E P Tips

English Pronunciation Tips

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  • Ear-training
    • Ear-training 1
    • Ear-training 2
    • Ear-training 3
    • Ear-training 4
    • Ear-training 5
    • Ear-training 6
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    • How to sound re-assuring
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  • Names
    • -bo(u)rne
    • -borough -burgh
    • -bury
    • -cester
    • -chester
    • -ese
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    • Fever and lever
    • Funny business
    • Gaol and margarine
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  • Sounds
  • Spelling to sound
    • <-se> Episode 1
    • <-se> Episode 2
    • <-se> Episode 3
    • <a> is not ʌ
    • <ai>
    • <al>
    • <au>
    • <bt>
    • <cc>
    • <ch> = k
    • <ch> = ʃ
    • <ea> = e
    • <eak>
    • <ear> = ɜː
    • <ease>
    • <ei> = eɪ
    • <eigh>
    • <eo>
    • <g> = ʒ
    • <gain>
    • <ge> and <gi>
    • <gn>
    • <i> = iː
    • <mb>
    • <ng>
    • <ng> again
    • <o> = uː
    • <on> = ʌn
    • <ood>
    • <ose>
    • <ost>
    • <ou> = uː
    • <ou> = ʌ
    • <ough>
    • <ound>
    • <oup>
    • <our> = ɜː
    • <ove> = ʌv
    • <ove> does not = ʌv
    • <qu> = k
    • <s> = ʒ
    • <ss>
    • <th> = t
    • <ui>
    • <w(h)a> and <qua(w)>
    • <wor> = wɜː
    • Initial <th> = ð
    • Silent <h>
    • Silent <s>
    • Silent <w>
  • Stress
    • -aire
    • -eer
    • -esque
    • -ette
    • -ic and -ical
    • -ity
    • -ocracy
    • -oo
    • -oon
    • -proof
    • -worthy
    • Abbreviations
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    • Roads and Streets
    • Stress variation
    • Stressful Christmas?
  • Symbols
  • Transcriptions
    • Transcription 1
  • Vowels
    • No schwa!
    • Vowel alternation: aɪ ~ ɪ
    • Vowel alternation: eɪ ~ æ
    • Vowel alternation: iː ~ e
    • Vowel alternation: əʊ ~ ɒ
    • ə elision in the first syllable
  • Word endings
    • -(m)ony = (m)əni
    • -(n)gue
    • -ac
    • -ade
    • -age = ɑːʒ
    • -ance
    • -ane
    • -ary and -ory
    • -ate
    • -chief
    • -cious
    • -eous
    • -et
    • -ex(e)
    • -ful(ly)
    • -gm
    • -i = aɪ
    • -ice
    • -ine
    • -ious
    • -ique
    • -ite = ɪt
    • -less
    • -ment
    • -mn
    • -ngle
    • -nomy & -tomy
    • -olic
    • -on
    • -oose
    • -oric(al)
    • -our
    • -our = aʊə
    • -path
    • -pathy
    • -re
    • -sis
    • -sten & -stle
    • -ture
    • -ward(s)
    • Non-silent <e>

Hello, sailor!

Many areas of endeavour, such as the law and medicine, tend to have their own specialised vocabulary and/or special ways of pronouncing some words. One area which is well-known for its idiosyncratic pronunciations is sailing. Here is some nautical terminology. These words may not be very useful to you in everyday life, but they are fun anyway.

athwart əˈθwɔːt
azimuth ˈæzɪməθ
boatswain (bosun) ˈbəʊsn
bowline ˈbəʊlɪn
bowsprit ˈbəʊsprɪt
bulwark ˈbʊlək
buoy bɔɪ
coxswain ˈkɒksn
forecastle (fo’c’s’le)ˈfəʊksl
foresail ˈfɔːsl
gunwale (gunnel)ˈɡʌnl
gybe (jibe) dʒaɪb
leeward ˈluːəd
north (nor’) east/west nɔːˈr iːst/ˈwest
plimsoll/plimsole ˈplɪmsə(ʊ)l
rowlock ˈrɒlək
starboard ˈstɑːbəd
topsail ˈtɒpsl
windward ˈwɪnəd


Thanks to Alex Rotatori and Petr Rösel for additions
2013_10_10
Updated 2014_09_01

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    Latest update: 2015_04_18
    Number of tips: 246
    Number of tips with sound: 42

    Latest changes:

    Updated and added sound to -ese

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