Mastering American English pronunciation can feel like learning a whole new language, even if you’ve been speaking English for years. For many immigrants, the subtle differences between sounds can make or break how clearly you’re understood, whether it’s ordering at a café or nailing an important job interview .
That’s where the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) comes in. Think of it as your secret weapon to decoding English pronunciation. Instead of relying on confusing spellings, the IPA gives you a clear, reliable roadmap for every sound in the language.
In this guide, we’ll walk through all the consonant and vowel sounds you’ll find in American English, showing you how to make them and giving examples along the way. By the time we’re done, you’ll have a much clearer grasp of what it takes to sound more natural and confident in your English . And if you want to take it a step further, BoldVoice ’s 7-day free trial can give you personalized feedback to perfect your pronunciation.
Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
Overview of the IPA Chart The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) was created to provide a universal way to transcribe the sounds of any language. Instead of relying on irregular English spelling, which can vary wildly (think “though” versus “cough”), the IPA gives a one-to-one relationship between symbol and sound.
This is particularly helpful for learners of American English , where pronunciation rules can often seem inconsistent or illogical.
In American English, there are 24 consonant sounds and 15 vowel sounds , including diphthongs . Each sound is represented by a unique symbol on the IPA chart. The chart itself is organized by the manner and place of articulation—how and where in your mouth or throat the sound is produced.
In the next sections, we’ll walk through the consonants and vowels, explaining each sound type and giving examples to guide your pronunciation.
Consonants are sounds produced by obstructing airflow at some point in the vocal tract.
Depending on where and how this obstruction occurs, consonants can be grouped into several categories: voiced and voiceless plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, liquids, and glides.
We’ll start by breaking these down:
Voiceless Plosives Voiceless consonants are made without vibrating the vocal cords. When producing these sounds, you rely solely on the movement of air and the placement of your tongue, lips, and teeth.
Plosives, or stops, involve completely stopping the flow of air before allowing it to explode through.
1. /p/ as in “pat”
This is a bilabial sound, meaning it is made by pressing both lips together.
To produce it, close your lips tightly, then release them in a sudden burst of air.
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2. /t/ as in “top”
This is an alveolar stop, meaning the tip of your tongue touches the ridge behind your upper teeth (the alveolar ridge) before releasing air.
Keep your vocal cords relaxed, and quickly flick your tongue off the ridge to produce the sound.
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3. /k/ as in “cat”
A velar stop, where the back of your tongue presses against the soft part of the roof of your mouth (the velum).
The sound is made by releasing the tongue from the velum, creating a sudden burst of air.
Voiceless consonants are often paired with their voiced counterparts, which we’ll discuss next.
Voiced Plosives Voiced consonants, unlike voiceless ones , are produced with the vibration of the vocal cords. If you place your hand on your throat as you say these sounds, you should feel a slight buzz.
4. /b/ as in “bat”
Similar to /p/, but with vocal cord vibration.
The lips are pressed together and then released, but the sound is accompanied by the buzzing of the vocal cords.
5. /d/ as in “dog”
Just like /t/, the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, but this time the vocal cords are engaged, creating a voiced sound.
6. /g/ as in “goat”
This sound is produced like /k/, but with your vocal cords vibrating as you release the back of your tongue from the velum.
VIDEO
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Voiced and voiceless consonants are often taught in pairs, as their articulation is the same except for whether the vocal cords vibrate.
These pairs include /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/, and /k/ and /g/. To make sure you pronounce them distinctly from one another, minimal pairs exercises are an excellent way to refine your pronunciation.
Fricatives Fricatives are a type of consonant made by forcing air through a narrow space in your vocal tract, creating friction.
Depending on the placement of your tongue and lips, you can produce a range of fricative sounds.
7. /f/ as in “fun”
This is a labiodental fricative, produced by placing your top teeth lightly on your bottom lip and blowing air through the gap.
There's no vibration of the vocal cords, making it voiceless.
8. /v/ as in “van”
Produced in the same way as /f/, but with vocal cord vibration.
Voiced labiodental fricatives are less common in some languages, which is why learners often struggle with the /v/ sound or confuse /f/ and /v/.
9. /θ/ as in “think”
The /θ/ sound is a dental fricative, made by placing the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower teeth and forcing air through the gap.
This sound is voiceless, and is one of the most difficult for many non-native speakers to master because it doesn’t exist in most other languages.
10. /ð/ as in “this”
The voiced counterpart of /θ/, produced in the same way but with vocal cord vibration.
Mastering this sound is important for avoiding common mispronunciations that could change the meaning of words (such as "there" vs. "dare"). Watch as BoldVoice Coach Eliza explains the crucial sound:
VIDEO
11. /s/ as in “snake”
An alveolar fricative, made by placing the tip of your tongue near your alveolar ridge and letting air pass through.
It’s a voiceless sound that’s sharp and hissing. Check out this video of BoldVoice Coach Ron describing the /s/ sound in detail:
VIDEO
12. /z/ as in “zoo”
The voiced version of /s/, the /z/ sound is made in the same place but with vocal cord vibration.
This is another sound that can be difficult for learners to distinguish from its voiceless counterpart.
13. /h/ as in “hat”
The /h/ sound is a voiceless glottal fricative, made by gently pushing air through the open vocal cords.
It’s produced without any friction from the tongue or lips, and there’s no vibration from the vocal cords.
14. /ʃ/ as in “she”
Known as a postalveolar fricative, this sound is made by rounding your lips and placing your tongue close to the roof of your mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge.
This sound is also voiceless, produced without a vibration of the vocal chords.
15. /ʒ/ as in “measure”
The voiced version of /ʃ/, produced in the same way but with vocal cord vibration.
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While this sound isn’t as common in English as /ʃ/, it does appear in many borrowed words like “measure” and “beige.”
Fricatives are characterized by their ability to create a "hissing" or "buzzing" sound, and mastering them is crucial for clear pronunciation, especially when distinguishing between voiced and voiceless pairs.
Affricates Affricates are a combination of a plosive (a complete blockage of air) followed by a fricative (where the air is released with friction).
In American English, there are two affricate sounds, both produced in the postalveolar region of the mouth.
16. /tʃ/ as in “church”
This sound begins with the tongue blocking the air like a /t/ sound and then releases it into a fricative, like /ʃ/.
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It’s voiceless, and the sudden release of air gives it a distinctive “ch” sound.
17. /dʒ/ as in “judge”
Similar to /tʃ/, but voiced.
The tongue starts in the same position but vibrates the vocal cords as it releases, creating a “j” or “dg” sound.
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Affricates are unique because they blend two distinct sound types into one phoneme.
Nasals Nasals are produced by allowing air to pass through the nose rather than the mouth.
English has three nasal sounds , which play an important role in creating contrast between words.
18. /m/ as in “mat”
This is a bilabial nasal, made by pressing your lips together (just like with /p/ or /b/) and allowing the air to flow through your nose.
19. /n/ as in “net”
An alveolar nasal, produced by placing the tip of your tongue against your alveolar ridge while the air escapes through your nose.
20. /ŋ/ as in “sing”
This sound is called a velar nasal, and it’s produced by raising the back of your tongue to the velum, allowing air to pass through the nose.
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It only appears at the end of syllables in American English, which is why it doesn’t begin words.
Nasals often create a humming sound as air resonates in the nasal cavity. Mastering nasals can be tricky because they rely heavily on airflow control through the nose.
Liquids Liquids are consonants where air flows around the sides of the tongue, creating a fluid sound.
English has two liquid sounds:
21. /l/ as in “lamp”
This is a lateral liquid, where the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, but the air flows around the sides of the tongue.
This can create slight differences in sound depending on its position in the word (like the “dark L” sound in words like “ball”).
22. /r/ as in “red”
Known as a rhotic liquid, this American R sound is notoriously difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce.
It’s produced by curling the tip of the tongue slightly upward without actually touching the roof of your mouth. American English is one of the few languages that uses this type of R sound, which can be tricky for learners whose languages have a trilled or tapped R.
Glides Glides, also known as semi-vowels, are sounds that are almost like vowels because the airflow is relatively unobstructed. They glide smoothly between articulatory positions.
23. /w/ as in “water”
To make this sound, round your lips and start with the back of your tongue near the roof of your mouth, then let the air glide out.
It’s a voiced sound , often found at the beginning of syllables.
24. /j/ as in “yes”
This sound is produced by raising the middle of your tongue close to the roof of your mouth, like you’re about to say /i:/ (as in “see”).
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The air glides out smoothly, making it a voiced glide.
Unlike consonants , vowels are produced with relatively open airflow. The sound is shaped by the position of your tongue, lips, and jaw.
Vowels are essential for the rhythm and melody of speech. American English has both short and long vowels, as well as diphthongs , which are combinations of two vowel sounds.
Short Vowels Short vowels are quick and crisp. They don’t take as much time or tension to produce as long vowels.
25. /æ/ as in “cat”
This low front vowel is typical to American English and pronounced with an open mouth.
To make the /æ/ sound, drop your jaw and keep your tongue flat and low, with the lips slightly spread.
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26. /ɪ/ as in “sit”
The /ɪ/ sound is a short, high front vowel, produced with a more relaxed tongue position than /i/.
To make this sound, keep your tongue high in your mouth but more relaxed, and spread your lips just slightly.
27. /ʌ/ as in “cup”
The /ʌ/ sound is a short, central vowel, often produced in stressed syllables .
To make this sound, keep your tongue relaxed in the middle of your mouth, with your lips neutral.
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It’s quick and more central than /ɑ/, which is a commonly confused sound for non-native speakers.
28. /ɛ/ as in “bed”
The /ɛ/ sound is a mid-front vowel, commonly used in short, stressed syllables.
To produce this sound, place your tongue in the middle of your mouth, between the high /ɪ/ and low /æ/, while keeping your lips slightly spread.
VIDEO
29. /ʊ/ as in “foot”
The /ʊ/ sound is a short, high back vowel, similar to /u/ but more relaxed.
To produce this sound, round your lips and raise the back of your tongue, but keep it more relaxed than /u/.
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30. /ə/ as in “sofa”
This is the schwa , the most common vowel sound in American English pronunciation, found exclusively in unstressed syllables .
To produce the /ə/ sound, keep your tongue and lips completely relaxed in the center of your mouth.
Long Vowels Long English vowels require more tension and are held for a slightly longer period than short vowels.
You’ll notice they’re typically followed by the /:/ symbol, as this represents length in the IPA chart .
31. /i:/ as in “see”
This is a high front vowel that’s long and tense, common in many American English words spelled with "ee" or "ea."
To produce the /i/ sound, raise the front of your tongue high toward the roof of your mouth and stretch your lips into a slight smile.
32. /u:/ as in “blue”
This is a long, high back vowel, produced with tense tongue muscles and rounded lips.
To make the /u/ sound, round your lips tightly and raise the back of your tongue toward the velum.
33. /ɔ:/ as in “thought”
This is a low-mid back rounded vowel, often found in words with the "aw" or "au" spelling.
To make the /ɔ/ sound, round your lips and raise the back of your tongue slightly toward the roof of your mouth.
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It’s commonly confused with the vowel /ɑ:/, especially by non-native speakers.
34. /ɑ:/ as in “father”
The /ɑ:/ sound is a low back vowel, pronounced with the tongue positioned low and toward the back of the mouth.
To produce this sound, open your mouth wide, lower your tongue, and keep your lips neutral.
Diphthongs Diphthongs are gliding vowels that change from one sound to another within the same syllable.
English has several diphthongs, and these are crucial for native-like pronunciation.
35. /aɪ/ as in “time”
This diphthong begins with an open vowel and moves toward a high front vowel.
To produce the /aɪ/ sound, start with your tongue low and slightly back, and then glide it forward and upward toward /ɪ/.
Watch BoldVoice Coach Ron explain the intricacies of this sound:
VIDEO
Remember, you can access tons of useful pronunciation videos like this one on the BoldVoice app !
36. /eɪ/ as in “say”
This sound starts with a mid-front vowel and glides upward toward /ɪ/.
To make the /eɪ/ sound, start with your tongue in a mid-front position, as for /e/, and then glide upward toward the /ɪ/ position.
37. /oʊ/ as in “go”
This diphthong starts with a mid-back vowel and glides up toward /ʊ/.
To produce the /oʊ/ sound, round your lips and start with your tongue in the mid-back position, then glide it slightly upward toward /ʊ/.
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38. /oɪ/ as in “boy”
This sound is common in American English , starting with a mid-back vowel and gliding toward a high front vowel.
To make the /oɪ/ sound, start with rounded lips and your tongue in the mid-back position, then move it toward the front and unround your lips.
39. /aʊ/ as in “now”
The /aʊ/ sound begins with an open vowel and glides toward a high back vowel.
To make the /aʊ/ sound, open your mouth wide and position your tongue low, then glide upward and slightly backward while rounding your lips.
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Diphthongs are challenging for learners because they require fluid transitions between tongue positions, but mastering them is key to sounding natural in English.
Master the American English IPA Chart with BoldVoice Learning and mastering the sounds of American English using the IPA chart is a game-changer for improving your pronunciation.
By understanding how each sound is formed and how to group them, you’ll have the tools you need to communicate more clearly and confidently as a non-native speaker.
Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with every sound, the next step is practice. BoldVoice offers a free 7-day trial where you can interactively practice these sounds with real-time feedback.
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