficult to understand how to read a word, and how many sounds are pronounced in it, if you do not know the basic rules of transcription.

Where can you find transcription? First of all, in dictionaries. When you find a new word in the dictionary, there must be information next to how the word is pronounced, that is, transcription. In addition, in textbooks, the lexical part always contains a transcription. Knowledge of the sound structure of the language will not allow you to remember the incorrect pronunciation of words, because you will always identify a word not only with its literal representation, but also with a sound one.

In domestic editions, transcription is usually placed in square brackets, and in dictionaries and manuals of foreign publishing houses, transcription is presented in oblique brackets / /. Many educators use oblique brackets when writing transcriptions of words on the board.

Now more about the sounds of the English language.

There are only 44 sounds in English, which are subdivided into vowels(vowels ["vauəlz]), consonants(consonants "kɔn (t) s (ə) nənts]) Vowels and consonants can form combinations including diphthongs(diphthongs ["dɪfθɔŋz]) Vowel sounds in English differ in length in brief(short vovels) and long(long vowels) and consonants can be divided into deaf(voicelss consonants), voiced(voiced consonants). There are also those consonants that are difficult to attribute to voiceless or voiced. We will not delve into phonetics, since on initial stage this information is quite enough. Consider the table of sounds of the English language:

Let's start with vowels... Two dots near the symbol indicate that the sound is pronounced for a long time, if there are no dots, then the sound should be pronounced briefly. Let's see how vowel sounds are pronounced:

- long sound AND: tree, free

[ɪ ] - short sound AND: big, lip

[ʊ] - short sound U: book, look

- long sound U: root, boot

[e] - sound E. Pronounced in the same way as in Russian: hen, pen

[ə] - neutral sound E. Sounds when the vowel is not stressed or at the end of a word: mother ["mʌðə], computer

[ɜː] - a sound similar to the sound Yo in the word honey: bird, turn

[ɔː] - long sound O: door, more

[æ] - the sound of E. Pronounced widely: cat, lamp

[ʌ] - short sound A: cup, but

- long sound A: car, mark

[ɒ] - short sound O: box, dog

Diphthongs- these are combinations of sounds, consisting of two vowels, are always pronounced together. Consider the pronunciation of diphthongs:

[ɪə] - IE: here, near

- Uh: fair, bear

[əʊ] - EH (OU): go, no

- AU: how, now

[ʊə] - UE: sure [ʃuə], tourist ["tuərɪst]

- HEY: make, day

- HEY: my, bike

[ɔɪ] - OH: : boy, toy

Consider consonants sounds. Voiceless and voiced consonants are easy to remember, since each of them has a pair:

Deaf consonants:	Voiced consonants:
[p] - sound P: pen, pet	[b] - sound B: big, boot
[f] - sound Ф: flag, fat	[v] - sound B: vet, van
[t] - sound T: tree, toy	[d] - sound D: day, dog
[θ] is an interdental sound that is often confused with C, but when pronounced, the tip of the tongue is between the lower and upper front teeth: thick [θɪk], think [θɪŋk]	[ð] is an interdental sound that is often confused with Z, but when pronounced, the tip of the tongue is between the lower and upper front teeth: this [ðɪs], that [ðæt]
[tʃ] - sound H: chin [ʧɪn], chat [ʧæt]	[dʒ] - J sound: jam [ʤæm], page
[s] - sound C: sit, sun	[z] - sound Z:
[ʃ] - sound Ш: shelf [ʃelf], brush	[ʒ] - sound Ж: vision ["vɪʒ (ə) n], decision
[k] - sound К: kite, cat	[g] - sound Г: get, go

Other consonants:

[h] - sound X: hat, home
[m] - sound M: make, meet
[n] - English sound H: nose, net
[ŋ] is a sound similar to H, but pronounced through the nose: song, long - a sound reminiscent of P: run, rest
[l] - English sound Л: leg, lip
[w] is a sound similar to B, but pronounced with rounded lips: , west
[j] - sound Y: you, music ["mjuːzɪk]

Those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the phonetic structure of the English language can search for resources on the Internet, where they will tell you what sonorant, occlusive, slit and other consonants are.

If you just want to understand the pronunciation of English consonants and learn how to read the transcription without the theory you do not need, then we recommend that you divide all consonants sounds for such groups:

Sounds that pronounced almost the same as in Russian : these are the majority of consonants.

Sounds that similar to those in Russian but pronounced differently. There are only four of them.

The sounds that not in Russian ... There are only five of them and it is wrong to pronounce them the same way as in Russian.

Pronunciation of sounds marked yellow, practically does not differ from Russian, only sounds [p, k, h] are pronounced "aspirated".

Green sounds- these are the sounds that you must pronounce in the English manner, they are the reason for the accent. The sounds are alviolar (you probably heard this word from your school teacher), to pronounce them, you need to raise your tongue to the alvioli, then you will sound "in English".

Sounds marked red, are absent in Russian at all (although it seems to someone that this is not so), so you should pay attention to their pronunciation. Do not confuse [θ] and [s], [ð] and [z], [w] and [v], [ŋ] and [n]. There are fewer problems with the [r] sound.

Another nuance of transcription is stress, which is marked with an apostrophe in the transcription. If there are more than two syllables in a word, then stress is always present:

Hotel -
police -
interesting - ["ɪntrəstɪŋ]

When a word is long, polysyllabic, it may contain two accents, with one upper (main), and the second - lower. The lower stress is denoted by a comma-like sign, and is pronounced weaker than the upper one:

disadvantage - [ˌdɪsəd "vɑːntɪʤ]

As you read the transcription, you may notice that some sounds are presented in parentheses (). This means that the sound can be read in the word, or you can not pronounce it. Usually in brackets you can find a neutral sound [ə], a sound [r] at the end of a word, and some others:

Information - [ˌɪnfə "meɪʃ (ə) n]
teacher - ["tiːʧə (r)]

Some words are given two pronunciation options:

Forehead ["fɔrɪd] or [" fɔːhed]
Monday ["mʌndeɪ] or [" mʌndɪ]

In this case, choose the option that you prefer, but remember that this word can be pronounced differently.

Many words in English have two pronunciations (and thus transcriptions): British English and American American. In this situation, memorize the pronunciation that corresponds to the variant of the language you are learning, try not to mix words from British English and American English in your speech:

Schedule - ["ʃedjuːl] (BrE) / [" skeʤuːl] (AmE)
neither - ["naɪðə] (BrE) / [ˈniːðə] (AmE)

Even if before that you could not stand transcription, after reading this article you saw that reading and composing a transcription is not at all difficult! You were able to read all the words in the transcription, right? Apply this knowledge, use dictionaries and be sure to pay attention to the transcription if you have a new word in front of you, in order to memorize the correct pronunciation from the very beginning and not to relearn later!

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Good-good-good morning planet!

I don’t know about you, of course, but it’s morning on my English planet (under the name). And I decided to write an important informational and practical article about English transcription on a cheerful morning head. I think you don't mind). Then let's start analyzing this simple, but often questionable topic.

Do you need English transcription at all?

What can I say to you? .. If in school curriculum they pass her through the English language and make her learn, then of course you can't get out of it! Globally speaking, its absence in learning English will not affect the results and knowledge in any way.

BUT! Since our children still study English, it is a matter of honor to know what transcription is in it. This is about the same as it is important to know that there are 6 cases in Russian (and this, by the way, differs it from English and many others). But we can learn to speak and write words without thinking about which case to use in them ... "AND van R odil D yevchonka ... Well, you understand me, I think.

Therefore, my verdict is - we will study! But quickly and without any stretching for a year! A lesson or two - and "English transcription" will become the most pleasant phrase in the world ...

In addition, having the ability to decipher the English transcription, any schoolchild and adult will be able to read and pronounce any, even the most "terribly incomprehensible" word in english dictionary!!!

Why was it invented?

They came up with it a very, very long time ago, while the British themselves, for themselves - when they realized that they themselves could not always understand how this or that word is read.

The fact is that in the English language there are, according to which you can read the words correctly. For example, a rule like this: “In a closed syllable, the English letter“ a ”will be read like this (words ba g, la ptop)» ... But at the same time, there are so many exceptions in these rules that sometimes it is impossible to remember them (for example, to this rule we take an exception with a word with a closed syllable t a sk , in which the letter "a" is already read differently).

Well, they came up with such a concept as transcription, so that every English word can be read correctly, even without knowing the rules, but simply by owning a set of transcription symbols.

Sometimes you may see two variations of the same icon, this is normal. Both of them take place. My analogies with Russian letters are very arbitrary. The main thing here is to hear the sound and simulate it as accurately as possible.

Transcription icons for vowel sounds

[i] or [ ı ] a sound similar to "and", but more abrupt and solid.

[e] a sound similar to "e", but more abrupt and solid.

[ ӕ ] a sound similar to "e", but wider.

[ ɔ ] or [ ɒ ] a sound similar to "o", but more abrupt and open.

[ ∧ ] a sound similar to "a", but more staccato.

[u] or [ ʋ ] a sound similar to "y", but more staccato.

[i:] a sound like a long and.

[ ɔ: ] a sound like a long "o".

[ ɑ: ] a sound like a long and deep "a".

[u:] a sound like a long "y".

[ ə: ] or [ɜ:] a sound resembling something in between "o" and "e".

In English, there is one single transcriptional icon that denotes an unstressed vowel - [ə] . It is pronounced very shortly and indistinctly. We often hear it at the end of words ending in unstressed vowels. Teacher, computer ...

Transcriptional icons for consonants

[p] a sound similar to "p".

[b] a sound similar to "b".

[t] sound similar to "t".

[d] a sound similar to "d".

[k] sound like "k".

[g] a sound similar to "g".

[f] a sound similar to "f".

[v] sound similar to "in".

[s] a sound similar to "s".

[z] a sound similar to "z".

[m] a sound similar to "m".

[n] a sound similar to "n".

[l] a sound similar to "l".

[h] a sound like an airy "x".

[ ʃ ] a sound similar to "u".

[tʃ] a sound similar to "h".

[ ʒ ] a sound similar to "g".

[dʒ] sound like "j".

[r] a sound similar to "p".

[j] a sound similar to "th". Softens vowels, e.g. [jɒ] [je] [ju:]

[w] the sound made by the lips.

[ ŋ ] a sound similar to "n" pronounced in the nose.

[ θ ] dull interdental sound.

[ ð ] ringing interdental sound.

Transcriptional icons for diphthongs (double sounds)

[aı] or [ai] a sound similar to "ah".

[eı] or [ei] a sound like "hey".

[ ɔı ] or [ɔi] a sound similar to "oh".

[aʋ] or [au] a sound similar to "ay".

[ əʋ ] or [ou] sound like "oh".

[ ıə ] or [iə] a sound similar to "ee".

[ ʋə ] or [uə] a sound similar to "ue".

[eə] or [ εə ] a sound like "ea".

Practice time

Well, here we have reviewed with you all the signs of the English transcription. Most of them are easy for kids and adults to remember. Difficulties sometimes arise with icons denoting diphthongs or some sounds that are not at all similar to Russian. But this quickly corrects if everything is consolidated right away with good practice and exercises, which we will now do.

I recommend to buy and go online course English from scratch (from the well-known service LinguaLeo). There, the letters and sounds of the English language are analyzed in detail. The transcription can also be worked out well. Register and try the course for free. If you like it, go ahead! ..

Exercise 1

The first thing to do is to repeat the sound corresponding to the a certain sign English transcription. Go in order (according to the list I gave). Repeat one sound 3-5 times, trying to associate a complex icon with an image. For example, repeating the sound [ ӕ ] , imagine a cat, a hat or any other image, but only let this image correspond to a word that is pronounced with this sound in English. For example, an image of a bag with such a corporate badge appeared in my head.))

How is it? Hard? If yes, then I will share with you my ideas regarding the most "intractable" transcription signs. Please do not judge strictly my clumsy pictures. I swear they look much prettier in my imagination)).

Icon [ ʋ ] — foot-heel image.

The word foot [fʋt].

Icon [ ɜ: ] - the image of a bird.

The word bird [b ɜ: d].

Icon [ ʃ ] - the image of the shoe.

The word shoe [ʃu:].

Icon [tʃ]-image of a chicken.

The word chick [tʃık].

Icon [dʒ]- the image of the page in the textbook.

The word page.

Icon [j]- the image of a checkmark, the correct answer.

The word yes.

Icon [ ŋ ] - an image of a long and uneven road.

The word long.

Icon [ θ ] - the image of the number three.

The word three [θri:].

Icon [ ð ] - the image of a mother with a baby.

The word mother.

Exercise 2

Now we will read with you simple words with different sounds. Your task is to look at a word, listen to its pronunciation, repeat, and then guess which transcription icon from the ones below corresponds to the sound in the word (the required vowels or combinations will be underlined).

[ ı ] [e] [ ӕ ] [ ɒ ] [ ∧ ] [ ʋ ] [i:][ ɔ: ] [ ɑ: ] [u:] [ɜ:]

b ir d f a mily c oo l
p i g b u tter f ir st
d o ll ea t s i t
l a st b e d c ar
a pple cl o ck m e n
d augh ter p u t cl ea n
d o ctor fr ui t k i tchen
d ar k g ir l d i nner
d oor trolley-b u s c a p
f oo t b oo k b a ll
Now you will see other words that you will also need to listen to and repeat, and then select the required transcription sign from the ones presented below, which corresponds to this or that sound (the required consonant letters or combinations will be underlined in the words).

[p] [b][t] [d][k] [g][f] [v][s] [z][m] [n]

[l][h] [ ʃ ] [tʃ] [ ʒ ] [dʒ] [r][j] [w][ ŋ ] [ θ ] [ ð ]

bet w een v ery w indow
v illage s treet z oo
th in th en tea ch er
s ugar tele ph one f iv e
hundre d mus t nigh t
midd le nu m ber p resent
b lack k itten g ive
kn ife h orse r oom
pi n k spon ge ki ng
pa ge facto r y y ou
The following words contain diphthongs. We listen, repeat and choose the desired transcription sign for the underlined letters and letter combinations.

[aı] [eı] [ ɔı ] [aʋ] [ əʋ ] [ ıə ] [ ʋə ] [eə]

f ear n a me beh i nd
wardr o be ch air t o ne
p oor c a ke t ow n
h ere t our c oi n
br ow n th o se h are
Jul y b oy t a ble
tr ou sers yell ow b i ke
c are n ear s o
The final exercise in this section is to choose the correct transcription for a word from the two suggested. The scheme of work is the same: listen, repeat, and then choose.

cup[kʌp] or [kӕp]

twelve[tvelv] or [twelv]

month[mɑ: nθ] or [mʌnθ]

rain[raın] or [reın]

farm[fɜ: m] or [fɑːm]

large[lɑːʒ] or [lɑːdʒ]

spoon[spuːn] or [spɔ: n]

fair[feə] or [fıə]

say[seɪ] or [seə]

now[nəʋ] or [naʊ]

June[tʃ uːn] or [dʒuːn]

Exercise # 3

Well, it's time to write the transcription of the words ourselves. I think you will succeed! A day or two - and the topic of English transcription will become as easy for you as you never dreamed of)). Let me remind you once again that unstressed syllables are often denoted like this [ ə ] .

after, box, write, with, open,

season, shut, round, tall, number,

shirt, plus, jam, song, yogurt, hate

Exercise 4

This exercise is to practice reading a lot. English words by transcription. For children the most the best option here will be cards with English words and transcriptions to them. Some authors (for example, Nosova, Epanova) specially develop such cards - after all, they help not only to consolidate the learned transcription signs, but also to easily replenish your vocabulary... These are such interesting cards I found in the store. Maze... Here are the most basic topics and words:

Wild Animals Set

Set "Fruits"

Set "Man"

Set "Professions"

Set "School"

Set "House"

Well, I did it, friends!

And you? Did you manage? If you have any questions, be sure to ask me them. I will try to answer them.

And yet - on the right in the sidebar of my site you can find a convenient service "Transcription online"- enter any English word in the field and get its transcription. Use it!

In addition, I invite you to my delicious mailing list (you can subscribe to it at the end of this article - after the tutor selection form)! The most useful and interesting about English and not only ...

Answers to the exercises:

b ir d [ɜ:] f a mily [ӕ] c oo l [u:]
p i g [ı] b u tter [∧] f ir st [ɜ:]
d o ll [ɔ:] ea t [i:] s i t [ı]
l a st [ɑ:] b e d [e] c ar [ ɑ: ]
a pple [ӕ] cl o ck [ɒ] m e n [e]
d augh ter [ɔ:] p u t [ʋ] cl ea n [i:]
d o ctor [ɒ] fr ui t [u:] k i tchen [ı]
d ar k [ɑ:] g ir l [ɜ:] d i nner [ı]
d oor [ ɔ: ] trolley-b u s [∧] c a p [ӕ]
f oo t [ʋ] b oo k [ʋ] b a ll [ɔ:]
bet w een [w] v ery [v] w indow [w]
v illa ge[v] [dʒ] s treet [s] z oo [z]
th in [θ] th en [ð] tea ch er [tʃ]
s ugar [ʃ] tele ph one [f] f i v e [f] [v]
hundre d[d] mus t[t] nigh t[t]
midd le[l] nu m ber [m] p resent [p]
b lack [b] k itten [k] g ive [g]
kn ife [n] h orse [h] r oom [r]
pi n k [ŋ] spon ge[dʒ] ki ng [ ŋ ]
pa ge[dʒ] facto r y [r] y ou [j]
f ear [ ıə ] n a me [eı] beh i nd [aı]
wardr o be [əʋ] ch air[eə] t o ne [əʋ]
p oor [ ʋə ] c a ke [eı] t ow n [aʋ]
h ere [ ıə ] t our [ ʋə ] c oi n [ɔı]
br ow n [aʋ] th o se [əʋ] h are[eə]
Jul y[aı] b oy [ ɔı ] t a ble [eı]
tr ou sers [aʋ] yell ow [ əʋ ] b i ke [aı]
c are[eə] n ear [ ıə ] s o [ əʋ ]
[ˈⱭːftə], [bɒks], [raɪt], [wɪð], [ˈəʊpən],

[ˈSiːzn], [ʃʌt], [raʊnd], [tɔːl], [ˈnʌmbə],

[ʃɜːt], [plʌs], [dʒæm], [sɒŋ], [ˈjɒɡət], [heɪt]

Transcription- this is a written image of the sounds of the language with the help of special signs, with the goal of accurately conveying the pronunciation. International transcription is used as the main one. With her help, you can record the sound of any word, regardless of its belonging to any language.
International phonetic alphabet(eng. International Phonetic Alphabet, abbr. IPA; fr. Alphabet phonetique international, abbr. API) - a system of characters for recording transcription based on the Latin alphabet. Designed and maintained by the International Phonetic Association IPA, the characters for the IPA were chosen to harmonize with the Latin alphabet. Therefore, most of the characters are letters of the Latin and Greek alphabets or their modifications. Many British dictionaries, including educational dictionaries such as Oxford Advanced Learner "s Dictionary and Cambridge Advanced Learner "s Dictionary, now use the international phonetic alphabet to convey the pronunciation of words. However, most American publications (and some British ones) use their own designations, which are considered more intuitive for readers unfamiliar with IPA.
The colon after the sign means that the sound is long and you need to pronounce it a little longer. In English dictionaries, there are two types of stress, main and secondary, and both are placed before the stressed syllable. In the transcription, the main stress is placed at the top - [... ʹ ...], and the secondary below [... ͵ ...]. Both types of stress are used in polysyllabic and compound words. It is also worth mentioning that there are rules under which some sounds and letters are not pronounced. In transcription, they are placed in parentheses - [.. (..) ..].

Transcription signs

used in suggested dictionaries and articles with examples of pronunciation

Vowel sounds
Close to spinner and in the word and wah f ee l

[ı] Close to short and in the word and gla
f i ll

[e] The transcription mark is similar to NS in the word this is
f e ll

[æ] - average between a and NS... Open your mouth as for utterance a, try to pronounce NS.
c a t

[ɑ:] Long sound ah: d ah th c a rt

[ɒ] Brief O in the word T O T c o t

[ɔ:] Reminiscent of a drawn out O in the word NS O well f a ll

[ɜ:] Long sound, in between O and: uh... Reminds e in the word G e those c u rt

[ə] Short, indistinct, unstressed sound. In Russian, it is heard in unstressed syllables: five room a T b a nan a

[ʌ] Close to unstressed a in the word To a mouse.In English, it is usually under stress c u t

[ʋ] Close to sound at in the word T at T f u ll

Close to sound at, pronounced lingeringly: at-clever f oo l

Close to Russian ah in the word B ah feces f i le

her in the word NS her ka f ai l

[ɔı] Oh in the word b Oh nya f oi l

ay in the word NS ay per f ou l

[əʋ] f oa l

[ıə] Combination [ı] and [ə] with emphasis on [ı]. Approximately Ie t ie r

[ʋə] Combination [ʋ] and [ə] with emphasis on [ʋ] Approx. Ue t ou r

The first element of the combination is close to NS in the word NS that... It is followed by a fluent sound [ə] ... The combination is roughly pronounced Ea t ea r

corresponding. Russian NS
Consonant sounds
[p] p ier

[t] corresponding. Russian T t ier

[b] corresponding. Russian b b eer

[d] corresponding. Russian d d eer

[m] corresponding. Russian m m ere

[n] corresponding. Russian n n ear

[k] corresponding. Russian To ba k e

[l] corresponding. Russian l l eer

[g] corresponding. Russian G g ear

[f] corresponding. Russian f f ear

[v] corresponding. Russian v v eer

[s] corresponding. Russian with ba s e

[z] corresponding. Russian s bai z e

[ʃ] corresponding. Russian NS sh eer
[ʃıə]
[ʒ] corresponding. Russian f bei g e

corresponding. Russian h ch eer

corresponding. Russian j j eer

[r] matches the sound R in the word f R fucking r ear

[h] exhalation, reminiscent of a weakly pronounced sound NS
h ear

[j] reminds of Russian sound th before vowel sounds: New Th orc, if[yesley]. Occurs in combination with vowels. y ear

long NS in the word NS tight
e in the word e eh
e in the word e lka
I am in the word I am ma
The following consonants do not even have an approximate match in Russian
[w] sound v uttered with lips alone. In translation it is indicated by letters v or at: W illiams Have ilyama, V ilyama w eir

[ŋ] Open your mouth and say n without closing your mouth wro ng

[θ] Pull out the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian with wra th

[ð] With the same tongue position, say s. th is
[ðıs]
In site documents and dictionary entries, it is used as new variant international transcription of the English language, that is, the one that has become widespread in recent times and the old version. Both transcriptions differ only in the outline of some sounds.
Changes in the new version of the transcription

Old form For example New form
f ee l
[i] f i ll [ı]
[e] f e ll [e]
[ɔ:] f a ll [ɔ:]
[u] f u ll [ʋ]
f oo l
f ai l
f oa l [əʋ]
f i le
f ou l
[ɔi] f oi l [ɔı]
[æ] c a t [æ]
[ɔ] c o t [ɒ]
[ʌ] c u t [ʌ]
[ə:] c u rt [ɜ:]
[ɑ:] c a rt [ɑ:]
t ie r [ıə]
[ɛə] t ea r
t ou r [ʋə]
[ə] b a nan a [ə]

b ir d	f a mily	c oo l
p i g	b u tter	f ir st
d o ll	ea t	s i t
l a st	b e d	c ar
a pple	cl o ck	m e n
d augh ter	p u t	cl ea n
d o ctor	fr ui t	k i tchen
d ar k	g ir l	d i nner
d oor	trolley-b u s	c a p
f oo t	b oo k	b a ll

bet w een	v ery	w indow
v illage	s treet	z oo
th in	th en	tea ch er
s ugar	tele ph one	f iv e
hundre d	mus t	nigh t
midd le	nu m ber	p resent
b lack	k itten	g ive
kn ife	h orse	r oom
pi n k	spon ge	ki ng
pa ge	facto r y	y ou

f ear	n a me	beh i nd
wardr o be	ch air	t o ne
p oor	c a ke	t ow n
h ere	t our	c oi n
br ow n	th o se	h are
Jul y	b oy	t a ble
tr ou sers	yell ow	b i ke
c are	n ear	s o

b ir d [ɜ:]	f a mily [ӕ]	c oo l [u:]
p i g [ı]	b u tter [∧]	f ir st [ɜ:]
d o ll [ɔ:]	ea t [i:]	s i t [ı]
l a st [ɑ:]	b e d [e]	c ar [ ɑ: ]
a pple [ӕ]	cl o ck [ɒ]	m e n [e]
d augh ter [ɔ:]	p u t [ʋ]	cl ea n [i:]
d o ctor [ɒ]	fr ui t [u:]	k i tchen [ı]
d ar k [ɑ:]	g ir l [ɜ:]	d i nner [ı]
d oor [ ɔ: ]	trolley-b u s [∧]	c a p [ӕ]
f oo t [ʋ]	b oo k [ʋ]	b a ll [ɔ:]

bet w een [w]	v ery [v]	w indow [w]
v illa ge[v] [dʒ]	s treet [s]	z oo [z]
th in [θ]	th en [ð]	tea ch er [tʃ]
s ugar [ʃ]	tele ph one [f]	f i v e [f] [v]
hundre d[d]	mus t[t]	nigh t[t]
midd le[l]	nu m ber [m]	p resent [p]
b lack [b]	k itten [k]	g ive [g]
kn ife [n]	h orse [h]	r oom [r]
pi n k [ŋ]	spon ge[dʒ]	ki ng [ ŋ ]
pa ge[dʒ]	facto r y [r]	y ou [j]

f ear [ ıə ]	n a me [eı]	beh i nd [aı]
wardr o be [əʋ]	ch air[eə]	t o ne [əʋ]
p oor [ ʋə ]	c a ke [eı]	t ow n [aʋ]
h ere [ ıə ]	t our [ ʋə ]	c oi n [ɔı]
br ow n [aʋ]	th o se [əʋ]	h are[eə]
Jul y[aı]	b oy [ ɔı ]	t a ble [eı]
tr ou sers [aʋ]	yell ow [ əʋ ]	b i ke [aı]
c are[eə]	n ear [ ıə ]	s o [ əʋ ]

Vowel sounds
	Close to spinner and in the word and wah	f ee l
[ı]	Close to short and in the word and gla	f i ll
[e]	The transcription mark is similar to NS in the word this is	f e ll
[æ]	- average between a and NS... Open your mouth as for utterance a, try to pronounce NS.	c a t
[ɑ:]	Long sound ah: d ah th	c a rt
[ɒ]	Brief O in the word T O T	c o t
[ɔ:]	Reminiscent of a drawn out O in the word NS O well	f a ll
[ɜ:]	Long sound, in between O and: uh... Reminds e in the word G e those	c u rt
[ə]	Short, indistinct, unstressed sound. In Russian, it is heard in unstressed syllables: five room a T	b a nan a
[ʌ]	Close to unstressed a in the word To a mouse.In English, it is usually under stress	c u t
[ʋ]	Close to sound at in the word T at T	f u ll
	Close to sound at, pronounced lingeringly: at-clever	f oo l
	Close to Russian ah in the word B ah feces	f i le
	her in the word NS her* ka*	f ai l
[ɔı]	Oh in the word b Oh nya	f oi l
	ay in the word NS ay per	f ou l
[əʋ]		f oa l
[ıə]	Combination [ı] and [ə] with emphasis on [ı]. Approximately Ie	t ie r
[ʋə]	Combination [ʋ] and [ə] with emphasis on [ʋ] Approx. Ue	t ou r
	The first element of the combination is close to NS in the word NS that... It is followed by a fluent sound [ə] ... The combination is roughly pronounced Ea	t ea r

Consonant sounds
[p]	p ier
[t]	corresponding. Russian T	t ier
[b]	corresponding. Russian b	b eer
[d]	corresponding. Russian d	d eer
[m]	corresponding. Russian m	m ere
[n]	corresponding. Russian n	n ear
[k]	corresponding. Russian To	ba k e
[l]	corresponding. Russian l	l eer
[g]	corresponding. Russian G	g ear
[f]	corresponding. Russian f	f ear
[v]	corresponding. Russian v	v eer
[s]	corresponding. Russian with	ba s e
[z]	corresponding. Russian s	bai z e
[ʃ]	corresponding. Russian NS	sh eer [ʃıə]
[ʒ]	corresponding. Russian f	bei g e
	corresponding. Russian h	ch eer
	corresponding. Russian j	j eer
[r]	matches the sound R in the word f R fucking	r ear
[h]	exhalation, reminiscent of a weakly pronounced sound NS	h ear
[j]	reminds of Russian sound th before vowel sounds: New Th orc, if[yesley]. Occurs in combination with vowels.	y ear
	long NS in the word NS tight
	e in the word e eh
	e in the word e lka
	I am in the word I am ma

The following consonants do not even have an approximate match in Russian
[w]	sound v uttered with lips alone. In translation it is indicated by letters v or at: W illiams Have* ilyama, V ilyama*	w eir
[ŋ]	Open your mouth and say n without closing your mouth	wro ng
[θ]	Pull out the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian with	wra th
[ð]	With the same tongue position, say s.	th is [ðıs]