Guidc to Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not an intrinsic comoncnt of thc dic-

tionary. For somc Ianguagcs, such as Sanish, SwahiIi, and
Finnish, thc corrcsondcncc bctwccn orthograhy and
ronunciation is so cIosc that a dictionary nccd onIy scII
a word corrcctIy to indicatc its ronunciation. Modcrn
EngIish, howcvcr, disIays no such consistcncy in sound
and scIIing, and so a dictionary of EngIish must dcvotc
considcrabIc attcntion to thc ronunciation of thc Ian-
guagc. Thc EngIish Icxicon contains numcrous cyc rhymcs
such as love, move, and rove, words which do not sound
aIikc dcsitc thcir simiIar scIIings. On thc othcr hand, it
aIso contains rhyming words such as breeze, cheese, ease,
frieze, and sleaze whosc rhymcs arc aII scIIcd diffcrcntIy.
This grand mismatch bctwccn words that Iook aIikc and
words that sound aIikc docs at Icast scrvc to rccord somc-
thing of thc history of thc EngIish-scaking coIcs and
thcir Ianguagc. ScIIing oftcn indicatcs whcthcr a word
comcs down from thc nativc AngIo-Saxon word stock or
was adotcd in succcssivc agcs from thc sccch of a mis-
sionary monk chanting Latin, a scafaring Viking dickcring
in OId Norsc, a Norman nobIcman giving ordcrs in
Frcnch, or a young immigrant to turn-of-thc-ccntury
Amcrica. For cxamIc, thc sound \sh\ is scIIcd as sh in
nativc EngIish shore, as ch in thc Frcnch Ioan champagne,
as sk in onc ronunciation of thc Norwcgian Ioan ski, as si
in thc Rcnaissancc Latin Ioan emulsion, and as sch in thc
rcccnt Yiddish Ioan schlep. EngIish vowcIs rcscnt diffcr-
cnt comIcxitics of sound and scIIing, duc in Iargc art to
thc fact that WiIIiam Caxton introduccd rinting to En-
gIand in A.D. 1476, many dccadcs bcforc thc sound changc
known as thc Grcat VowcI Shift had run its coursc. With
thc risc of rinting camc an incrcasingIy fixcd sct of scII-
ing convcntions, but thc convcntionaIizcd scIIings soon
Iost thcir conncction to ronunciation as thc vowcI shift
continucd. Thc strcsscd vowcIs of sane and sanity arc
thcrcforc idcnticaI in scIIing though now quitc diffcrcnt
in quaIity. For thc traincd obscrvcr thc vagarics of EngIish
orthograhy contain a wcaIth of Iinguistic history; for
most othcrs, howcvcr, this disarity bctwccn sound and
scIIing is }ust a continuaI nuisancc at schooI or work.
Rcadcrs oftcn turn to thc dictionary wanting to Icarn
thc cxact ronunciation of a word, onIy to discovcr that
thc word may havc scvcraI ronunciations, as is thc casc
for deity, economic, envelope, and greasy, among many oth-
crs. Thc incIusion of variant ronunciations disaoints
thosc who want thcir dictionary to Iist onc corrcct" ro-
nunciation. In truth, though, thcrc can bc no ob}cctivc
standard for corrcct ronunciation othcr than thc usagc of
thoughtfuI and, in articuIar, cducatcd scakcrs of En-
gIish. Among such scakcrs onc hcars much variation in
ronunciation.
Dictionarics of EngIish bcforc thc modcrn cra usuaIIy
ignorcd ronunciation variants, instcad indicating a singIc
ronunciation by marking thc cntry word with diacritics
to indicatc strcss and Icttcr vaIucs. Thcsc systcms wcrc
cumbcrsomc, howcvcr, and rcfIcctcd thc diaIcctaI biascs
of thc cditors morc than thc facts about how a word was
actuaIIy sokcn. Lcxicograhcrs camc cvcntuaIIy to rccog-
nizc thc nccd for scaratc rcscIIings which couId rccord
thc cntirc rangc of accctcd variants aIong with arori-
atc notcs about diaIcctaI distribution or usagc.
This dictionary rccords many tycs of variation in ro-
nunciation. Distinctions bctwccn British and Amcrican
sccch arc frcqucntIy notcd, as arc diffcrcnccs among thc
thrcc ma}or diaIcct arcas of thc L.S.-Northcrn, South-
crn, and MidIand. Words that havc distinctivc ronuncia-
tions in Canada, such as decal and khaki, havc thosc ro-
nunciations duIy notcd. Pronunciations ccuIiar to ccrtain
shcrcs of activity arc aIso rcrcscntcd, as for cxamIc thc
variants of athwart and tackle hcard in nauticaI usc. FinaI-
Iy, a widc rangc of unrcdictabIc variations arc incIudcd,
such as thc ronunication of economic with cithcr \c\ or
\c\. LnrcdictabIc variations frcqucntIy cut across thc
boundarics of gcograhicaI diaIccts, somctimcs running
aIong thc Iincs of sociaI cIass, cthnicity, or gcndcr instcad.
In finc, this dictionary attcmts to incIudc-cithcr cxIic-
itIy or by imIication-aII ronunciation variants of a
word that arc uscd by cducatcd scakcrs of thc EngIish
Ianguagc.
Thc ronunciations in this dictionary arc informcd
chicfIy by thc Mcrriam-Wcbstcr ronunciation fiIc. This
fiIc contains citations that arc transcritions of words uscd
by nativc scakcrs of EngIish in thc coursc of uttcranccs
hcard in sccchcs, intcrvicws, and convcrsations. In this
cxtcnsivc coIIcction of 3 5 sIis of acr, onc finds thc
ronunciations of a host of coIc: oIiticians, rofcssors,
curators, artists, musicians, doctors, cnginccrs, rcachcrs,
activists, }ournaIists, and many othcrs. Thc Mcrriam-
Wcbstcr ronunciation cditors havc bccn coIIccting thcsc
citations from Iivc sccch and from radio, tcIcvision, and
shortwavc broadcasts sincc thc 1930s. It is rimariIy on thc
basis of this Iargc and growing fiIc that qucstions of usagc
and accctabiIity in ronunciation arc answcrcd. AII of
thc ronunciations rccordcd in this book can bc docu-
mcntcd as faIIing within thc rangc of gcncraIIy accctabIc
variation, unIcss thcy arc accomanicd by a rcstricting us-
agc notc or symboI or a rcgionaI IabcI.
No systcm of indicating ronunciation is scIf-
cxIanatory. Thc foIIowing discussion scts out thc signifi-
cation and usc of thc ronunciation symboIs in this book,
with scciaI attcntion to thosc arcas whcrc cxcricncc has
shown that dictionary uscrs may havc qucstions. Morc dc-
taiIcd information can bc found in thc Guidc to Pronunci-
ation in Wcbstcr`s Third Ncw IntcrnationaI Dictionary.
Thc ordcr of symboIs discusscd bcIow is thc samc as thc
ordcr on thc agc of Pronunciation SymboIs, with thc cx-
cction that thc symboIs which arc not Icttcr charactcrs
arc hcrc Iistcd first. Thosc charactcrs which havc corrc-
sonding symboIs in thc IntcrnationaI Phonctic AIhabct
(IPA) arc shown with thcir IPA cquivaIcnts.
\ \
AII ronunciation information is rintcd bctwccn
rcvcrscd virguIcs. Pronunciation symboIs arc
rintcd in roman tyc and aII othcr information, such as
IabcIs and notcs, is rintcd in itaIics.
\ ', \
A high-sct strcss mark rcccdcs a syIIabIc with
rimary (strongcst) strcss; a Iow-sct mark rc-
ccdcs a syIIabIc with sccondary (mcdium) strcss; a third
IcvcI of wcak strcss rcquircs no mark at aII: \'cn-mn-
,shi\.
Sincc thc ninctccnth ccntury thc IntcrnationaI Phonct-
ics Association has rccommcndcd that strcss marks rc-
ccdc thc strcsscd syIIabIc, and Iinguists worIdwidc havc
adotcd this racticc on thc basic rinciIc that bcforc a
syIIabIc can bc uttcrcd thc scakcr must know what dc-
grcc of strcss to givc it.
\ - \
Hyhcns arc uscd to scaratc syIIabIcs in ro-
nunciation transcritions. In actuaI sccch, of
coursc, thcrc is no ausc bctwccn thc syIIabIcs of a word.
Thc Iaccmcnt of hyhcns is bascd on honctic rinciIcs,
such as vowcI Icngth, nasaIization, variation duc to thc o-
sition of a consonant in a syIIabIc, and othcr nuanccs of
thc sokcn word. Thc syIIabIc brcaks shown in this book
rcfIcct thc carcfuI ronunciation of a singIc word out of
contcxt. SyIIabication tcnds to changc in raid or running
sccch: a consonant at thc cnd of a syIIabIc may shift into
a foIIowing syIIabIc, and unstrcsscd vowcIs may bc cIidcd.
Thc numcrous variations in ronunciation that a word
may havc in running sccch arc of intcrcst to honcticians
but arc wcII outsidc thc scoc of a dictionary of gcncraI
EngIish.
Thc ccntcrcd dots in boIdfacc cntry words indicatc o-
tcntiaI cnd-of-Iinc division oints and not syIIabication.
Thcsc division oints arc dctcrmincd by considcrations of
both morhoIogy and ronunciation, among othcrs. Fur-
thcr discussion of cnd-of-Iinc division is containcd in thc
scction of that namc within thc ExIanatory Notcs. In this
book a consistcnt aroach has bccn ursucd, both to-
ward word division bascd on traditionaI formuIas and to-
ward syIIabication bascd on honctic rinciIcs. As a rc-
suIt, thc hyhcns indicating syIIabIc brcaks and thc
ccntcrcd dots indicating cnd-of-Iinc division oftcn do not
faII in thc samc Iaccs.
\
( )
\
Parcnthcscs arc uscd in ronunciations to indi-
catc that whatcvcr is symboIizcd bctwccn thcm
is rcscnt in somc uttcranccs but not in othcrs; thus facto-
ry \'fak-t(-)rc\ is ronounccd both \'fak-t-rc\ and \'fak-
trc\, industry \'in-(,)ds-trc\ is ronounccd both \'in-ds-
trc\ and \'in-,ds-trc\. In somc honctic cnvironmcnts, as
in fence \'fcn(t)s\ and boil \'boi(-)I\, it may bc difficuIt to
dctcrminc whcthcr thc sound shown in arcnthcscs is or is
not rcscnt in a givcn uttcrancc; cvcn thc usagc of a singIc
scakcr may vary considcrabIy.
\ , ; \
Variant ronunciations arc scaratcd by com-
mas; grous of variants arc scaratcd by scmi-
coIons. Thc ordcr of variants docs not mcan that thc first
is in any way rcfcrabIc to or morc accctabIc than thc
othcrs. AII of thc variants in this book, cxcct thosc rc-
strictcd by a rcgionaI or usagc IabcI, arc widcIy uscd in ac-
cctabIc cducatcd sccch. If cvidcncc rcvcaIs that a artic-
uIar variant is uscd morc frcqucntIy than anothcr, thc
formcr wiII bc givcn first. This shouId not, howcvcr, rc}u-
dicc anyonc against thc sccond or subscqucnt variants. In
many cascs thc numcricaI distribution of variants is cquaI,
but onc of thcm, of coursc, must bc rintcd first.
\\
Thc obcIus, or division sign, is Iaccd bcforc a
ronunciation variant that occurs in cducatcd
sccch but that is considcrcd by somc to bc qucstionabIc
or unaccctabIc. This symboI is uscd saringIy and rima-
riIy for variants that havc bccn ob}cctcd to ovcr a criod
of timc in rint by commcntators on usagc, in schooIs by
tcachcrs, or in corrcsondcncc that has comc to thc
Mcrriam-Wcbstcr cditoriaI dcartmcnt. In most cascs thc
ob}cction is bascd on orthograhic or ctymoIogicaI argu-
mcnts. For instancc, thc sccond variant of cupola \'ky-
-I, -,Io\, though uscd frcqucntIy in sccch, is ob}cctcd
to bccausc a is vcry rarcIy ronounccd \o\ in EngIish. Thc
ronunciation \'I-,bcr-c\ is simiIarIy markcd at thc cntry
for library bccausc somc coIc insist that both r`s shouId
bc ronounccd.
\ \
in unstrcsscd syIIabIcs as in banana, coIIidc, abut
(IPA []). This ncutraI vowcI, caIIcd schwa, may
bc rcrcscntcd orthograhicaIIy by any of thc Icttcrs a, e, i,
o, u, y, and by many combinations of Icttcrs. In running
sccch unstrcsscd vowcIs arc rcguIarIy ronounccd as \\
in Amcrican and British sccch.
Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII oftcn inscrt an \r\
aftcr \\ whcn \\ rcccdcs anothcr vowcI. (Scc thc scction
on \r\.)
\', ,\
in strcsscd syIIabIcs as in humdrum, abut.
(IPA [$]).
Somc scakcrs ronouncc \'\ and \o\ idcnticaIIy bcforc
\I\, with thc rcsuIt that word airs Iikc gull and goal arc ho-
mohoncs. Thc sound roduccd in such cascs is usuaIIy
thc samc sound that othcr scakcrs usc for \o\.
\ \
immcdiatcIy rcccding \I\, \n\, \m\, \\, as in bat-
tle, cotton, and onc ronunciation of oen \'o-
m\ and of and \\ as in onc ronunciation of thc hrasc
lock and key \,Ik--'kc\. Thc symboI \\ rcccding thcsc
consonants docs not itscIf rcrcscnt a sound. It significs in-
stcad that thc foIIowing consonant is syIIabic; that is, thc
consonant itscIf forms thc nucIcus of a syIIabIc that docs
not contain a vowcI.
In thc ronunciation of somc Frcnch or Frcnch-dcrivcd
words \\ is Iaccd immcdiatcIy aftcr \I\, \m\, \r\ to indi-
catc onc nonsyIIabic ronunciation of thcsc consonants, as
in thc Frcnch words table tabIc," risme rism," and ti-
tre titIc," cach of which in isoIation and in somc contcxts
is a onc-syIIabIc word.
\ r\
as in further, merger, bird (IPA [*, V]). (Scc thc
scction on \r\.) ActuaIIy, this is usuaIIy a singIc
sound, not a scqucncc of \\ foIIowcd by \r\. Scakcrs of
r-droing diaIccts wiII ronouncc \r\ without r-coIor
(IPA [5I, I] whcn strcsscd, [] whcn unstrcsscd) whcn it
rcccdcs a consonant or ausc, but wiII inscrt a foIIowing
\r\ whcn \r\ rcccdcs anothcr vowcI.
\ 'r-, '-r\
as in two diffcrcnt ronunciations
of hurry. Most L.S. scakcrs ro-
nouncc \'hr-c\ with thc \r\ rcrcscnting thc samc sounds
as in bird \'brd\. LsuaIIy in mctrooIitan Ncw York and
southcrn EngIand and frcqucntIy in Ncw EngIand and thc
southcastcrn L.S. thc vowcI is much thc samc as thc vowcI
of hum foIIowcd by a syIIabIc-initiaI varicty of \r\. This
ronunciation of hurry is rcrcscntcd as \'h-rc\ in this
book. Both tycs of ronunciation arc shown for words
comoscd of a singIc mcaningfuI unit (or morpheme) as in
current, hurry, and worry. In words such as furry, stirring,
and purring in which a vowcI or vowcI-initiaI suffix is add-
cd to a word cnding in r or rr (as fur, stir, and purr), thc scc-
ond tyc of ronunciation outIincd abovc is hcard onIy oc-
casionaIIy and is not shown in this dictionary.
\ a \
as in mat, ma, mad, gag, sna, atch (IPA []).
Somc variation in this vowcI is occasioncd by thc
consonant that foIIows it; thus, for somc scakcrs map,
mad, and gag havc noticcabIy diffcrcnt vowcI sounds.
Thcrc is a vcry smaII numbcr of words othcrwisc idcnticaI
in ronunciation that thcsc scakcrs may distinguish soIc-
Iy by variation of this vowcI, as in thc two words can (ut
into cans; bc abIc) in thc scntcncc Lct`s can what wc can."
Howcvcr, this distinction is sufficicntIy infrcqucnt that thc
traditionaI racticc of using a singIc symboI is foIIowcd in
this book.
Many varictics of EngIish do not aIIow \a\ to bc foI-
Iowcd by an \r\ which bcgins thc foIIowing syIIabIc. In
such a casc, thc scqucncc of \a-r\ is rcIaccd by \cr\, and
word airs Iikc arrow and aero arc homohoncs. This is
not aIways indicatcd in transcrition. Thc rcadcr shouId
assumc that any scqucnccs of \a-r\ wiII bc \cr\ for such
scakcrs.
Whcn it rcccdcs \\, \a\ is oftcn foIIowcd by a \y\
sound. Thc rcsuIting vowcI sounds much Iikc \\ for many
scakcrs.
\ a \
as in day, fadc, datc, aorta, drac, cac (IPA [c,
c, ci]). In most EngIish sccch this is actuaIIy a
dihthong. In IowIand South CaroIina, in coastaI Gcorgia
and FIorida, and occasionaIIy cIscwhcrc \\ is ronounccd
as a monohthong. As a dihthong \\ has a first cIcmcnt
\c\ or monohthongaI \\ and a sccond cIcmcnt \i\.
Bcforc \I\, scakcrs may Iosc thc sccond cIcmcnt \i\ and
inscrt \\. Thus, a word Iikc ale wouId bc IPA [cI]. AItcr-
natcIy, many scakcrs wiII kcc thc sccond cIcmcnt \i\ and
add a foIIowing \\ which crcatcs a ncw syIIabIc. Thus, thc
word trail wiII bc \'tr-I\, rhyming with betrayal.
\ \
as in bothcr, cot (IPA ["]). Thc symboI \\ rcrc-
scnts thc vowcI of cot, cod, and thc strcsscd vow-
cI of collar in thc sccch of thosc who ronouncc this vow-
cI diffcrcntIy from thc vowcI in caught, cawed, and caller,
rcrcscntcd by \o\. In L.S. sccch \\ is ronounccd with
IittIc or no rounding of thc Iis, and it is fairIy Iong in du-
ration, cscciaIIy bcforc voiccd consonants. In southcrn
EngIand \\ is usuaIIy accomanicd by somc Ii rounding
and is rcIativcIy short in duration. Thc vowcI \o\ gcncraIIy
has arcciabIc Ii rounding. Many L.S. scakcrs do not
distinguish bctwccn cot-caught, cod-cawed, and
collar-caller, usuaIIy bccausc thcy Iack or havc Icss Ii
rounding in thc words transcribcd with \o\. Though thc
symboIs \\ and \o\ arc uscd throughout this book to dis-
tinguish thc mcmbcrs of thc abovc airs and simiIar
words, thc scakcrs who rhymc thcsc airs wiII automati-
caIIy rcroducc a sound that is consistcnt with thcir own
sccch.
In transcrition of forcign words, thc symboI \\ is aIso
uscd to rcrcscnt IPA [a], a vowcI which is gcncraIIy ro-
nounccd farthcr forward in thc mouth than \\ but not as
far forward as \a\. Somc scakcrs may aIso havc such a
vowcI in words Iikc balm which contrasts with thc vowcI
in words Iikc bomb. Such a contrast is rarc, howcvcr, and
it is not rcrcscntcd in this dictionary.
Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII usuaIIy inscrt an \r\
aftcr \\ whcn \\ rcccdcs anothcr vowcI. (Scc thc scction
on \r\.)
\ r \
as in car, heart, aardvark, bazaar, bizarre (IPA
["V, aV, #V]). Thc initiaI cIcmcnt of this dih-
thong may vary from \\ to a vowcI ronounccd farthcr
forward in thc mouth than \\, or it may bc a vowcI with
somc Ii rounding rcscmbIing \o\. Scakcrs of r-droing
diaIccts wiII ronouncc \r\ as a Iong vowcI (IPA ["I, aI])
whcn it rcccdcs a consonant or ausc, and may distin-
guish \r\ in cart from \\ in cot by thc Icngth and quaIity
of thc vowcI, not by thc rcscncc of \r\. Howcvcr, scakcrs
of r-droing diaIccts wiII usuaIIy inscrt an \r\ aftcr \r\
whcn it rcccdcs a vowcI. (Scc thc scction on \r\.)
\ au \
as in now, Ioud, out (IPA [aC, au]). Thc initiaI
cIcmcnt of this dihthong may vary from \a\
to \\, thc first bcing morc common in Southcrn and south
MidIand sccch than cIscwhcrc. In coastaI arcas of thc
southcrn L.S. and in arts of Canada this dihthong is of-
tcn rcaIizcd as \u\ whcn immcdiatcIy rcccding a voicc-
Icss consonant, as in thc noun house and in out.
Many varictics of EngIish do not aIIow \au\ to bc foI-
Iowcd by \I\ in thc samc syIIabIc. Scakcrs of such varic-
tics wiII inscrt a foIIowing \\ which crcatcs a ncw syIIabIc.
This is indicatcd by thc transcrition \au(-)I\. For such
scakcrs, owl wiII rhymc with avowal. AIso, many varictics
of EngIish do not aIIow \au\ to bc foIIowcd by \r\ in thc
samc syIIabIc. Scakcrs of such varictics wiII transform thc
foIIowing \r\ into \r\, thus crcating a ncw syIIabIc. This is
indicatcd by thc transcrition \au(-)r\. For such scakcrs,
scour wiII rhymc with plower.
\ b \ as in baby, rib (IPA [b]).
\ ch\
as in chin, naturc \'n-chr\ (IPA [A]). ActuaI-
Iy, this sound is \t\ + \sh\. Thc distinction bc-
twccn thc hrascs why choose and white shoes is main-
taincd by a diffcrcncc in thc syIIabication of thc \t\ and thc
\sh\ in cach casc and thc conscqucnt usc of diffcrcnt vari-
ctics (or allophones) of \t\.
\ d \
as in did, addcr (IPA [d]). (Scc thc scction on \t\
bcIow for a discussion of thc fIa aIIohonc of
\d\.) Many scakcrs ronouncc \d\ Iikc \}\ whcn it occurs
bcforc \r\ in thc samc syIIabIc.
\ c \
as in bet, bed, eck (IPA [)]). In Southcrn and
MidIand diaIccts this vowcI bcforc nasaI conso-
nants oftcn has a raiscd articuIation that aroximatcs \i\,
so that pen has ncarIy thc ronunciation \'in\.
Many varictics of EngIish do not aIIow \c\ to bc foI-
Iowcd by an \r\ which bcgins thc foIIowing syIIabIc. In
such a casc, thc scqucncc of \c-r\ is rcIaccd by \cr\, and
word airs Iikc very and vary arc homohoncs. This is not
aIways indicatcd in transcrition. Thc rcadcr shouId as-
sumc that any scqucnccs of \c-r\ wiII bc \cr\ for such
scakcrs.
\ cr \
as in bare, fair, wear, derriere, miIIionaire
(IPA [cV, )V]). Thc initiaI cIcmcnt of this dih-
thong may vary from \c\ to \\. Scakcrs of r-droing di-
aIccts wiII ronouncc \cr\ without any r-coIor on thc scc-
ond cIcmcnt (IPA [c, )]) whcn it rcccdcs a consonant or
ausc, but wiII usuaIIy inscrt an \r\ aftcr \cr\ whcn it rc-
ccdcs a vowcI. (Scc thc scction on \r\.)
\ 'c , ,c \
in strcsscd syIIabIcs as in beat, nosc-
bIeed, evcnIy, easy (IPA [i]).
Many scakcrs wiII inscrt \\ aftcr \c\ whcn it rcccdcs
\I\. AdditionaIIy, somc scakcrs ronouncc \c\ and \i\
idcnticaIIy bcforc \I\, with thc rcsuIt that word airs Iikc
heel and hill arc homohoncs. Thc sound ronounccd in
such cascs may bc cithcr \c\ or \i\ as ronounccd by thosc
who distinguish thc two.
\ c \
in unstrcsscd syIIabIcs, as in casy, mcaIy (IPA [i,
, 2]). Though thc fact is not shown in this book,
somc diaIccts such as southcrn British and southcrn L.S.
oftcn, if not usuaIIy, ronouncc \i\ instcad of unstrcsscd
\c\.
\ f \ as in fifty, cuff (IPA [f]).
\ g \ as in go, big, gift (IPA [g]).
\ h \ as in hat, ahcad (IPA [h]).
\hw\
as in whaIc as ronounccd by thosc who do not
havc thc samc ronunciation for both whale
and wail. Somc L.S. scakcrs distinguish thcsc two words
as \'hwI\ and \'wI\ rcscctivcIy, though frcqucntIy in thc
L.S. and usuaIIy in southcrn EngIand \'wI\ is uscd for
both. Somc Iinguists considcr \hw\ to bc a singIc sound, a
voiccIcss \w\ (IPA [{]).
\ i \
as in ti, banish, activc (IPA []).
Somc scakcrs ronouncc \c\ and \i\ idcnticaI-
Iy bcforc \I\, with thc rcsuIt that word airs Iikc heel and
hill arc homohoncs. Thc sound ronounccd in such cascs
may bc cithcr \c\ or \i\ as ronounccd by thosc who distin-
guish thc two.
Whcn it rcccdcs \\, \i\ is oftcn foIIowcd by a \y\
sound. Thc rcsuIting sound oftcn grcatIy rcscmbIcs \c\.
\ ir \
as in near, deer, mere, ier, souvcnir (IPA [iV,
V]). Thc initiaI cIcmcnt of this dihthong may
vary from \c to \i\. Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII
ronouncc \ir\ without any r-coIor on thc sccond cIcmcnt
(IPA [i, ]) whcn it rcccdcs a consonant or ausc, but
wiII usuaIIy inscrt an \r\ aftcr \ir\ whcn it rcccdcs a vow-
cI. (Scc thc scction on \r\.)
\ \
as in sitc, sidc, buy, tric (IPA [a, ai, ", "i]). Ac-
tuaIIy, this sound is a dihthong, usuaIIy com-
oscd of \\ + \i\. In Southcrn sccch, cscciaIIy bcforc a
ausc or voiccd consonant, as in shy and five, thc sccond
cIcmcnt \i\ may not bc ronounccd (IPA [aI]). ChicfIy in
castcrn Virginia, coastaI South CaroIina, and arts of Can-
ada thc dihthong is aroximatcIy \'\ + \i\ bcforc voicc-
Icss consonants, as in nice and write (IPA [$]).
Many varictics of EngIish do not aIIow \\ to bc foIIowcd
by \I\ in thc samc syIIabIc. Scakcrs of such varictics wiII
inscrt a foIIowing \\ which crcatcs a ncw syIIabIc. This is
indicatcd by thc transcrition \(-)I\. For such scakcrs,
file wiII rhymc with denial. AIso, many varictics of EngIish
do not aIIow \\ to bc foIIowcd by \r\ in thc samc syIIabIc.
Scakcrs of such varictics wiII transform thc foIIowing \r\
into \r\, thus crcating a ncw syIIabIc. This is indicatcd by
thc transcrition \(-)r\. For such scakcrs, fire wiII
rhymc with higher.
\ } \
as in job, gcm, cdgc, join, judgc. ActuaIIy, this
sound is \d\ + \zh\ (IPA [&]). Assuming thc angIi-
cization of Jeanne dArc as \zhn-'drk\, thc distinction bc-
twccn thc scntcnccs They betray John Dark and They be-
trayed Jeanne dArc is maintaincd by a diffcrcncc in thc
syIIabication of thc \d\ and thc \zh\ in cach casc and thc
conscqucnt usc of diffcrcnt varictics (or allophones) of \d\.
\ k \ as in kin, cook, ache (IPA [k]).
\ k \
as in Gcrman ich I," Buch book," and onc ro-
nunciation of EngIish Ioch. ActuaIIy, thcrc arc
two distinct sounds in Gcrman; thc \j\ in ich (IPA []) is
ronounccd toward thc front of thc mouth and thc \j\ in
Buch is ronounccd toward thc back (IPA [x]). In EngIish,
howcvcr, no two words othcrwisc idcnticaI arc distin-
guishcd by thcsc two varictics of \j\, and thcrcforc onIy a
singIc symboI is ncccssary.
\ I \
as in lily, ool (IPA [I, 4]). In words such as battle
and fiddle thc \I\ is a syIIabic consonant (IPA [6]).
(Scc thc scction on \\ abovc.)
\m\
as in murmur, dim, nymh (IPA [m]). In ronun-
ciation variants of somc words, such as open and
happen, \m\ is a syIIabic consonant (IPA [7]). (Scc thc scc-
tion on \\ abovc.)
\ n\
as in no, own (IPA [n]). In words such as cotton
and sudden, thc \n\ is a syIIabic consonant (IPA
[8]). (Scc thc scction on \\ abovc.)
\ " \
indicatcs that a rcccding vowcI or dihthong is
ronounccd with thc nasaI assagcs ocn, as in
Frcnch un bon vin blanc \o"-bo"-va"-bI"\ a good whitc
winc."
\ \
as in sing \'si\, singcr \'si-r\, fingcr \'fi-gr\,
ink \'ik\ (IPA []). In somc rarc contcxts \\
may bc a syIIabic consonant (IPA [9]). (Scc thc scction on
\\ abovc.)
\ o \
as in bonc, know, beau (IPA [o, oC, ou]). Esc-
ciaIIy in ositions of cmhasis, such as whcn it
occurs at thc cnd of a word or has rimary strcss, \o\ tcnds
to bccomc dihthongaI, moving from \o\ toward a sccond
cIcmcnt \u\. In southcrn EngIand and in somc L.S. sccch,
articuIarIy in thc PhiIadcIhia arca and in thc
PcnnsyIvania-Ohio-Wcst Virginia bordcr arca, thc first cIc-
mcnt is oftcn aroximatcIy \\. In coastaI South CaroIina,
Gcorgia, and FIorida strcsscd \o\ is oftcn monohthongaI
whcn finaI, but whcn a consonant foIIows it is oftcn a
dihthong moving from \o\ to \\. In this book thc symboI
\o\ rcrcscnts aII of thc abovc variants. As an unstrcsscd
vowcI bcforc anothcr vowcI, \o\ is oftcn ronounccd as a
schwa with sIight Ii rounding that is scaratcd from thc
foIIowing vowcI by thc gIidc \w\, as in following \f-I-
wi\. This rcduccd variant is not usuaIIy shown at individ-
uaI cntrics.
\ o \
as in saw, aII, gnaw, caught (IPA [<]). (Scc thc
scction on \\.)
Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII usuaIIy inscrt an \r\
aftcr \o\ whcn \o\ rcccdcs anothcr vowcI. (Scc thc scc-
tion on \r\.)
\ o\
as in Frcnch boeuf bccf," Gcrman HIIc hcII"
(IPA [o]). This vowcI, which occurs onIy in
forcign-dcrivcd tcrms and namcs, can bc aroximatcd by
attcmting to ronouncc thc vowcI \c\ with thc Iis mod-
cratcIy roundcd as for thc vowcI \u\. This vowcI is oftcn
angIicizcd as thc \r\ of bird by thosc who do not dro
thcir r`s" or as thc corrcsonding vowcI of bird uscd by
thosc who do (scc thc scction on \r\).
This symboI is aIso uscd to rcrcscnt thc vowcI in
Frcnch feu firc," Gcrman HhIc hoIc" (IPA [o]). This
vowcI, which occurs rimariIy in forcign-dcrivcd tcrms
and namcs, can bc aroximatcd by attcmting to ro-
nouncc a monohthongaI vowcI \\ with thc Iis fuIIy
roundcd as for thc vowcI \\. This vowcI aIso occurs in
Scots and thus is uscd in thc ronunciation of guidwillie,
mainIy rcstrictcd to ScotIand.
\ o \
as in coin, dcstroy (IPA [<, <i, o, oi]). In somc
Southcrn sccch, cscciaIIy bcforc a consonant
in thc samc word, thc sccond cIcmcnt may disacar or bc
rcIaccd by \\. Somc uttcranccs of drawing and sawing
havc a scqucncc of vowcI sounds idcnticaI to that in coin,
but bccausc drawing and sawing arc anaIyzcd by many as
two-syIIabIc words thcy arc transcribcd with a arcnthc-
sizcd hyhcn: \'dro(-)i\, \'so(-)i\.
Many varictics of EngIish do not aIIow \oi\ to bc foI-
Iowcd by \I\ in thc samc syIIabIc. Scakcrs of such varic-
tics wiII inscrt a foIIowing \\ which crcatcs a ncw syIIabIc.
This is indicatcd by thc transcrition \oi(-)I\. For such
scakcrs, oil wiII rhymc with loyal.
\ o r\
as in boar, ort, door, shore (IPA [oV, <V]). Thc
initiaI cIcmcnt of this dihthong may vary
from \o\ to \o\. Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII usuaI-
Iy ronouncc \or\ thc samc as \o\. (Scc thc scction on \r\.)
HistoricaIIy, thcrc has bccn a contrast bctwccn thc vowcI
in words Iikc ore, bore, porch, sport, and hoarse on onc
hand and thc vowcI in words Iikc or, for, torch, short, and
horse on thc othcr hand. Thc vowcI in thc formcr sct of
words has bccn much Iikc \o\, and thc vowcI in thc Iattcr
sct Iikc \o\. Howcvcr, thc numbcr of scakcrs that makc
such a distinction is currcntIy vcry smaII, and wc havc not
rcrcscntcd thc distinction in this dictionary.
\ \ as in pcppcr, Iip (IPA []).
\ r \
as in rcd, rarity. What is transcribcd hcrc as \r\
in rcaIity rcrcscnts scvcraI distinct sounds. Bc-
forc a strcsscd vowcI \r\ dcnotcs a continuant roduccd
with thc tonguc ti sIightIy bchind thc tccthridgc (IPA [>]).
This sound is usuaIIy voiccIcss whcn it foIIows a voiccIcss
sto, as in pray, tree, and cram.
In Rcccivcd Pronunciation \r\ is somctimcs ronounccd
as a fIa (IPA [=]) in thc samc contcxts in which \t\ and \d\
occur as fIas in Amcrican EngIish. (Scc thc scction on \t\
bcIow.) OccasionaIIy thc fIa may bc hcard aftcr conso-
nants, as in bright and grow. In othcr diaIccts of British En-
gIish, articuIarIy Scots, \r\ may bc ronounccd as an aIvc-
oIar triII (IPA [r]) or as a uvuIar triII (IPA []).
In somc diaIccts, cscciaIIy thosc of thc southcastcrn
L.S., castcrn Ncw EngIand, Ncw York City, and southcrn
EngIand, \r\ is not ronounccd or is ronounccd as \\ af-
tcr a vowcI in thc samc syIIabIc. Such diaIccts arc oftcn rc-
fcrrcd to as r-droing diaIccts. This tcrm is somcwhat
misIcading, sincc scakcrs of such diaIccts wiII oftcn ro-
nouncc an \r\ in ccrtain situations whcrc scakcrs of non-
r-droing diaIccts wiII not havc an \r\. This mattcr is dis-
cusscd in somc of thc othcr scctions of this Guidc.
\ s \ as in source, Icss (IPA [s]).
\ sh\
as in shy, mission, machinc, scciaI (IPA [@]).
ActuaIIy, this is a singIc sound, not two. Whcn
thc two sounds \s\ and \h\ occur in scqucncc, thcy arc sc-
aratcd by a hyhcn in this book, as in grasshopper \'gras-
,h-r\.
\ t \
as in tic, attack, Iate, Iatcr, Iattcr (IPA [t]). In
somc contcxts, as whcn a strcsscd or unstrcsscd
vowcI rcccdcs and an unstrcsscd vowcI or \I\ foIIows, thc
sound rcrcscntcd by t or tt is ronounccd in most Amcri-
can sccch as a voiccd fIa roduccd by thc tonguc ti
taing thc tccthridgc (IPA [=]). In simiIar contcxts thc
sound rcrcscntcd by d or dd has thc samc ronunciation.
Thus, thc airs ladder and latter, leader and liter, parody
and parity arc oftcn homohoncs. At thc cnd of a syIIabIc
\t\ oftcn has an incomIctc articuIation with no rcIcasc, or
it is accomanicd or rcIaccd by a gIottaI cIosurc. Whcn
\t\ occurs bcforc thc syIIabic consonant \n\ as in button
\'b-tn\, thc gIottaI aIIohonc is oftcn hcard. This may rc-
fIcct a syIIabication of \t\ with thc rcccding strcsscd syIIa-
bIc (i.c., \'bt-n\).
Many scakcrs ronouncc \t\ Iikc \ch\ whcn it occurs
bcforc \r\ in thc samc syIIabIc.
\ th\
as in thin, cthcr (IPA [B]). ActuaIIy, this is a sin-
gIc sound, not two. Whcn thc two sounds \t\
and \h\ occur in scqucncc thcy arc scaratcd by a hyhcn
in this book, as in knighthood \'nt-,hud\. In somc diaIccts
of Amcrican EngIish, \th\ is rcguIarIy rcIaccd by \f\.
\ g\
as in thcn, cithcr, this (IPA []). ActuaIIy, this is
a singIc sound, not two. Thc diffcrcncc bctwccn
\th\ and \g\ is that thc formcr is ronounccd without and
thc Iattcr with vibration of thc vocaI cords.
\ u \
as in ruIc, youth, union \'yn-yn\, fcw \'fy\
(IPA [u]). As an unstrcsscd vowcI bcforc anothcr
vowcI, \\ is oftcn ronounccd as a schwa with sIight Ii
rounding that is scaratcd from thc foIIowing vowcI by thc
gIidc \w\, as in valuing \'vaI-y-wi\. This rcduccd variant
is not usuaIIy shown at individuaI cntrics. Youngcr scak-
crs of Amcrican EngIish oftcn usc a morc ccntraIizcd and
Icss roundcd ronunciation of \\ in ccrtain words (as
news and musician), both in strcsscd and cscciaIIy in un-
strcsscd syIIabIcs.
Somc scakcrs ronouncc \\ and \u\ idcnticaIIy bcforc
\I\, with thc rcsuIt that word airs Iikc pool and pull arc
homohoncs. Thc sound ronounccd in such cascs may bc
cithcr \\ or \u\ as ronounccd by thosc who distinguish
thc two.
\ u \
as in uII, wood, book (IPA [C]). Somc scakcrs
ronouncc \\ and \u\ idcnticaIIy bcforc \I\,
with thc rcsuIt that word airs Iikc pool and pull arc homo-
honcs. Thc sound ronounccd in such cascs may bc ci-
thcr \\ or \u\ as ronounccd by thosc who distinguish thc
two.
\u\
as in Gcrman fIIcn to fiII," hbsch hand-
somc" (IPA [E]). This vowcI, which occurs onIy
in forcign-dcrivcd tcrms and namcs, can bc aroximatcd
by attcmting to ronouncc thc vowcI \i\ with thc Iis
modcratcIy roundcd as for thc vowcI \u\.
This symboI is aIso uscd to rcrcscnt thc vowcI in
Frcnch rue strcct," Gcrman fhIcn to fccI" (IPA [y]).
This vowcI, which occurs onIy in forcign-dcrivcd tcrms
and namcs, can bc aroximatcd by attcmting to ro-
nouncc thc vowcI \c\ with thc Iis fuIIy roundcd as for thc
vowcI \\.
\ ur\
as in oor, tour, insure (IPA [uV, CV]). Thc ini-
tiaI cIcmcnt of this dihthong may vary from
\u\ to \\. Scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts wiII ronouncc
\ur\ without any r-coIor on thc sccond cIcmcnt (IPA [u,
C]) whcn it rcccdcs a consonant or ausc, but wiII usuaI-
Iy inscrt an \r\ aftcr \ur\ whcn it rcccdcs a vowcI. (Scc thc
scction on \r\.) Many scakcrs do not havc thc diththong
\ur\ and havc mcrgcd it with cithcr \r\ (whcn it foIIows
aIataI consonants such as \sh\, \ch\, or \y\ in words Iikc
sure, mature, or obscure) or \or\ (in othcr cnvironmcnts).
SimiIarIy, many scakcrs of r-droing diaIccts havc
mcrgcd \ur\ with \r\ and \o\ in thc samc rcscctivc cnvi-
ronmcnts.
\ v \ as in vivid, invitc (IPA [v]).
\ w\ as in wc, away (IPA [w]).
\ y \
as in yard, young, cuc \'ky\, curabIc \'kyur--
bI\, fcw \'fy\, fury \'fyur-c\, union \'yn-yn\
(IPA [}]). Thc scqucnccs \Iy\, \sy\, and \zy\ in thc samc
syIIabIc, as in lewd, suit, and presume, arc common in
southcrn British sccch but arc rarc in Amcrican sccch
and onIy \I\, \s\, and \z\ arc shown in this dictionary.
A scqucncc of \h\ and \y\ as in hue and huge is ro-
nounccd by somc scakcrs as a \j\ articuIatcd toward thc
front of thc mouth (IPA []).
\
y
\
indicatcs that during thc articuIation of thc rc-
ccding consonant thc tonguc has substantiaIIy
thc osition it has for thc articuIation of thc \y\ of yard, as
in Frcnch digne \dcn"\ worthy." Thus \"\ docs not itscIf
rcrcscnt a sound but rathcr modifics thc rcccding sym-
boI.
\ z \ as in zonc, raise (IPA [z]).
\ zh\
as in vision, azurc \'a-zhr\ (IPA [F]). ActuaIIy,
this is a singIc sound, not two. Whcn thc two
sounds \z\ and \h\ occur in scqucncc, thcy arc scaratcd
by a hyhcn in this book, as in hogshead \'hogz-,hcd,
'hgz-\.
Pronunciation SymboIs
For morc information scc thc Guidc to Pronunciation.
.... banana, coIIidc, abut
', , .... humdrum, abut
.... immcdiatcIy rcccding \I\, \n\, \m\, \\, as
in battle, mitten, caten, and somctimcs oen
\'o-m\, Iock and kcy \--\; immcdiatcIy
foIIowing \I\, \m\, \r\, as oftcn in Frcnch ta-
ble, risme, titre
r .... further, merger, bird
'r-
}
'-r
.... as in two diffcrcnt ronunciations of hurry
\'hr-c, 'h-rc\
a .... mat, ma, mad, gag, sna, atch
.... day, fadc, datc, aorta, drac, cac
.... bothcr, cot
r .... car, heart, bazaar, bizarre
au .... now, Ioud, out
b .... baby, rib
ch .... chin, naturc \'n-chr\
d .... did, addcr
c .... bet, bed, eck
cr .... bare, fair, wear, miIIionaire
'c, ,c .... beat, noscbIeed, evcnIy, easy
c .... casy, mcaIy
f .... fifty, cuff
g .... go, big, gift
h .... hat, ahcad
hw .... whaIc as ronounccd by thosc who do not
havc thc samc ronunciation for both whale
and wail
i .... ti, banish, activc
ir .... near, deer, mere, ier
.... sitc, sidc, buy, tric
} .... job, gcm, cdge, join, judge
k .... kin, cook, ache
j .... Gcrman ich, Buch; onc ronunciation of
Ioch
I .... lily, ool
m .... murmur, dim, nymh
n .... no, own
" .... indicatcs that a rcccding vowcI or dih-
thong is ronounccd with thc nasaI assagcs
ocn, as in Frcnch un bon vin blanc \o"-bo"-
va"-bI"\
.... sing \'si\, singcr \'si-r\, fingcr \'fi-gr\,
ink \'ik\
o .... bonc, know, beau
o .... saw, aII, gnaw, caught
o .... Frcnch boeuf, feu, Gcrman HIIc, HhIc
oi .... coin, dcstroy
or .... boar, ort, door, shore
.... pcppcr, Iip
r .... rcd, rarity
s .... source, Icss
sh .... as in shy, mission, machinc, scciaI (actuaI-
Iy, this is a singIc sound, not two); with a hy-
hcn bctwccn, two sounds as in grasshopper
\'gras-,h-r\
t .... tic, attack, Iate, Iatcr, Iattcr
th .... as in thin, cthcr (actuaIIy, this is a singIc
sound, not two); with a hyhcn bctwccn,
two sounds as in knighthood \'nt-,hud\
g .... thcn, cithcr, this (actuaIIy, this is a singIc
sound, not two)
.... ruIc, youth, union \'yn-yn\, fcw \'fy\
u .... uII, wood, book
u .... Gcrman fIIcn, hbsch, fhIcn, Frcnch rue
ur .... boor, tour, insure
v .... vivid, give
w .... wc, away
y .... yard, young, cuc \'ky\, mutc \'myt\,
union \'yn-yn\
" .... indicatcs that during thc articuIation of thc
sound rcrcscntcd by thc rcccding charac-
tcr, thc front of thc tonguc has substantiaIIy
thc osition it has for thc articuIation of thc
first sound of yard, as in Frcnch digne
\dcn"\
z .... zonc, raise
zh .... as in vision, azurc \'a-zhr\ (actuaIIy, this is
a singIc sound, not two); with hyhcn bc-
twccn, two sounds as in hogshead \'hogz-
,hcd, 'hgz-\
\ .... rcvcrscd virguIc uscd in airs to mark thc
bcginning and cnd of a transcrition: \'cn\
' .... mark rcccding a syIIabIc with rimary
(strongcst) strcss: \'cn-mn-,shi\
, .... mark rcccding a syIIabIc with sccondary
(mcdium) strcss: \'cn-mn-,shi\
- .... mark of syIIabIc division
( ) .... indicatc that what is symboIizcd bctwccn is
rcscnt in somc uttcranccs but not in oth-
crs: factory \'fak-t(-)rc\
.... indicatcs that many rcgard as unaccctabIc
thc ronunciation variant immcdiatcIy foI-
Iowing: nuclear \'n-kIc-r, 'ny-, -ky-Ir\