Pronunciation laboratory · no AI

Every sound.
Made visible.

Hear the sounds of four languages, see where they are formed and compare the distinctions your ear is learning to notice.

Open the chart
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All sounds
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Choose a chart

Select a symbol to hear its example word.

01 / Sound inventory

All sounds IPA chart

Vowels shape an open stream of air. Consonants interrupt or narrow it. Choose any card to inspect the sound.

V

Vowels

22 sounds

close front unrounded vowel

as in fleece

near-close front vowel

as in kit

close-mid front vowel

as in été

face diphthong

as in face

open-mid front vowel

as in dress

near-open front vowel

as in trap

open front vowel

as in patte

open back vowel

as in palm

open back rounded vowel

as in lot

open-mid back rounded vowel

as in thought

close-mid back rounded vowel

as in eau

goat diphthong

as in goat

near-close back rounded vowel

as in foot

close back rounded vowel

as in goose

open-mid central vowel

as in strut

schwa

as in about

nurse vowel

as in nurse

close front rounded vowel

as in tu

close-mid front rounded vowel

as in deux

open-mid front rounded vowel

as in sœur

nasal open vowel

as in sans

nasal front vowel

as in pain
C

Consonants

32 sounds

voiceless bilabial plosive

as in pen

voiced bilabial plosive

as in back

voiceless alveolar plosive

as in tea

voiced alveolar plosive

as in day

voiceless velar plosive

as in key

voiced velar plosive

as in go

voiceless labiodental fricative

as in fine

voiced labiodental fricative

as in vine

voiceless dental fricative

as in think

voiced dental fricative

as in this

voiceless alveolar fricative

as in see

voiced alveolar fricative

as in zoo

voiceless postalveolar fricative

as in ship

voiced postalveolar fricative

as in vision

voiceless palatal fricative

as in ich

voiceless velar fricative

as in jamón

voiceless glottal fricative

as in house

bilabial nasal

as in man

alveolar nasal

as in no

velar nasal

as in sing

palatal nasal

as in montagne

alveolar lateral approximant

as in light

English r approximant

as in red

alveolar tap

as in pero

alveolar trill

as in perro

uvular French/German r

as in rue

palatal approximant

as in yes

labial-velar approximant

as in we

voiceless postalveolar affricate

as in chair

voiced postalveolar affricate

as in job

voiceless alveolar affricate

as in Zeit

voiceless labial affricate

as in Pferd
02 / Articulation

/i/ close front unrounded vowel

Keep the tongue high and forward; leave the lips relaxed.

Sound type
Vowel
Position
Front
Action
Close
Voice
Voiced
03 / Contrast

Put two sounds
side by side.

First soundChoose “Compare” on a card
Second soundThen choose another sound

Useful contrasts reveal the small physical distinction that changes a word.

04 / Ear training

Which sound
did you hear?

Play an example, then identify its IPA symbol. This exercise uses the sounds currently visible in the chart.

0 correct · 0 attempted

Listen first, then choose a symbol.

Read the mouth,
not the alphabet.

  1. 01

    Listen before copying

    Play the whole example word. Notice where the target sound sits and what comes immediately before and after it.

  2. 02

    Find the contact point

    Use the mouth diagram to place the tongue and lips. A few millimetres can separate two phonemes.

  3. 03

    Practise contrasts

    Compare sounds that learners commonly merge. Hearing the distinction makes producing it much easier.