This pronunciation guide explains IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols. To hear examples of how IPA characters sound, visit the Seeing Speech project.
The high-set stress mark ( ˈ ) precedes syllables with primary (strongest) stress. The low-set stress mark ( ˌ ) precedes syllables with secondary (medium) stress. The triangular colon ( ː ) indicates a longer vowel sound.
A diphthong is a speech sound that combines two vowels in one syllable. For example, modE ‘toy’ (one syllable) has a diphthong, but ‘chaos’ (two syllables) does not. When there is no hyphen between a pair of vowels, this indicates a diphthong.
Vowels
- i see, neat
- ɪ pin, lick
- e say, rain
- ɛ ten, bread
- æ mad, cat
- a far, start
- u pool, blue
- o hole, toe
- ʌ bus, mud
- ɔ store, corn
- y French tu, German müde (like u but with pursed lips)
- ə believe, cinnamon (in an unstressed syllable)
Stops
- p peach, apple
- b ball, above
- t tall, light
- d dill, adore
- k cave, ticket
- g give, dig
Fricatives
- f phone, raffle
- v lively, love
- θ thin, author
- s passing, bus
- z zebra, deposit
- ʃ shell, ocean
- h hill, ahead
- x loch, challah
Affricates
- tʃ chip, ditch
- dʒ adjoin, bridge
Nasals
- m mill, hammer
- n nickel, sunny
- ŋ singer, wrong
Approximants
- l lamb, ill
- r rat, furry (but slightly trilled)
- j yellow, royal
- w winter, flower
If you want to learn more about how to pronounce Old English words, here are some helpful resources:
- R. Marsden, The Cambridge Old English Reader, 2nd edn (2015)
- B. Mitchell and F. C. Robinson, A Guide to Old English, 8th edn (2011)
- P. Baker, Introduction to Old English, 3rd edn (2012)
- Þæt Eald-Ænglisce Blog
