What is the IPA?
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation designed to represent all the sounds of spoken language. Unlike standard English spelling, which can be inconsistent (e.g., "rough" vs. "through"), IPA offers a one-to-one correspondence between symbol and sound.
Essential Symbols for English
- The Schwa (ə): The most common sound in English. It is the unstressed "uh" sound found in words like "about" or "sOfa".
- Theta (θ) and Eth (ð): These represent the "th" sounds. θ is the voiceless sound in "thin," while ð is the voiced sound in "this."
- Esh (ʃ): Represents the "sh" sound in "ship."
- Eng (ŋ): Represents the "ng" sound at the end of "sing."
Using IPA Online
Linguists, actors, and language learners use these Unicode symbols to communicate precise pronunciation in digital text, dictionaries, and Wikipedia articles without needing special fonts.