166
PHONETIC CHARTS
SOUND–SPELLING
CORRESPONDENCES
In English, we can spell the same sound in different ways,
for example, the sound
/i:/
can be ‘ee’, as in
green
, ‘ea’
as in
read
or ‘ey’ as in
key
. Students of English sometimes
find English spelling difficult, but there are rules, and
knowing the rules can help you. The chart below gives
you the more common spellings of the English sounds
you have studied in this book.
ENGLISH PHONEMES
CONSONANTS
VOWELS
Symbol
Example
Symbol
Example
p
p
ark
s
s
ell
b
b
ath
z
z
oo
t
t
ie
ʃ
fre
sh
d
d
ie
ʒ
mea
s
ure
k
c
at
h
h
ot
g
g
ive
m
m
ine
tʃ
ch
urch
n
n
ot
dʒ
j
udge
ŋ
si
ng
f
f
ew
l
l
ot
v
v
iew
r
r
oad
θ
th
row
j
y
ellow
ð
th
ey
w
w
arm
Sound
Spelling
Examples
i
this listen
/ɪ/
y
gym typical
ui
build guitar
e
pretty
ee
green sleep
ie
niece believe
ea
read teacher
/i:/
e
these complete
ey
key money
ei
receipt receive
i
police
/æ/
a
can man pasta land
a
can’t dance*
ar
scarf bargain
/ɑ:/
al
half
au
aunt laugh
ea
heart
u
fun sunny husband
/ʌ/
o
some mother month
ou
cousin double young
/ɒ/
o
hot pocket top
a
watch what want
or
short sport store
ou
your course bought
au
daughter taught
/ɔ:/
al
bald small always
aw
draw jigsaw
ar
warden warm
oo
floor indoor
i
like time island
y
dry shy cycle
ie
fries die tie
/aɪ/
igh
light high right
ei
height
ey
eyes
uy
buy
a
lake hate shave
ai
wait train straight
/eɪ/
ay
play say stay
ey
they grey obey
ei
eight weight
ea
break
o
home cold open
/ǝʊ/
ow
show throw own
oa
coat road coast
Symbol
Example
Symbol
Example
i:
f
ee
t
ǝʊ
g
o
ld
ɪ
f
i
t
aɪ
b
y
e
b
e
d
aʊ
br
ow
n
æ
b
a
d
ɔɪ
b
o
y
ɑ:
b
a
th
ɪǝ
h
ere
ɒ
b
o
ttle
eǝ
h
ai
r
ɔ:
b
ou
ght
ʊǝ
s
ure
ʊ
b
oo
k
eɪǝ
pl
ayer
u:
b
oo
t
ǝʊǝ
l
ower
ʌ
b
u
t
aɪǝ
t
ire
d
ɜ:
b
i
rd
aʊǝ
fl
ower
ǝ
broth
er
ɔɪǝ
empl
oyer
eɪ
gr
ey
i
happ
y
* In American English the sound in words like
can’t
and
dance
is
the
/æ/
sound, like
can
and
man
.
