English Transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. The concept of transcription is quite difficult for Russian speakers to understand, because In our language, although such a category exists, it is used extremely rarely.

Why is transcription needed?

The phonetics of the English language has a noticeable feature: historically, words are often read differently from how they are written, that is, from the spelling of a word it is not always possible to guess how it is pronounced. Of course, there are general ones, but there are still plenty of exceptions. For example, there are a large number of words that have either unreadable or readable letters depending on the environment. And the rules themselves are difficult for schoolchildren to remember. Therefore, in almost any dictionary, after writing an English word in square brackets, its reading in transcription symbols is given.

Often, schoolchildren and students encounter transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even fairly simple words. Then, as you study the transcription signs, it becomes easier and easier to perceive the contents of the square brackets.

How are transcription signs read?

In the English pronunciation system there are 48 sounds, therefore, there are 48 transcription signs. Let's look at their pronunciation depending on the letters of the English alphabet denoting them.

Use to consolidate your knowledge of transcription.

You can practice your pronunciation with this video:

Is it possible to write English words in Russian letters?

Sometimes on websites or even in books you can see “English transcription in Russian” or “pronunciation of English words in Russian letters” - that is, writing English words in Russian letters. The point is that schoolchildren are encouraged not to learn sophisticated icons, because... You can convey sounds in Russian letters. I think this approach is extremely dead-end. The phonetics of the Russian language differs from the English phonetics so much that the sound can only be conveyed very, very approximately. We simply do not have some sounds of English speech, as well as vice versa.

Hello dear friends! If you have just started learning English, then the first thing you need to do is learn to read.

This can be done easily and quickly, since the English language has certain reading rules. First, let's get acquainted with to find out how English letters are read.

English letters are accompanied by English transcription so that you can easily learn to read English letters on your own. Why do you need to know the English alphabet?

First of all, while you are learning English and don't know many English words yet, your interlocutors will often spell words you don't know, helping you understand the word. You will do the same when the interlocutor does not understand you or is not familiar with the word you said.

Rules for reading English words depending on the type of syllable

Why is “Liverpool spelled, but Manchester pronounced” or how to read the word correctly in English?

First, let's learn the 4 main types of vowel reading E, A, Y, U, O, I in stressed syllables in English

Syllable type I is an open syllable; it ends in a vowel. For example: make, note.
Type II syllable is a closed syllable; it ends with a consonant. For example: cat, system.
Type III - a syllable where the stressed vowel is followed by the letter “r”. For example: girl, turn.
Type IV is a syllable where the stressed vowel is followed by “re”. For example: cure, fire.

Check your pronunciation of English vowels

Let's reinforce reading vowels with the following exercise:

I syllable type- open syllable

Note, lone, mice, rice, type, tune, shy, lay, say, he, hay, name, same, nine, nice, game, came, make, Kate, Pete, five, tie, life, eve, me, size, no, cope, smoke, rose, nose, spine, sly, cry, vine, maze, home, tube, made, fume, cube, pace, lace, sky, hale, spine.

II syllable type– closed syllable (a syllable ending in a consonant is considered closed). This is the second row in the table. Pay attention to the words rat, hot, red, bit, myth, run, which do not have a silent vowel at the end. These words sound like "rat, hot, ed, beat, miss, ran."

Cap, pen, bed, ten, not, spot, lot, bad, rat, sit, send, test, pit, in, send, spell, tin, less, ban, mad, fat, Sam, land, did, fit, sat, pet, tin, slip, sad, glad, bag, jam, gap, lag, can, kin, Jim, Jack, yes, ink, cup, run, cod, spin, not, doll, hop, hot, bank, rank, spin, up, us, bus, bun, cut, fun, vet, well, but, nut.

III syllable type– vowel + letter “r”, which affects the sound of the vowel at the root of the word, giving it some prolongation. So the words car, sort, term, fir, Byrd, fur sound like “ka: so:t, te:m, fe: be:d, fe:”.

stern , Far, curt, hard, hart, car, card, cart, fork, cork, work, sort, term, first, Byrd, furs, curl, her, curb, turn, girl, sir, burn, turn, word, born, torn, bird, form, serf, herb.

IV syllable type– vowel + letter “r” + vowel. The letter “r” is also unreadable in this case; all three vowels together sound like this: care, store, mere, tire, cure - “kea, hundred:, mie, taie, kue.”

Fare, here, pure, rare, cure, during, mare, fire, bare, mire, stare, tire, sere, mere, store, core, more, care.

Check the pronunciation of English diphthongs

Click on the image to listen!

Pronunciation of English consonants

Click on the image to listen!

Check the pronunciation of English consonants

Click on the image to listen!

Like and learn with our tips!

1. Write down words that you have problems with in a notebook. Underline the part of the word that is most difficult for you.
2. Use a dictionary, not a spell checker! Unfortunately, you can't always trust her.
3. Learn words with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes, for example: biography - auto biography, child - child hood and so on.
4. Learn the rules, but don't rely on them. We have already said: every rule has its exception.

“i” is written before “e” (exception - after “c”)

One of the first reading rules taught in English classes. The rule works for words that have a long “ee”, as in shield(shield).

Examples: piece (part), niece (niece), priest (priest), thief (thief).

But after “c”: conceive (comprehend, plan), receive (receive), receipt (receipt; not to be confused with recipe).

For words in which the sound “a” or “i” is pronounced, the opposite is true:

“a”: eight (eight), neighbor (neighbor), reign (reign), weight (weight)

“i”: either, height, feisty, sleight

Exceptions: seize (grab), weird (strange), conscience (conscience, consciousness), efficient (effective), etc.

English reading lessons from scratch

", transcription is used by everyone, sometimes even unconsciously. First, let's refresh our memory, what does the phrase “English transcription” mean?

English Transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. Often, students encounter transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even fairly simple words, and then they simply do not pay attention to it. However, this will not be the case forever.

As soon as a student begins to skillfully use complex grammatical structures and develops a good vocabulary for free communication, then the desire immediately appears to speak beautifully, like a native speaker, that is, to improve his pronunciation of English words. This is where we remember the good old transcription.

In order not to have to remember the well-forgotten old things, we suggest returning to the repetition from time to time. Of course, ideally, the transcription should be completed together with the teacher, because writing cannot convey all the subtleties of pronunciation, but if you are reading this article now, the foundation for beautiful pronunciation and correct reading has already been laid, and you will definitely achieve your desired goal.

Transcription of vowel sounds

There are two types of vowel sounds - single sounds and diphthongs.

[ ʌ ] - [a] - short;
[a:]- [a] - deep;
[i]- [and] - short;
[i:]- [and] - long;
[o]- [o] - short;
[o:]- [o] - deep;
[u]- [y] - short;
[u:]- [y] - long;
[e]- as in the word “plaid”;
[ ɜ: ] - as in the word “honey”.

English diphthongs

A diphthong is a sound that consists of two sounds. Most often, a diphthong can be divided into two sounds, however, this cannot be conveyed in writing. Often diphthongs are indicated not by a combination of several characters, but by their own sign.

[əu]- [ OU ];
[au]- [au];
[ei]- [ Hey ];
[oi]- [ Ouch ];
[ai]- [ouch].

Rules for pronunciation of vowels in English

• Sound " a"has four varieties:
  [ ʌ ] - short sound, as in the words “duck”, “cut”;
  [ æ ] - soft sound. There is no analogue to it in the Russian language. It is read as in the word “cat”;
  [a:]- a long sound that is read as in the word “car”;
  [ ɔ ] - a short sound that sounds similar to both “o” and “a”. In British pronunciation, it is more of an "o", as in "hot" or "not".

• Sound " e" can be read in three ways:
  [e]- for example, as in the word “let”;
  [ ə: ] - this sound is a little reminiscent of the Russian letter “ё”, only it is read a little softer. For example, "bird", "fur";
  [ ə ] - one of the most common sounds in English transcription. In sound, this sound is similar to the Russian sound “e”. It occurs only in unstressed syllables and can be practically inaudible or indistinguishable, for example, ["letə", "letter" - letter.

• Sound " i"can be long or short:
  [I]- a short sound, for example, as in the word “film”;
  [i:]- a long sound, for example, as in “sheep”.

• Sound " O"also has 2 options - long and short:
  [ ɔ ] - short sound, as in the word “bond”;
  [ ɔ: ] - a long sound, as in the word “more”.

• Sound " u" can also be pronounced in two ways. It can be long or short:
  [u]- short sound, as in the word “put”;
  [u:]- long sound, as in the word “blue”.

Transcription of consonants

In the transcription of consonant sounds, everything is quite simple. Basically they sound similar to Russian. It is enough to take a thoughtful look at the above-mentioned letter combinations a couple of times, and they will remain in your memory.

Consonants
[b]- [b];
[d]- [d];
[f]- [f];
[ 3 ] - [ and ];
[dʒ]- [j];
[g]- [ G ];
[h]- [ X ];
[k]- [ To ];
[l]- [l];
[m]- [m];
[n]- [n];
[p]- [ P ];
[s]- [ With ];
[t]- [ T ];
[v]- [ V ];
[z]- [z];
[t∫]- [h];
[ ∫ ] - [w];
[r]- soft [r], as in the word Russian;
[ O ]- a sign of softness as in the Russian letter “ё” (Christmas tree).

English consonants that are not in Russian and their pronunciation:
[ θ ] - soft letter “c”, the tongue is located between the front teeth of the upper and lower jaws;
[ æ ] - like “e”, only more sharply;
[ ð ] - like “θ”, only with the addition of a voice, like a soft letter “z”;
[ ŋ ] - nasal, in the French manner, sound [n];
[ ə ] - neutral sound;
[w]-like “v” and “u” together, soft pronunciation.

Features of English transcription

In order to make it easier to navigate reading words, it is important to know the main features of transcription:

• Feature 1. Transcription is always formatted in square brackets
• Feature 2. In order not to get confused about where to place the stress in a word, it is worth considering that it is always placed before the stressed syllable. ["neim] - transcription of the word name.
• Feature 3. It is important to understand that transcription is not the English letters and sounds that make up a word. Transcription is the sound of words.
• Feature 4. In English, transcription consists of vowel sounds, diphthongs and consonants.
• Feature 5. In order to show that the sound is long, a colon is used in transcription.

Of course, knowing only character sets, it is quite difficult to read everything correctly, because there are many exceptions. In order to read correctly, you need to understand that there are closed and open syllables. Open syllable ends with a vowel (game, sunshine), closed- on a consonant (ball, dog). Some sounds in English can be pronounced differently depending on the type of syllable.

Conclusion

It is worth remembering that in any business the main thing is practice (by the way, you can start practicing English remotely right now). Transcribing sounds in English will be easy for you if you work hard at it. Reading the rules once is not enough. It is important to return to them, work through them and repeat them regularly until they are practiced to the point of automaticity. Ultimately, the transcription will allow you to correctly pronounce sounds in English.

Dictionaries will help you memorize English with transcription and correct pronunciation of English letters and words. You can use both English online dictionaries and good old printed publications. The main thing is not to give up!

Inspiration to you and success in your studies. May the knowledge be with you!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

The English language is known for frequent variations in the spelling and pronunciation of words. Therefore, it is sometimes very difficult for beginners to figure out how to correctly pronounce this or that expression from the text. Today’s material will provide some support for beginners in this matter. Here we have collected basic English vocabulary with transcription and Russian translation, and also described the pronunciation of English words in Russian letters. This way, you will not get confused in transcription signs and reading rules, but will easily understand what the correct pronunciation sounds like.

Before moving on to studying vocabulary, I would like to note several important points.

The phonetic system of the English language has 48 sounds. And this is with only 26 letters! Letter combinations play a huge role here, thanks to which a new sound is formed. Reading rules given in the adjacent material tell in detail about this phenomenon. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with them, because... pronunciation in Russian is only an auxiliary element that does not convey all the subtleties of the British accent.

In addition, to correctly express sounds in English, it is necessary to develop appropriate articulation. An article about the features and rules of pronunciation of English words will tell you how to do this. We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with this material. Since Russian transcription will certainly make it easier for children and beginners to understand words, but will contribute little to the production of purely English “speaking”.

Thus, of course, it is convenient to have a hint with pronunciation in Russian, but you cannot use it all the time. Try to gradually master transcription rules and try to pronounce new words yourself, and use the Russian version solely for reference purposes. With this instruction in mind, let's move on to our list and find out how to pronounce popular English words.

Pronunciation of English words in Russian letters - phrasebook

The given expressions will help you write a short English text about yourself, maintain a light conversation when meeting for the first time, and understand the meaning of most standard phrases. In addition, you will not have to constantly need a translator, because knowing the correct pronunciation of words, you will be able to independently perceive and translate expressions spoken by foreigners.

Acquaintance

Appeals and questions

Other English topics: How to improve your English pronunciation? Tips that really help

Conversation and mutual understanding

Designations

Important verbs

Frequently used adjectives

Popular adverbs

This set of phrases will be enough for you to master your first communication skills with foreigners. But, finally, I would like to remind you once again that the pronunciation of English words written in Russian letters does not convey the peculiarities of English phonetics! Therefore, as soon as you get a little used to English speech, take up the rules of reading and English articulation. Only they can give you a truly British pronunciation.

Even if you have just started learning English, you probably already know that a word is not always pronounced as it is written. But it is the correct pronunciation (pronunciation) that will bring you as close as possible to the advanced level and will help you not only communicate freely, but also easily understand people with different accents.

For those who do not remember by heart all the rules of reading in English, there is an excellent alternative - transcription. However, not everyone can correctly decipher this mysterious, at first glance, set of symbols. In fact, everything is quite easy, and today we will prove it.

In this article we will figure out how to read transcription in English correctly and why you need to learn reading English transcription at all.

Sounds in English

Let's start with the fact that despite the fact thatThere are only 26 letters, there are many more sounds - 44. Some of them are difficult for foreigners due to the peculiarities of the speech apparatus, and simply because they are not used to it. Sometimes more active articulation and long practice are required to pronounce complex sounds without errors.

Each of the sounds in English has its own graphic expression and designation in phonetic transcription. Without it, it is not always possible to understand exactly how a word is pronounced: whether a syllable is closed or open, how long a vowel lasts, and which consonants are not pronounced. Therefore, reading transcriptions in English is a skill that needs to be developed in parallel with learning words.

An open syllable is one that ends with a vowel (take, nose, cute), and a closed syllable, the most common in English, ends with one or more consonants, and the vowel sound in it will be read briefly (hat, red, pin).

In addition to these two main options, there are many pronunciation rules, such as when a vowel is followed by the letter r or the syllables re and le.

Vowels, in turn, are divided into: single vowels, diphthongs (a combination of two vowels) and triphthongs (a combination of three vowels). In transcription they are also designated differently.

The number of sounds in a word does not always coincide with the number of letters. So, an interesting example is the word daughter (daughter), the transcription of which looks like [ˈdɔ:tə ] and consists of four sounds.

One of the most difficult sounds for us is the combination th, which is indicated phonetically as [ð].

So, how is the English transcription read? Let's figure it out together.

Transcription

The first thing you need to know is that in writing, transcription is indicated by square brackets, as in the examples above. Second: the same word can have different transcriptions depending on the pronunciation (British or American).

There are two types of stress in English transcription: primary and secondary.

‘ is the main stress. It is placed before the stressed vowel wherever it is in the word.

This is secondary stress. It is placed before the vowel in long words where necessary.

There is also one important sign that will indicate the length of the vowel sound. It can be located either in the middle or at the end of a word:

: - vowel length

The signs in the transcription can repeat the English letters themselves, or they can be those very “squiggles” that so frighten beginners. Below we will give examples of sounds and phonetic signs with an approximate description of how they will sound, so that you can understand more clearly how to read the transcription in English.

These consonant sounds are similar to Russian ones and come to us more or less easily:

• [f] - f (vigorously, lightly bite the lower lip) - forest
• [v] - in (lightly bite your lower lip) - vocal
• [s] - s (muffled sound, press not the tip of the tongue, but a little more of it) - sofa
• [z] - z (similarly, press the tongue not with the tip, but with the “back”) - zone
• [h] - x (pronounce with a slight exhalation) - hall
• [p] - p (sharp exhalation with aspiration) - pen
• [b] - b (sharp exhalation with aspiration) - ball
• [d] - d (place the tip of the tongue slightly behind the front teeth, on the gum tubercles) - drink
• [k] - to (sharp exhalation with aspiration) - kite
• [g] - g (as in Russian, but not as energetic) - green
• [m] - m (as in Russian) - mother
• [n] - n (as in Russian) - note
• [l] - l (as in Russian, but a little softer) - let
• [r] - r (softer sound, the tip of the tongue on the tubercles of the gums) - rose
• [t] - t (softer, the tip of the tongue is not towards the teeth, but onto the gum tubercles above them) - tree
• [w] - in (lips folded into a tube and sharply unclenched) - what

Consonant sounds reminiscent of combinations of Russian letters:

• [ʃ] - sh (something between sh and sh, but not whistling) - ship
• [ʒ] - w (soft, almost zh, but not whistling) - pleasure
• - tch (soft combination, pronounced together) - catch
• - j (soft, almost j, pronounced as a single sound) - jump
• [j] - yi (something in between these letters) - yet

Consonant sounds that do not exist in Russian:

• [θ] - s (as if “blowing” on the tip of your tongue between your teeth) - thin
• [ð] - z (blow on the tip of your tongue between your teeth again, pronouncing the Russian letter “z”)
• [ŋ] - n (pronounced “on the nose”) - long

Vowel sounds similar to Russian:

• [ʌ] - a (short and sonorous) - sun
• [ɑː] - a (deep and long sound, as if showing your throat to a doctor) - car
• [i] - and (short sound, something between “and” and “s”) - fit
• - and (long sound and) - sea
• [u] - u (pronounced a little more relaxed) - cook
• - y (long light “y”) - true
• [e] - e (soft sound, something between “e” and “e”) - get
• [ə] - e (weak, something between “e” and “a”) - sister
• [ɔː] - o (long sound, as if you are surprised by something) - more
• [ɒ] - o (something between “o” and “a”) - hot

Vowel sounds that do not exist in Russian:

• [ɜː] - ео (as if you were preparing to say “е”, but say “о”) - her
• [æ] - ae (pronounce by relaxing the lower jaw and slightly stretching the lips) - cat

Diphthongs:

• - ai (with emphasis on “a” and at the end it is “and”, not “th”) - like
• - ay (short, with emphasis on “a”) - cow
• [ɪə] - е (with emphasis on “and”) - hear
• - eee (pronounced briefly, with emphasis on the “e”) - take
• - ea (with emphasis on “e”) - hair
• [əu] - оу (short, with an emphasis on “o”, and “у” practically does not sound) - go
• - ue (softly, with emphasis on “y”) - cure
• [ɔɪ] - oi (pronounced briefly, with emphasis on “o”) - boy

And finally, there are triple combinations of sounds:

• - aie (with emphasis on “a”, quickly and continuously) - fire
• - aue (with emphasis on “a”, quickly and continuously) - our

Tricky transcription and difficult words

Always check the transcription of words you don't understand. For example, it would seem that there could be something difficult in pronouncing such a simple preposition of? But at the end it is pronounced not “f”, but “v”, and its transcription looks like [ɔv].

But the word halt (stop) in the British version of the transcription will be , and in the American version it will be . In both cases, it is pronounced “o”, but not “a” in the German manner.

Often consonants are completely omitted during pronunciation. For example, in the word doubt the letter “b” is not pronounced, and the transcription in both versions looks like this: . Similarly, in the word comb (comb), there will be no “b” at the end, although the temptation to pronounce it is very great. His transcription is as follows: .

As for long vowels, they are not always pronounced as you think, regardless of the fact that the word has a double vowel. Good examples of such trick words are good [ɡʊd], book (book) and look (look).

Always pay attention to where the emphasis is in the transcription. Let's give an interesting example: the word valet (valet, servant). In the Russian manner, we want to pronounce it with the emphasis on “e”, but this is definitely not worth doing, because according to its English transcription [ˈvæleɪ], the emphasis is placed on the first vowel “a”.

Where do you put the emphasis in the word applicable? The correct answer is to the second syllable (vowel “and”), because its transcription looks like [əˈplɪkəbəl].

By the way, even native speakers themselves have problems with pronunciation. So, according to the study, the British have the hardest time learning words in which the letters m and n, t and s, and the combination th are next to each other.

One of the most popular The Daily Telegraphsurveyed people in the UK and revealed the 20 most difficult words to pronounce in English. It is interesting that one of these words is the “pronunciation” or pronunciation itself, which is not even easy to spell. We give examples of all twenty below with transcription:

1. Phenomenon - phenomenon
2. Anaesthetist [əˈniːsθətɪst] - anesthesiologist
3. Remuneration - reward
4. Statistics - statistics
5. Ethnicity - ethnicity
6. Philosophical [ˌfɪləˈsɒfɪkəl] - philosophical
7. Provocatively - defiantly
8. Anonymous [əˈnɒnɪməs] - anonymous
9. Thesaurus [θɪˈsɔːrəs] - thesaurus
10. Aluminum [ˌæljəˈmɪniəm] - aluminum
11. Regularly [ˈreɡjələli] - regularly
12. February [ˈfebruəri] - February
13. Particularly - in particular
14. Hereditary - hereditary
15. Prioritising - determining priorities
16. Pronunciation - pronunciation
17. Prejudice [ˈpredʒədɪs] - prejudice
18. Facilitate - to facilitate
19. Hospitable - hospitable
20. Onomatopoeia [ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə] - onomatopoeia, onomatopoeia

Typical pronunciation mistakes

If the British themselves have difficulty pronouncing sounds, then what about all those who are just starting to learn English? And what to hide, even those who have been studying and practicing the language for many years can pronounce sounds incorrectly or have problems with certain combinations of letters. This is quite normal, and the main thing here is regular practice and training.

Interestingly, people from different countries have different problems with English sounds. This is how a “typical accent” is formed, by which foreigners can easily determine where you come from. Even if you don't want to tell them this, they will understand what country you come from. Let's see what typical mistakes are found in the speech of Russians, so that we not only know how to read transcription in English, but also be able to do it like a native.

So, Russians most often:

• Muffles voiced consonants at the end of a word

If pronounced incorrectly, the word bed can easily become bat. Therefore, pronounce the sounds to the end and do not eat the endings.

• Pronounce short and long vowels the same way

If you don't pay attention to how long the vowel sound is pronounced, you can easily get a ship from a sheep.

• Pronounce [w] and [v] like the Russian sound “v”

The main problem is that in our language there is only one such sound, but in English it has several pronunciation options.

• They pronounce [r] like the Russian “r”

This English sound is not as sonorous and harsh as ours. Practice not to “croak” when pronouncing the word car.

• They pronounce [ŋ] like the Russian “n”

Learning to say this sound “in the nose” can be quite difficult, but as soon as you understand how to do it correctly, you will quickly get used to it and rebuild your speech apparatus.

• Pronounce [h] like the Russian “x”

In essence, this sound is a light exhalation, which should be almost inaudible, but we pronounce it clearly and clearly out of habit.

• They pronounce [p] like the Russian “p”

In English this sound is clearer and sharper. Say it as if you were blowing out a candle on a cake. The situation is similar with the sound [t].

We hope that this article was useful and now it will become much easier for you to pronounce English sounds, as well as read transcriptions! Great pronunciation to you!