Pronunciation Chart

English Phonemes

In the English language, the number of vowels and consonants depends on how we classify and categorize certain sounds. Traditionally, English is considered to have 5 vowel letters: A, E, I, O, and U. However, the actual number of vowel sounds is higher than the number of vowel letters. The number of consonant sounds is also more extensive than the number of consonant letters.

As an example, you may use: https://americanipachart.com/

1. Vowels: a. Short Vowel Sounds: English has 5 short vowel sounds, each represented by a single vowel letter.

   • A as in "cat" [æ] (examples: cat, bat, hat, sat, mat)

   • E as in "pen" [ɛ] (examples: pen, ten, bed, red, leg)

   • I as in "sit" [ɪ] (examples: sit, bit, hit, tip, win)

   • O as in "top" [ɒ] (examples: top, dog, not, box, pot)

   • U as in "cup" [ʌ] (examples: cup, sun, run, bus, fun)

2. Long Vowel Sounds: English also has 5 long vowel sounds, represented by various vowel letters or combinations.

   • A as in "cake" [eɪ] (examples: cake, lake, make, late, same)

   • E as in "feet" [iː] (examples: feet, green, see, be, tree)

   • I as in "bike" [aɪ] (examples: bike, time, like, five, drive)

   • O as in "home" [oʊ] (examples: home, go, no, boat, open)

   • U as in "rule" [juː] (examples: rule, blue, use, music, cute)

3. Additionally, English has diphthongs, which are combination sounds of two vowels pronounced within the same syllable, creating a glide from one sound to another.

   • Examples: "boy" [bɔɪ] (boy, toy, oil, coin, point), "coin" [kɔɪn] (coin, noise, enjoy, destroy, soil)

4. So, altogether, English has multiple vowel sounds, depending on the variety and accent, but typically around 14-20 vowel sounds.

5. Consonants: The number of consonant sounds in English is higher than the number of consonant letters. English has approximately 24-27 consonant sounds, depending on the accent and dialect. Some of the consonant sounds are represented by more than one letter or letter combinations.
   Examples of English consonant sounds:

   • P as in "pen" [p] (pen, top, spin, help, cap)

   • T as in "top" [t] (top, cat, it, hot, out)

   • K as in "cat" [k] (cat, like, look, black, make)

   • M as in "man" [m] (man, time, come, some, him)

   • N as in "nice" [n] (nice, no, run, can, pen)

   • S as in "sit" [s] (sit, bus, yes, miss, pass)

   • L as in "like" [l] (like, ball, call, help, tell)

   • R as in "run" [r] (run, red, car, far, her)

   • B as in "bat" [b] (bat, big, job, about, rib)

   • D as in "dog" [d] (dog, bed, do, ride, mad)

   • G as in "go" [g] (go, big, bag, good, log)

   • F as in "fun" [f] (fun, for, if, off, leaf)

   • V as in "vase" [v] (vase, five, have, love, over)

   • Z as in "zebra" [z] (zebra, zoo, buzz, nose, rose)

   • SH as in "she" [ʃ] (she, show, wash, push, wish)

   • CH as in "church" [tʃ] (church, chip, teach, watch, rich)

   • TH as in "think" [θ] (think, math, both, path, health)

   • TH as in "this" [ð] (this, that, mother, brother, the)

   • H as in "house" [h] (house, hello, high, here, help)

   • W as in "we" [w] (we, with, water, wet, two)

   • Y as in "yes" [j] (yes, yellow, you, young, year)

   • NG as in "sing" [ŋ] (sing, long, king, ring, bring)

Please note that the number of vowel and consonant sounds may vary slightly depending on the specific English accent or dialect being considered.

Practicing Pronunciation

Vowel Sounds:

1. Vowel Identification: Prepare a list of words containing various vowel sounds (e.g., cat, bed, keep, food, moon). Pronounce each word clearly and have the students identify the vowel sound in each word. For example, "What vowel sound do you hear in the word 'cat'?" Students respond with the short 'a' sound.
   
   Practice: https://agendaweb.org/phonetic.html

2. Vowel Sound Tongue Twisters: Prepare tongue twisters that focus on specific vowel sounds. For example: "She sells seashells by the seashore." Have students repeat these tongue twisters multiple times to improve their pronunciation.
   
   Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
   A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
   If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
   Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
   
   Betty Botter bought some butter,
   But she said, “The butter’s bitter.
   If I put it in my batter,
   It will make my batter bitter;
   But a bit of better butter,
   That would make my batter better.

How much would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A woodchuck would chuck would all day if a woodchuck could chuck wood. 

3. Vowel Sound Reading: Provide short passages or sentences containing words with various vowel sounds. Have students take turns reading aloud, paying attention to the correct pronunciation of each vowel sound.
   
   "In the green meadow, a little squirrel named Pete played happily. He loved to leap from tree to tree, searching for acorns to eat. When he spotted a tall oak tree, he climbed up high to find some juicy acorns. As he nibbled on the tasty treat, he heard a soft breeze rustling the leaves. Pete felt at peace in nature's embrace, enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors." 

"The sun set behind the mountains, casting a warm glow across the valley. A gentle breeze swept through the fields, causing the tall grass to sway. In the distance, a group of deer grazed peacefully, their ears alert to any sound. The river flowed steadily, reflecting the colors of the setting sun. Birds chirped melodiously, adding a symphony of sounds to the tranquil scene. As the night approached, the moon rose in the sky, and the stars sparkled like diamonds." 

4. Vowel Sound Bingo: Create Bingo cards with words containing different vowel sounds. Read words aloud, and students mark the corresponding sound on their Bingo cards.

Practice: https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/spelling-bee/

Consonant Sounds:

1. Consonant Sound Drill: Prepare flashcards with pictures of objects, and write the names of the objects underneath. Focus on consonant sounds, and have students practice saying the names of the objects while emphasizing the target consonant sound.
   
   Initial Consonant: "pen," "top," "kite," "moon," "sun," "bat," "dog," "go," "fish," "house."
   Final Consonant: "cap," "cat," "sock," "lamp," "bus," "pen," "bag," "calf," "buzz," "bell."
   Consonant Cluster: "blue," "spin," "tree," "stop," "drive," "play," "great," "swim," "frog," "brown." 

2. Minimal Pair Practice: Similar to the vowel exercise, create minimal pairs with consonant sounds (e.g., fan/van, sip/zip, pat/bat). Have students practice saying the pairs, paying attention to the specific consonant sound that differentiates the words.
   
   Practice: https://agendaweb.org/phonetic-intermediate

3. Consonant Sound Tongue Twisters: Prepare tongue twisters that emphasize certain consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." Encourage students to repeat the tongue twisters several times to improve their articulation.

4. Consonant Sound Listening: Play audio recordings with words containing specific consonant sounds, and have students identify the sound they hear. For example, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word 'dog'?"

5. Consonant Sound Sentence Completion: Provide incomplete sentences with gaps where students need to fill in the missing consonant sound. For example, "I like to ___, ___ I don't like to swim."

Remember, repetition and consistent practice are essential for improving pronunciation. Make the exercises engaging and enjoyable to keep students motivated and focused on their language development. Encourage them to practice outside of class as well, using online resources, language apps, or language exchange partners to reinforce their skills.

1. Minimal Pairs: Create a list of minimal pairs, which are pairs of words that differ only in one vowel sound (e.g., pin/pen, sit/set, bet/bat). Say the words one by one, and have the students repeat them, emphasizing the different vowel sounds.

2. Vowel Sound Tongue Twisters: Prepare tongue twisters that focus on specific vowel sounds. For example: "She sells seashells by the seashore." Have students repeat these tongue twisters multiple times to improve their pronunciation.

3. Vowel Sound Reading: Provide short passages or sentences containing words with various vowel sounds. Have students take turns reading aloud, paying attention to the correct pronunciation of each vowel sound.

4. Vowel Sound Bingo: Create Bingo cards with words containing different vowel sounds. Read words aloud, and students mark the corresponding sound on their Bingo cards.

Consonant Sounds:

1. Consonant Sound Drill: Prepare flashcards with pictures of objects, and write the names of the objects underneath. Focus on consonant sounds, and have students practice saying the names of the objects while emphasizing the target consonant sound.

2. Minimal Pair Practice: Similar to the vowel exercise, create minimal pairs with consonant sounds (e.g., fan/van, sip/zip, pat/bat). Have students practice saying the pairs, paying attention to the specific consonant sound that differentiates the words.

3. Consonant Sound Tongue Twisters: Prepare tongue twisters that emphasize certain consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." Encourage students to repeat the tongue twisters several times to improve their articulation.

4. Consonant Sound Listening: Play audio recordings with words containing specific consonant sounds, and have students identify the sound they hear. For example, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word 'dog'?"

5. Consonant Sound Sentence Completion: Provide incomplete sentences with gaps where students need to fill in the missing consonant sound. For example, "I like to ___, ___ I don't like to swim."

Remember, repetition and consistent practice are essential for improving pronunciation. Make the exercises engaging and enjoyable to keep students motivated and focused on their language development. Encourage them to practice outside of class as well, using online resources, language apps, or language exchange partners to reinforce their skills.