English text to IPA
Look up American pronunciations and listen to English words.
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Recorded natural voices.
Dictionary pronunciations
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About this guide
American dictionary forms
The local list comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It contains 9,363 words. We convert its sound symbols to broad IPA. Read the BSD license.
Words with more than one sound
Read can be /riːd/ in the present or /rɛd/ in the past. Use can end in /s/ as a noun or /z/ as a verb. The tool shows stored forms together. It doesn't choose a meaning.
Unknown words
If a word isn't in the list, its IPA is not known here. Check a dictionary recording. Names, abbreviations and words from other languages may be missing.
Recorded voices
Every word in the list has two recordings, an American voice and a British voice. They are natural AI voices made with Deepgram. A recording says one common form of the word, so check the meaning for words like read and live. Words outside the list use a voice from your browser, if it has one.
Ten sound contrasts to practise
These pairs can help learners whose first language is Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Your needs may differ. Listen first, then say each pair slowly.
These are broad American forms. British vowels can differ. For example, many British speakers say /əʊ/ where American speakers say /oʊ/.
| Sounds and words | Try this |
|---|---|
| /ɪ/ and /iː/ ship /ʃɪp/ and sheep /ʃiːp/ | Keep /ɪ/ relaxed. Move your tongue higher for /iː/. |
| /l/ and /r/ light /laɪt/ and right /raɪt/ | Touch behind your upper teeth for /l/. For American /r/, keep the tongue off the roof. |
| /θ/ and /s/ think /θɪŋk/ and sink /sɪŋk/ | Put the tongue tip lightly between your teeth for /θ/. Blow air without voice. |
| /v/ and /b/ very /ˈvɛri/ and berry /ˈbɛri/ | For /v/, touch your lower lip to your upper teeth. Keep the air moving. |
| /ð/ and /d/ they /ðeɪ/ and day /deɪ/ | Use your voice for /ð/. Let air pass your tongue and teeth. |
| /æ/ and /ɛ/ bad /bæd/ and bed /bɛd/ | Open your mouth wider for /æ/. |
| /ʊ/ and /uː/ full /fʊl/ and fool /fuːl/ | Use a relaxed tongue for /ʊ/. Raise it for /uː/. |
| /s/ and /ʃ/ seat /siːt/ and sheet /ʃiːt/ | For /ʃ/, move your tongue back a little and round your lips slightly. |
| /f/ and /h/ fat /fæt/ and hat /hæt/ | Use your upper teeth and lower lip for /f/. Keep them apart for /h/. |
| Final /s/ and /z/ rice /raɪs/ and rise /raɪz/ | Keep a gentle voice vibration for /z/. Keep /s/ unvoiced. |