eɪ
As in day
From /e/ up to /ɪ/: day, say, make. English readers call it a long a; IPA shows the glide.
Diphthongs in IPA: two vowels in one syllable
Say day slowly and feel your tongue move: it starts at /e/ and slides up towards /ɪ/. A vowel that glides like that is a diphthong, and IPA writes it as its start and end points, /deɪ/.
This is where English spelling is at its least helpful. The vowel of my, time and buy is one diphthong, /aɪ/, and it is also the English word I. English readers usually think of it as a long i. It is really an /a/ sliding to /ɪ/, and seeing it written that way is the moment IPA starts to earn its keep.
Press the glide button on each card and watch the mouth diagram move from the first symbol to the second.
The symbols
aɪ
As in my
From an open /a/ up to /ɪ/. The vowel of my and time, and the whole of the word I.
ɔɪ
As in boy
From /ɔ/ to /ɪ/: boy, toy, noise.
əʊ
As in go
The British long o: from the neutral /ə/ towards /ʊ/. American dictionaries write it /oʊ/, which is closer to how Americans say it.
aʊ
As in now
From /a/ to /ʊ/: now, house, out.
ɪə
As in here
A British glide towards the neutral vowel: here, near. The r is silent, so it is not written.
eə
As in there
The vowel of there and where. Many modern speakers flatten it into a long /ɛː/, and some newer dictionaries print that instead.
ʊə
As in tour
The rarest of the eight, and fading: tour and pure. Many speakers now say /ɔː/ in these words.
Drill
0/10
Part of Kilo Lingo Plus - the lesson above is free to read.
Which word is this?
/steɪ/