Dipthong Sounds

The 8 English diphthongs

A diphthong is a vowel sound with a deliberate glide. It is represented in phonetic transcription by a sequence of two elements (Symbols). The first element shows the position of the organs of speech at the beginning of the glide. The glide terminates on the second element.

A diphthong consists of a single syllable. That is, the vowel glide must be performed within one syllable. You must remember that the length and stress are concentrated on the first element of a diphthong. The second element is made less prominent.

/ʊə/

Description:

• The glide begins from /ʊ/ and moves towards /ə/.

• The lips are weakly rounded at the beginning of the glide and become neutrally spread.

Spellings:

oor – poor / pʊə/

ure – pure / pjʊə/, sure / ʃuə/

ur – curious / kjʊərɪəs/, during / dʊərɪŋ/

our – tour / tʊə/

ewer – fewer / fjʊə/

Examples:

sure / ʃʊə /

fluent / flʊənt /

tourist / tʊərɪst /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /ʊə/ sound.

/eə/

Description:

• The glide begins in the half-open from the position /e/ and moves in the direction of /ə/.

• The lips are neutral.

Spellings:

are – care / keə/, rare / reə/

air – fair / feə/, chair / tʃeə/

ear – bear / beə/, wear / weə/

ere – here / heə/, there / ðeə/

eir – their / ðeə/, heir / heə/

Example:

air / eə /

hair / heə /

rare / reə /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /eə/ sound.

/eɪ/

Descriptions:

• The glide begins from /e/ slightly below the half-close position and moves in the directions of /ɪ/

• The lips are spread.

Spellings:

a – late / leɪt/, game / geɪm/

ay – day / deɪ/, may / meɪ/

ai – aim / eɪm/, waist / weɪst/

ei – eight / eɪt/, vein / vein/

ey – they / ðeɪ/

ea – great / greɪt/, break / breɪk/

>> Click here to watch the video on the /eɪ/ sound.

/ɔɪ/

Descriptions:

• The glide begins from /Ɔ:/ slightly below the half-close position and moves in the direction of /ɪ/

• The lips are spread.

Spellings:

oy – boy / bɔɪ/, joy / dƷɔɪ/

oi – voice / vɔɪs/, point / pɔɪnt/

Example:

oil / ɔɪl /

coin / kɔɪn /

annoy / ənɔɪ /

ointment / ɔɪntmənt /

join / dƷɔɪn /

destroy / destrɔɪ /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /ɔɪ/ sound.

/aɪ/

Description:

• The glide begins from just above the open position /a:/ and moves towards /I/.

• The lips are spread.

Spelling:

i – five / faɪv/, mine / maɪn/, file / faɪl/

u – buy / baɪ/, guy / gaɪ/

ie – tie / taɪ/, die / daɪ/

y – fly / flaɪ/

Example:

right / raɪt /

lie / laɪ /

fly / flaɪ /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /aɪ/ sound.

/əʊ/

Description:

• The glide begins at a central position / ə/ between half close and half-open. It then moves in the direction of /ʊ /

• The lips are neutral for the first element and sounded for the second.

Spellings:

o – so / səʊ/, old / əʊld/, home / həʊm/

oa – road / rəʊd/, soap / səʊp/

oe – toe / təʊ/, foe / fəʊ/

ou – soul / səʊl/, though / ðəʊ /

ow – know / nəʊ/, blow / bləʊ/

Example:

old / əʊld /

go / gəʊ /

nose / nəʊz /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /əʊ/ sound.

/aʊ/

Description:

• The glide begins at a point between the back and front open position /a:/ and moves towards /ʊ/.

• The lips change from a neutrally open to a weakly sounded position.

Spellings:

our – house / haʊs/

ow – cow / kaʊ/, brown / braʊn/

Example:

owl / aʊl /

loud / laʊd /

allow / əlaʊ /

>> Click here to watch the video on the /aʊ/ sound.