If you want to speak English clearly and confidently, mastering pronunciation is the key.
In this guide, you’ll learn all 44 British English sounds (also called phonemes) — including monophthongs, diphthongs, and consonants — with IPA symbols, example words, and practice sentences.
This lesson is based on the British phonemic chart by Adrian Underhill, a powerful tool used by English teachers around the world.
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🎧 Watch the Full Lesson (Video)
🎥 Watch on YouTube: Learn All 44 British English Sounds | Master Pronunciation with IPA
https://youtu.be/z5nWOwM5HsI?si=EtJo3A4e_9obRoKy
In the video, I guide you through each sound with pronunciation practice, visual examples, and repetition exercises to help you speak naturally.
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🗣️ What You’ll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
Recognize all 44 phonemes in British English
Understand the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
Pronounce words more clearly and naturally
Improve your listening comprehension and British accent
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🔠 The 44 Sounds of British English
The sounds of English are divided into three main groups:
1️⃣ Monophthongs – single, pure vowel sounds
2️⃣ Diphthongs – gliding vowel sounds (two vowels combined)
3️⃣ Consonants – sounds made by restricting airflow
Let’s look at each category with examples 👇
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🗣️ Monophthongs (12 Pure Vowel Sounds)
IPA Example Words Practice Sentence
/iː/ read, sea I read a book about the sea.
/ɪ/ fish, sit The fish sit in the tank.
/ʊ/ book, put Put the book on the shelf.
/uː/ food, blue The blue dish has food in it.
/e/ bed, red The red bed is comfortable.
/ə/ about, sofa There’s a book about design on the sofa.
/ɜː/ bird, turn The bird had to turn left.
/ɔː/ thought, shore I thought I saw someone on the shore.
/æ/ apple, back Put the apple back in the bag.
/ʌ/ cup, bus The bus stopped near the cup.
/ɑː/ calm, park Stay calm in the park.
/ɒ/ coffee, shop The coffee shop is open now.
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🗣️ Diphthongs (8 Gliding Vowel Sounds)
IPA Example Words Practice Sentence
/eɪ/ day, rain It might rain later in the day.
/aɪ/ sky, high The sky looks high from here.
/ɔɪ/ boy, coin The boy found a coin.
/aʊ/ out, cloud Go out and look at the cloud.
/əʊ/ go, road Go down the road to get there.
/ɪə/ here, near Come here, I’m near the door.
/eə/ care, bear Take care of the bear.
/ʊə/ pure, cure The cure should be pure.
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🗣️ Consonants (24 Sounds)
IPA Example Words Practice Sentence
/p/ pen, cup Put the pen in the cup.
/b/ book, beach The book is on the beach.
/t/ tea, top Have some tea at the top.
/d/ down, road Walk down the road carefully.
/k/ cat, coffee The cat wants coffee.
/g/ good, guitar That’s a good guitar!
/f/ fish, four There are four fish swimming.
/v/ very, voice She has a very nice voice.
/θ/ thick, through The thick wall goes through here.
/ð/ the, there Put it over there with the others.
/s/ sun, sit The sun makes me want to sit down.
/z/ zoo, buzz The zoo has a loud buzz.
/ʃ/ ship, wash Wash the ship deck.
/ʒ/ measure, pleasure It’s a pleasure to measure this.
/tʃ/ chip, beach There’s a chip in the beach stone.
/dʒ/ jam, journey We had jam on our journey.
/m/ man, morning The man called this morning.
/n/ no, rain There’s no rain today.
/ŋ/ sing, long Sing a long song.
/h/ hat, here The hat is here.
/l/ look, light Look at the light.
/r/ rain, run Run in the rain.
/j/ yes, yellow Yes, I like yellow.
/w/ with, one Come with me, just one person.
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💬 Practise with Me!
👉 Watch the full video to repeat each sound and get real pronunciation feedback:
🎥 Learn All 44 British English Sounds | Master Pronunciation with IPA
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💡 Tip for Learners
Focus on one sound group per day.
Start with monophthongs, then move to diphthongs, and finally consonants.
Use mirrors, recordings, and minimal pairs (like ship/sheep) to train your ear and mouth.
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📣 Your Turn!
Which sound was hardest for you — /θ/, /ɜː/, or /ʒ/?
Share in the comments below or on YouTube!
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✈️ About English for Traveling
I’m Ruben, a British chef-turned-English teacher and traveler.
On my channel and website, I help you learn practical English for real-life travel situations — from ordering food to exploring culture and speaking confidently with locals.
✅ Improve your English with real travel examples
✅ Discover British food, culture, and traditions
✅ Get vocabulary & pronunciation you’ll actually use abroad
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