Spelling and pronunciation
In many English words, the spelling is different from the pronunciation. This is mainly because our pronunciation has changed a good deal over the last few hundred years, while our spelling system has stayed more or less the same. Here is a list of some difficult common words with their pronunciations.
Usually two syllables, not three
The letters in brackets are usually not pronounced.
- asp(i)rin
- bus(i)ness
- choc(o)late
- diff(e)rent
- ev(e)ry
- ev(e)ning
- marri(a)ge
- med(i)cine (AmE three syllables)
- om(e)lette
- rest(au)rant
- sev(e)ral
Usually three syllables, not four
The letters in brackets are usually not pronounced.
- comf(or)table
- int(e)resting
- secret(a)ry (AmE four syllables)
- temp(e)rature
- us(u)ally
- veg(e)table
Silent letters
The letters in brackets are not pronounced.
- clim(b) com(b) de(b)t dou(b)t dum(b)
- mus(c)le
- han(d)kerchief san(d)wich We(d)nesday
- champa(g)ne forei(g)n si(g)n
- borou(gh) bou(gh)t cau(gh)t dau(gh)ter hei(gh)t hi(gh) li(gh)t mi(gh)t nei(gh)bour ni(gh)t ou(gh)t ri(gh)t strai(gh)t thou(gh)t throu(gh) ti(gh)t wei(gh)
- w(h)at w(h)en w(h)ere w(h)ether w(h)ich w(h)ip w(h)y and similarly in other words beginning wha, whe or whi. (Some speakers use an unvoiced /w/ in these words.)
- (h)onest (h)onour (h)our
- (k)nee (k)nife (k)nob (k)nock (k)now and similarly in other words beginning kn.
- ca(l)m cou(l)d ha(l)f sa(l)mon shou(l)d ta(l)k wa(l)k wou(l)d autum(n) hym(n)
- (p)neumatic (p)sychiatrist (p)sychology (p)sychotherapy (p)terodactyl and similarly in other words beginning pn, ps or pt.
- cu(p)board /ˈkʌbəd/
- i(s)land i(s)le
- cas(t)le Chris(t)mas fas(t)en lis(t)en of(t)en whis(t)le (Often can also be pronounced /ˈɒftən/.)
- g(u)arantee g(u)ard g(u)errilla g(u)ess g(u)est g(u)ide g(u)ilt g(u)itar g(u)y
- (w)rap (w)rite (w)rong
- (w)ho (w)hom (w)hore (w)hose (w)hole
a = /e/
- any
- many
- Thames /temz/
ch = /k/
- ache
- archaeology
- architect
- chaos
- character
- chemist
- Christmas
- mechanical
- Michael
- stomach
ea = /e/
- already
- bread
- breakfast
- dead
- death
- dreadful
- dreamt
- head
- health
- heavy
- instead
- lead (the metal)
- leant
- leather
- meant
- measure
- pleasant
- pleasure
- read (past)
- ready
- steady
- sweater
- threat
- tread
- weather
ea = /eɪ/
- break
- great
- steak
gh = /f/
- cough /kɒf/
- rough /rʌf/
- draught /drɑːft/
- tough /tʌf/
- enough /ɪˈnʌf/
- laugh /lɑːf/
o = /ʌ/
- above
- brother
- colour
- come
- comfortable
- company
- cover
- done
- front
- glove
- government
- honey
- London
- love
- lovely
- Monday
- money
- month
- mother
- none
- nothing
- once
- one
- onion
- other
- oven
- some
- son
- stomach
- ton(ne)
- tongue
- won
- wonder
- worry
o = /uː/
- lose
- prove
- to
ou = /ʌ/
- country
- couple
- cousin
- double
- enough
- rough
- tough
- trouble
- young
u or ou = /ʊ/
- bull
- bullet
- bush
- butcher
- could
- cushion
- full
- pull
- push
- put
- should
- would
Words pronounced with /aɪ/
- biology
- buy
- dial
- height
- idea
- iron
- microphone
- science
- society
- either (some British speakers)
- neither (some British speakers)
Other strange spellings
- area /ˈeəriə/
- Australia /ɒsˈtreɪliə/
- bicycle /ˈbaɪsɪkl/
- biscuit /ˈbɪskɪt/
- blood /blʌd/
- brooch /brəʊtʃ/
- business /ˈbɪznɪs/
- busy /ˈbɪzi/
- clothes /kləʊðz/
- does /dʌz/
- doesn’t /ˈdʌz(ə)nt/
- Edinburgh /ˈedɪnbrə/
- Europe /ˈjʊərəp/
- foreign /ˈfɒrən/
- friend /frend/
- fruit /fruːt/
- heard /hɜːd/
- heart /hɑːt/
- juice /dʒuːs/
- Leicester /ˈlestə/
- minute /ˈmɪnɪt/
- moustache /məˈstɑːʃ/ (AmE mustache /ˈmʌstæʃ, məˈstæʃ/)
- once /wʌns/
- one /wʌn/
- queue /kjuː/
- two /tu:/
- woman /ˈwʊmən/
- women /ˈwɪmɪn/
- Worcester /ˈwʊstə/
Silent r
In standard southern British English, r is not normally pronounced before a consonant or at the end of a word.
- hard /hɑːd/
- car /kɑː/
- first /fɜːst/
- four /fɔː/
- order /ˈɔːdə/
- more /mɔː/
But r is pronounced at the end of a word if a vowel follows immediately.
- four islands /ˈfɔːr ˈaɪləndz/
- more eggs /ˈmɔːr ˈegz/
Note the pronunciation of iron , and of words ending in -re and -ered.
- iron /aɪən/ (AmE /ˈaɪǝrn/)
- centre /ˈsentə(r)/
- theatre /ˈθɪətə(r)/ (AmE /ˈθi:ətər/)
- wondered /ˈwʌndəd/
- bothered /ˈbɒðəd/
We often add /r/ after words ending in the sound /ə/ even when this is not written with r, if another vowel follows immediately.
- India and Africa /ˈɪndɪər ənd ˈæfrɪkə/
In most varieties of American English, and in many regional British accents, r is pronounced whenever it is written.