Vowel and Diphthong Pronunciation
All 20 British English vowel sounds – 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs – with a mouth tip for each and practice sentences you can listen to.
Alle 20 britischen Vokale und Diphthonge – mit Tipps und Übungssätzen zum Anhören.
- 12 monophthongs
- 8 diphthongs
- Listen buttons
- 19-word sorter
- 6-question quiz
1 Monophthong or Diphthong?
Monophthong
One vowel sound whose quality stays the same from start to finish. It can be short (sit) or long (see).
Diphthong
A glide from one vowel to another within one syllable: /aɪ/ in I, my, try – compare the steady /æ/ in man, sand.
2 The 12 Monophthongs
👄 Spread your lips (smile); tongue high and front.
- Can you see the bee?
- Do you have the key?
- Let’s meet by the tree.
👄 Relaxed and short – lips not spread, tongue a little lower than /iː/.
- The kid will sit with me.
- Big fish swim in the lake.
- He hit the ball.
👄 Mouth half open, tongue front.
- I’ll set the table.
- The hen laid two eggs.
- Where’s my red pen?
👄 Open your mouth wide; tongue low and front.
- The cat is on the mat.
- I saw a cat run after a rat.
- I just saw a bat.
👄 Open and back – like at the doctor’s: “aah”. No r.
- Have you met my father?
- Is she in the car?
- I’d like half, please.
👄 Short, relaxed, mouth half open; lips not rounded.
- Please cut it.
- The sun is hot today.
- He hugged his mum.
👄 Short, open, lips slightly rounded.
- It’s hot in the shop.
- Stop the clock!
👄 Lips rounded and pushed forward; long. No r.
- Please close the door.
- Will you clean the floor?
- Throw away the apple core.
👄 Short, lips loosely rounded.
- The book is very full.
- Please pull that string.
- Put the apples there.
👄 Lips tightly rounded; long.
- The sky is blue.
- Is this food for you?
- The museum is lovely.
👄 Lips and tongue relaxed in the middle; long. No r.
- The bird sang first.
- I work on Thursday.
👄 The schwa: short, weak, completely relaxed – the most common English vowel.
- A cup of tea.
- It’s about a banana.
3 The 8 Diphthongs
Five closing diphthongs glide towards /ɪ/ or /ʊ/; three centring diphthongs glide towards schwa /ə/ – they exist because British English drops the r in here, care, pure.
- Wait for the train.
- Let’s play today.
- I like my bike.
- Five nice nights.
- The boy enjoys the noise.
- Join us!
- How now, brown cow?
- Let’s go out of town.
👄 Start with a schwa, not a pure o. (American: /oʊ/.)
- Do you know?
- How the wind blows!
- We’re going home.
👄 No r at the end.
- I can hear the music.
- Is that clear?
- I fear it is near.
👄 Many younger speakers make this a long /ɛː/.
- I care for the puppy.
- I’ll share my winnings.
- We went to the fair.
👄 Rare – many speakers say /ɔː/: sure /ʃɔː/.
- It’s pure cream.
- Are you sure?
- We went on a tour.
More: Closing Diphthongs · Centring Diphthongs · Diphthong Minimal Pairs.
4 Vowel Sorter
Say each word and choose its vowel sound.
5 Quiz
Learn the sounds, not the spelling – listen, copy, and check your mouth in a mirror.
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