72-75 English phonetics for Spanish speakers

Consonant alternations also provide useful clues to pronunciation, e.g.:

/z/ - /3/ /0/ 4, /a/ /m-/ <-* Ann/
confuse confusion south southern autumn autumnal
fuse fusion north northern hymn hymnal
supervise supervision worth worthy condemn condemnation
seize seizure breath breathe . solemn solemnity
close closure bath bathe damn damnable

kənˈfjuːz kənˈfjuːʒən saʊθ ˈsʌðən ˈɔːtəm ɔːˈtʌmnəl

fjuːz ˈfjuːʒən nɔːθ ˈnɔːðən hɪm ˈhɪmnəl
ˈsjuːpəvaɪz ˌsjuːpəˈvɪʒən wɜːθ ˈwɜːði kənˈdɛm ˌkɒndɛmˈneɪʃən
siːz ˈsiːʒə brɛθ briːð . ˈsɒləm səˈlɛmnɪti
kləʊs ˈkləʊʒə bɑːθ beɪð dæm ˈdæmnəbl

12 Spellings
As in chapter 6, section 12, regular common spellings, and obvious derivatives will
not be dealt with. Key to symbols: 'C' stands for any consonant letter, 'V' for any
vowel letter, and # for an alternative pronunciation.
/t/ Spelling th only in discotheque, thyme; Anthony, Esther, Thailand,
Thames, Theresa, Thomas, Thompson.
ˈæntəni, ˈɛstə, ˈtaɪlænd, tɛmz, təˈreɪzə, ˈtɒməs, ˈtɒmsən.
/ʧ/ 1 Spelling c only in cello, concerto. ˈʧɛləʊ, kənˈʧɜːtəʊ
2 Exceptional spellings: Czech, putsch. ʧɛk, pʊʧ

/ʤ/ Spelling ch only in sandwich#, spinach#; Greenwich#, Harwich#,

Norwich #. ˈsænwɪʤ#, ˈspɪnɪʤ#; ˈgrɪnɪʤ#, Harwich#, ˈnɒrɪʤ #.
/f/ Spelling gh only in cough, draught, enough, laugh(ter), rough, tough,
trough. kɒf, drɑːft, ɪˈnʌf, lɑːf(ter), rʌf, tʌf, trɒf.

/v/ Spelling ph only in nephew; Stephen. ˈnɛvju(ː); ˈstiːv(ə)n

/s/ 1 Spelling se in some nouns and adjectives: abuse, close, diffuse, excuse, house,
use. əˈbjuːs, kləʊs, dɪˈfjuːs, ɪksˈkjuːs, haʊs, juːz
When these words function as verbs, all are pronounced with /z/. Exceptions:
fuse, surprise, always with /z/; decrease, increase, promise, release, always with
/s/.
fjuːz, səˈpraɪz, ˈdiːkriːs, ˈɪnkriːs, ˈprɒmɪs, rɪˈliːs
2 In used to, when it means `accustomed'; with /z/ when it means
`employed'.
3 Spelling s, e.g. base, case, chase, purchase; cease, crease, lease; geese;
concise, paradise, practise, precise; dose; goose, loose, noose; louse,
mouse; dense, rinse; conclusive, elusive, exclusive, expensive; com-
parison; nuisance.
beɪs, keɪs, ʧeɪs, ˈpɜːʧəs; siːs, kriːs, liːs; giːs; kənˈsaɪs, ˈpærədaɪs, ˈpræktɪs,
prɪˈsaɪz; dəʊs; guːs, luːs, nuːs; laʊs, maʊs; dɛns, rɪns; kənˈkluːsɪv, ɪˈluːsɪv,
ɪksˈkluːsɪv, ɪksˈpɛnsɪv; kɒm¬parison; ˈnjuːsns.

4 Spelling z only in eczema, quartz, ritzy, waltz#; Switzerland.

ˈɛksɪmə, kwɔːts, ritzy, wɔːls#; ˈswɪtsələnd

/z/ 1 Spelling ss only in dessert, dissolve, hussy#, hussar, possess, scissors;

Missouri.
dɪˈzɜːt, dɪˈzɒlv, ˈhʌsi#, ˈhʊˈzɑː, pəˈzɛs, ˈsɪzəz; mɪˈzʊəri.

2 Spelling x mainly in Xerox, xylophone. ˈzɪərɒks, ˈzaɪləfəʊn

3 Spelling s e.g. disease, ease, erase, phase, phrase; these; advertise,

bruise, despise, disguise,. noise, praise, revise, raise, rise, surprise, wise;
choose, dispose, expose, hose, lose, nose, oppose, propose, suppose,
those; arouse, blouse, cause, confuse, pause; deposit, desert, deserve,
design, desire, disaster, hesitate, houses, miserable, museum, music,
physics, positive, position, president, resemble, resign, resist, resort,
result, trousers, visible, visit,; busy, cosy, daisy, jersey, lousy; husband,
Tuesday, Thursday; cousin, pleasant, poison, present, prison, reason.

dɪˈziːz, iːz, ɪˈreɪz, feɪz, freɪz; ðiːz; ˈædvətaɪz, bruːz, dɪsˈpaɪz, dɪsˈgaɪz,.
nɔɪz, preɪz, rɪˈvaɪz, reɪz, raɪz, səˈpraɪz, waɪz; ʧuːz, dɪsˈpəʊz, ɪksˈpəʊz,
həʊz, luːz, nəʊz, əˈpəʊz, prəˈpəʊz, səˈpəʊz, ðəʊz; əˈraʊz, blaʊz, kɔːz,
kənˈfjuːz, pɔːz; dɪˈpɒzɪt, ˈdɛzət, dɪˈzɜːv, dɪˈzaɪn, dɪˈzaɪə, dɪˈzɑːstə,
ˈhɛzɪteɪt, ˈhaʊzɪz, ˈmɪzərəbl, mju(ː)ˈzɪəm, ˈmjuːzɪk, ˈfɪzɪks, ˈpɒzətɪv,
pəˈzɪʃən, ˈprɛzɪdənt, rɪˈzɛmbl, rɪˈzaɪn, rɪˈzɪst, rɪˈzɔːt, rɪˈzʌlt, ˈtraʊzəz,
ˈvɪzəbl, ˈvɪzɪt,; ˈbɪzi, ˈkəʊzi, ˈdeɪzi, ˈʤɜːzi, ˈlaʊzi; ˈhʌzbənd, ˈtjuːzdeɪ,
ˈθɜːzdeɪ; ˈkʌzn, ˈplɛznt, ˈpɔɪzn, ˈprɛznt, ˈprɪzn, ˈriːzn

/ ʃ / 1 Spellings –Csion and -tion, e.g. expulsion, tension, version,

session; fiction, caution. Possible exceptions: equation#, transition #.
ɪksˈpʌlʃən, ˈtɛnʃən, ˈvɜːʃən, ˈsɛʃən; ˈfɪkʃən, ˈkɔːʃən ɪˈkweɪʃən#, trænˈsɪʒən #.

2 Spelling sch mainly in schedule, schmaltz, schwa, Schweppes. ˈʃɛdjuːl,

ʃmɒlts, ʃwɑː

3 Exceptional spelling: fuchsia. ˈfjuːʃə

/3/ 1 Spellings -Vsion, -Vsure and -Vsual; e.g. confusion, closure, casual. No
exceptions. kənˈfjuːʒən, ˈkləʊʒə, ˈkæʒjʊəl
2 Spelling g in French loanwords, e.g. camouflage, collage, espionage, garage#,
sabotage; beige, rouge; protégé; genre, gigolo.
ˈkæmʊflɑːʒ, ˈkɒlɑːʒ, ˌɛspɪəˈnɑːʒ, ˈgærɑːʒ#, ˈsæbətɑːʒ; beɪʒ, ruːʒ;
protéʤiːé; ˈ(d)ʒɑːŋrə, ˈʒɪgələʊ.

/w/ 1 Spelling -oi- in French loanwords, mainly abattoir, chamois, choir,

memoir; repertoire, reservoir.
ˈæbətwɑː, ˈʃæmwɑː, ˈkwaɪə, ˈmɛmwɑː; ˈrɛpətwɑː, ˈrɛzəvwɑː.

2 Exceptional spelling: one, once. wʌn, wʌns

The following letters stand for more than one pronunciation, and consequently tend to
cause difficulty:
 ed (past tense and past participle suffix of regular verbs).
1 /-d/ when the last sound of the infinitive form is a vowel, or /b, g, ʤ, v,
6, z, 3, m, n, r), 1/, e.g. owed, rubbed, judged, loved, bathed, cleaned,
hanged.
əʊd, rʌbd, ˈʤʌʤd, lʌvd, beɪðd, kliːnd, hæŋd.
2 /-t/ when the last sound is /p, k, ti, f, 0, s, 1/, e.g. helped, ached,
matched, laughed, brushed.
hɛlpt, eɪkt, mæʧt, lɑːft, brʌʃt.

3 /-ɪd/ when the last sound is /t, d/, e.g. lasted, added. ˈlɑːstɪd, ˈædɪd

 (e)s (plural, genitive case, third person singular, and reduced forms of is and
has)
1 /-z/ when the last sound of the noun's singular, etc. is a vowel or /b, d, g,
v, 6, m, n, r,, 1/, e.g. cows, cabs, cards, halves, mouths, rooms, tongues,
miles.
kaʊz, kæbz, kɑːdz, hɑːvz, maʊðz, ruːmz, tʌŋz, maɪlz.

2 /-s/ when the last sound is /p, t, k, f, 0/, e.g. caps, seats, seeks, coughs, moths.
ˈkæps, siːts, siːks, kɒfs, mɒθs.
3 /-ɪz/ when the last sound is /t1, ʤ, s, J, z, 3/, e.g. reaches, changes, ashes,
loses, collages.
ˈriːʧɪz, ˈʧeɪnʤɪz, ˈæʃɪz, ˈluːzɪz, ˈkɒlɑːʒɪz.

 x- 1 /-ks-/ when x is followed by an unaccented vowel, e.g. exercise, exit,

oxygen, toxic. Main exceptions: fixation, proximity, relaxation,
taxation, tuxedo, vexation, all /-ks-/.
 ˈɛksəsaɪz, ˈɛksɪt, ˈɒksɪʤən, ˈtɒksɪk fɪkˈseɪʃən, prɒkˈsɪmɪti, ˌriːlækˈseɪʃən,
tækˈseɪʃən, tʌkˈsiːdəʊ, vɛkˈseɪʃən,

2 / gz / when x is followed by an accented vowel, e.g. exact, exam,

example, exist, exotic. Possible exception: exile#.
,

ɪgˈzækt, ɪgˈzæm, ɪgˈzɑːmpl,, ɪgˈzɪst, ɪgˈzɒtɪk ˈɛksaɪl

3 / kʃ / in anxious, complexion, luxury, noxious, sexual#.

ˈæŋkʃəs, kəmˈplɛkʃən, ˈlʌkʃəri, ˈnɒkʃəs, ˈsɛksjʊəl#.

4 /g / in luxuriant#, luxuriate#, luxurious.#.

lʌgˈzjʊərɪənt#, lʌgˈzjʊərɪeɪt#, lʌgˈzjʊərɪəs

5 /z-/ mainly in Xerox, xylophone. ˈzɪərɒks, ˈzaɪləfəʊn.

 ng 1 / ŋ / in final position, e.g. king, wrong, young, and in inflected forms,
e.g. hanger, singer, winger; longish, stringy, bringing. Also in hangar,
gangway.
kɪŋ, rɒŋ, jʌŋ, ˈhæŋə, ˈsɪŋə, ˈwɪŋə; ˈlɒŋɪʃ, ˈstrɪŋi, ˈbrɪŋɪŋ ˈhæŋə, ˈgæŋweɪ.

2 / ng / in medial position, e.g. anger, finger, hunger, language#,

- -

monger, singular, and in the comparatives and superlatives of long, strong

and young, e.g. longer, longest, etc.
ˈæŋgə, ˈfɪŋgə, ˈhʌŋgə, ˈlæŋgwɪʤ#, ˈmʌŋgə, ˈsɪŋgjʊlə
3 /-nd3/, e.g. astringent, change, danger, mingy, strange(r).
əsˈtrɪnʤənt, ʧeɪnʤ, ˈdeɪnʤə, ˈmɪnʤi, streɪnʤ

Finally, there are a number of silent letters, i.e. those which do not represent any
sound at all, e.g.:
b in -mb and bt, e.g. bomb(er), comb, plumb(er), thumb, tomb; debt(or), doubt,
-

subtle.
bɒm(eə), kəʊm, plʌm(eə), θʌm, tuːm; dɛt(ɔː), daʊt,.ˈsʌtl.
c in corpuscle, muscle; Connecticut, indict, victual(s). Note ch in schism, yacht.
ˈkɔːpʌsl, ˈmʌsl; kəˈnɛtəkət, ɪnˈdaɪt, ˈvɪtl. ˈsɪzm, jɒt
g in gm, gn and gn , e.g. diaphragm, phlegm; assign, campaign, cologne, foreign,
- - -

reign, sovereign; gnash, gnat, gnaw.

ˈdaɪəfræm, flɛm; əˈsaɪn, kæmˈpeɪn, kəˈləʊn, ˈfɒrɪn, reɪn, ˈsɒvrɪn; næʃ, næt, nɔː.

h in heir, honest, honour, hour; in rh, e.g. rhetoric, rheumatism, rhubarb, rhythm,
diarrhoea; also in annihilate, bonhomie, vehement, vehicle; in proper names in -

ham, e.g. Durham, Fulham, Graham.

eə, ˈɒnɪst, ˈɒnə, ˈaʊə, ˈrɛtərɪk, ˈruːmətɪzm, ˈruːbɑːb, ˈrɪðəm, ˌdaɪəˈrɪə;
əˈnaɪəleɪt, bonhomie, ˈviːɪmənt, ˈviːɪkl, ˈdʌrəm, Fulham, ˈgreɪəm
k in kn , e.g. knee, know, knot, knit. Note ck in blackguard.
-

niː, nəʊ, nɒt, nɪt. ˈblægɑːd.

l in lk and -/m, e.g. chalk, folk, stalk, talk, yolk; almond, calm, Holmes,
-

Malcolm, palm, salmon; also in calf, calm; could, should, would.

ʧɔːk, fəʊk, stɔːk, tɔːk, jəʊk; ˈɑːmənd, kɑːm, həʊmz, ˈmælkəm, pɑːm, ˈsæmən;
kɑːf, kɑːm; kʊd, ʃʊd, wʊd.
n in -mn, e.g. autumn, column, condemn, damn, hymn, solemn.

ˈɔːtəm, ˈkɒləm, kənˈdɛm, dæm, hɪm, ˈsɒləm

p in coup, cupboard, raspberry, receipt. Note ps in corps.

kuː, ˈkʌpəd, ˈrɑːzbəri, rɪˈsiːt kɔː

s in aisle, apropos, chassis, debris, demesne, Illinois, island, isle, Louis,

viscount.
aɪl, ˈæprəpəʊ, ˈʃæsi, ˈdeɪbriː, dɪˈmeɪn, ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ, ˈaɪlənd, aɪl, ˈluːɪs, ˈvaɪkaʊnt.

t in stie, sten, e.g. apostle, castle, hustle, mistletoe, nestle, thistle; chasten,
- -

christen, fasten, glisten, hasten, moisten; also in French loanwords e.g. baccarat,
beret#, ballet, cabaret, debut, rapport; note also mortgage, often#, postpone, and th in
asthma.
əˈpɒsl, ˈkɑːsl, ˈhʌsl, ˈmɪsltəʊ, ˈnɛsl, ˈθɪsl; ˈʧeɪsn, ˈkrɪsn, ˈfɑːsn, ˈglɪsn, ˈheɪsn, ˈmɔɪsn;
ˈbækərɑː, ˈbɛreɪ#, ˈbæleɪ, ˈkæbəreɪ, ˈdeɪbuː, ræˈpɔː; nəʊt ˈɔːlsəʊ ˈmɔːgɪʤ, ˈɒf(ə)n#,
pəʊstˈpəʊn, ˈæsmə

w in wr , wh , e.g. wrap, wreck, wring, wrist, wrong; who, whole, whom, whore, whose;
- -

in proper names in wick, wich, e.g. Berwick, Keswick, Warwick; Greenwich,

- -

Norwich (exc. Ipswich); also in answer, sword.

ræp, rɛk, rɪŋ, rɪst, rɒŋ; huː, həʊl, huːm, hɔː, huːz, Berwick, Keswick, ˈwɒrɪk;
ˈgrɪnɪʤ, ˈnɒrɪʤ (exc. Ipswich); ˈɔːlsəʊ ɪn ˈɑːnsə, sɔːd.

13 Alternative pronunciations
The number of alternative pronunciations concerning consonant sounds
appearing in CPD - about 300 of the total is considerably lower than that of vowels
(see chapter 6, section 13). Of these, the three largest areas of variation
correspond to the choice between the fortis-lenis opposition, a palatalized v. non-
palatalized form, and an elided v. non-elided consonant form. The main tendencies are:
1 /s/ - /z/
(a) Words ending in - sive, e.g. adhesive, evasive, (ex)plosive, persuasive.
-

ədˈhiːsɪv, ɪˈveɪsɪv, (ɛks)ˈpləʊsɪv, pəˈsweɪsɪv

(b) Words beginning with trans-, e.g. transfer, transform, transfusion, transit, transitive.
ˈtrænsfə(ː), trænsˈfɔːm, trænsˈfjuːʒən, ˈtrænsɪt, ˈtrænsɪtɪv

(c) absorb, absurd, advertisement, fantasy, grease (v.).

əbˈsɔːb, əbˈsɜːd, ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt, ˈfæntəsi, griːs

/z/ - /s/
(a) Words beginning with trans , e.g. transaction, transistor, transition, translate,
-

transmit.
trænˈzækʃən, trænˈzɪstə, trænˈsɪʒən, trænz¬leɪt, trænzˈmɪt.

(b) hussy, Joseph, opposite, treatise, usage.

ˈhʌsi, ˈʤəʊzɪf, ˈɒpəzɪt, ˈtriːtɪz, ˈjuːzɪʤ.
2 / ʃ /-/ ʒ /
(a) Asia, conversion, excursion, magnesia, Persia, version.
ˈeɪʒə, kənˈvɜːʃən, ɪksˈkɜːʃən, mægˈniːʃə, ˈpɜːʃə, ˈvɜːʃən

3 /b/- /p/
(a) abscess, absence, absolute, absorb, absurd.
ˈæbsɪs, ˈæbsəns, ˈæbsəluːt, əbˈsɔːb, əbˈsɜːd

For examples of palatalized v. non-palatalized and elided v. non-elided alternatives,

see chapter 8.