IPA & Phonetic Symbols Guide — A Clear Reference to IPA Symbols, Phonetic Sounds, Pronunciation Markers, and Linguistic Notation

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standardized system for representing the sounds of spoken language.

It is used in linguistics, dictionaries, speech therapy, language learning, and phonetic transcription.

This guide covers IPA basics, consonants, vowels, suprasegmentals, diacritics, examples, and how to type IPA symbols on different devices.

1. What Is IPA?

IPA is a universal sound map.

Every symbol represents one sound (one phoneme).

It helps users understand:

• pronunciation
• accents
• dialect differences
• speech sounds in any language
• how vowels and consonants are produced

IPA is not a writing system like English or Korean — it's a sound representation system.

2. Consonant Symbols (with Examples)

IPA consonants are categorized by:

• place of articulation (where the sound happens)
• manner of articulation (how air flows)
• voicing (vocal cords on/off)

Below are the most common symbols.

Plosive Consonants

```

p t k (voiceless)

b d g (voiced)

```

**Examples:**

• p → pin /pɪn/
• d → dog /dɔg/

Fricatives

```

f v

θ ð

s z

ʃ ʒ

h

```

**Examples:**

• θ → think /θɪŋk/
• ʃ → she /ʃi/

Affricates

```

tʃ dʒ

```

**Examples:**

• tʃ → chair /tʃɛr/
• dʒ → jump /dʒʌmp/

Nasals

```

m n ŋ

```

**Examples:**

• ŋ → sing /sɪŋ/

Approximants & Liquids

```

l r j w

```

**Examples:**

• j → yes /jɛs/

3. Vowel Symbols

Vowels differ by:

• tongue height
• tongue position
• lip rounding
• tense vs lax quality

Common English Vowels

```

i ɪ

e ɛ

æ

ɑ ʌ

ɔ o

u ʊ

ə (schwa)

```

**Examples:**

• ə → the most common vowel in English (sofa → /ˈsoʊfə/)
• i → see /si/
• ʊ → book /bʊk/

4. Diphthongs

Gliding vowels in English.

• aɪ (eye)
• aʊ (cow)
• ɔɪ (boy)
• eɪ (day)
• oʊ (go)

**Examples:**

• light → /laɪt/
• snow → /snoʊ/

5. Suprasegmental Symbols

These mark stress, length, tone, and rhythm.

Stress Marks

• ˈ primary stress
• ˌ secondary stress

**Example:**

banana → /bəˈnænə/

Length Marks

• ː long vowel
• ˑ half-length

**Example:**

/iː/ in see (British English)

Syllable Breaks

• . syllable divider
• ‿ linking / smooth transition

6. Diacritics (Small Modifier Marks)

Diacritics change sound quality.

**Examples:**

• ̃ nasalization
• ˞ rhoticity
• ʰ aspiration
• ̥ devoicing
• ̩ syllabic consonant

Examples in words

• ã nasalized vowel (Portuguese)
• l̩ syllabic "l" in bottle /bɒtl̩/

7. Common IPA Examples by Language

Useful for learners or comparisons.

English

• bird /bɝd/
• water /ˈwɔtər/

French (nasal vowels)

• bon /bɔ̃/

Spanish

• pero vs perro
• /ˈpeɾo/ vs /ˈpero/

Korean

• ㄱ → /k/ or /g/ depending on position
• ㅅ → /s/, ㅆ → /s͈/

Mandarin Chinese

• shi → /ʂɻ̩˥/
• Tones are critical (see section below).

8. IPA Tone Symbols

Used in tonal languages like Mandarin, Thai, Yoruba.

Chao Tone Numbers

• ˥ high
• ˦ rising
• ˧ mid
• ˨ low
• ˩ falling

**Examples (Mandarin):**

• mā → /ma˥/
• mǎ → /ma˨˩˧/

9. How to Type IPA Symbols

Typing IPA is often challenging because standard keyboards don't include these characters.

Windows

• Use Alt codes
• Or install "IPA keyboard layout"

macOS

• Enable Unicode Hex Input
• Hold Option + type hex

**Example:**

Option + 0259 → ə

iOS / Android

• Download IPA keyboard apps
• Some symbols available via long-press

Online Tools

• IPA Chart (interactive)
• Unicode copy sites
• Linguistics keyboards

SymbolsGPT can provide copyable IPA blocks.

10. IPA Chart Quick Reference

Consonants

```

p b t d k g

f v θ ð s z

ʃ ʒ h

m n ŋ

l r j w

tʃ dʒ

```

Vowels

```

i ɪ e ɛ æ

ɑ ʌ ɔ o u ʊ

ə

```

Diphthongs

```

aɪ aʊ ɔɪ eɪ oʊ

```

11. Aesthetic / Unicode IPA Variants

Unicode also includes stylized symbols often used in linguistic blogs:

```

ʘ ɓ ɠ ʍ ɫ ɬ ɮ ɳ ɽ ɾ ʈ ɖ

```

These reflect diverse world languages beyond English.

12. Practical Uses of IPA

IPA is widely used in:

• language learning apps
• dictionaries
• speech therapy
• TTS (text-to-speech) engines
• accent training
• linguistics research
• subtitles
• AI voice synthesis

With AI-based pronunciation models growing, IPA is increasingly important for accurate sound mapping.

Summary

The International Phonetic Alphabet provides a universal system for writing speech sounds.

From English vowels and diphthongs to global consonant systems, tone markers, and diacritics, IPA helps learners and creators understand how languages are spoken.

Whether you're studying pronunciation, analyzing dialects, or designing linguistics content, IPA symbols offer a precise, consistent toolset for representing the full range of human sound.

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Related Symbol Guides

* [**Special Characters Guide**](/blog/special-characters-guide) - General special characters.

* [**Aesthetic Symbols**](/blog/aesthetic-symbols-guide) - Stars and decorations.

* [**Greek Letters**](/blog/greek-letters) - Greek alphabet used in linguistics.