θ
Theta: voiceless th, as in thin
The Greek letter theta. Air through the teeth with no voice: thin, think, thing. Put a hand on your throat - nothing buzzes.
The new IPA consonants: th, sh, ch, j, ng and y
English spells several single sounds with two letters: th, sh, ch, ng. IPA gives each sound its own symbol, and the payoff is immediate: you can see that the th of thin and the th of this are different sounds, which English spelling hides completely.
The one trap in this lesson is /j/. In IPA, j is the first sound of yes and you, never the sound of jam. The jam sound is /dʒ/ - a d followed by the sound in measure, written as a pair because that is exactly how it is made.
Everything in this lesson's drill is built from the sounds of lesson 1 plus these eight, so every word can be read symbol by symbol.
The symbols
ð
Eth: voiced th, as in this
A d with a stroke, called eth. The same tongue position as /θ/ with the voice switched on: this, that, the. Now the throat buzzes.
ʃ
Esh: sh, as in ship
A long s, called esh. The sh of ship, she and fish.
ʒ
Ezh: the s in measure
The voiced partner of /ʃ/, rare in English and never spelt the same way twice: measure, vision, usual. French builds whole words on it.
tʃ
ch, as in church
A /t/ released straight into /ʃ/ - which is exactly what ch is. Written as two symbols because it is made in two moves.
dʒ
j, as in judge
The voiced partner of /tʃ/: /d/ into /ʒ/. The j of job and both ends of judge. Not to be confused with IPA /j/.
ŋ
Eng: ng, as in sing
An n with a tail. The ng of sing and long is one sound, made at the back of the mouth - there is no /ɡ/ after it in standard British English.
j
IPA j: the y of yes
The biggest trap in IPA for English readers. /j/ is the y of yes and the start of you. It is never the j of jam.
Drill
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Which word is this?
/θɪŋ/