All combinations of letters in a word

How To Read English Correctly | English letter combination table — SPEAK ENGLISH

01.07.2019

Consider letter combinations in English in the key of the rules of reading and pronunciation with the ability to listen to each letter combination in the examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

Reading vowel combinations

The table below shows the basic (common) set of vowel combinations (see table 1), Russian and English transcriptions with examples of words and notes.

Table # 1. Reading vowel combinations Letter combination Transcription Examples (listen) Notes

ee, ea	[i:] (AND	see [si:], sea [si:]
ai, ai	[ei] (HEY)	straight [streit], May [mei]
oo	[u:] (U	too [tu:]	before a consonant letter, except for k, r; also at the end of a word
oo	[u] (Ooh)	book [buk]	before the letter k; exception: good [gud]
ear	[ɔ:] (Ouch	door [dɔ:]
ow	[au] (au), [u] (eu)	now [nau], window [‘windəu]	under stress in monosyllabic words; at the end of two-syllable words in an unstressed position
oi, oi	[ɔi] (OH)	coin [kɔin], employ [im’plɔi]
ou	[au]	out [aut]
oa	[əu] (EU)	coat [kəut]

Reading letter combinations with consonants

Below (in table 2) are the main consonant combinations.

Table 2. Letter combinations in English. Reading consonant combinations Letter (combination of letters) Transcription When used Examples (listen)

b	[B]	in all cases	begin [bi’gin]
mb	[m]	b is not read at the end of a word after the letter m	climb [climb]
c	[s]	before vowels e, i, y	city ​​[‘siti], nice [nais], cycle [saikl]
[k]	in all other cases	cap [kaep]
k	[k]	in all cases	kite
ck	[k]	in all cases	black [blaek]
kn	[n]	at the beginning of a word	know [nəʊ]
g	[ʤ]	before vowels e, i, y	gentleman
[g]	in all other cases	gate [geit] Exceptions: give [giv], get [get]
j	[ʤ]	in all cases	jacket [ˈʤækɪt]
z	[z]	in all cases	zoo [zuː]
h	[H]	in all cases	happy [ˈhæpɪ]
sh	[ʃ]	in all cases	she [ʃiː]
tch	[ʧ]	in all cases	catch [[kæʧ]
ch	[ʃ]	in words of French origin	champagne [ʃæmˈpeɪn]
[k]	in words of Greek origin	school [skuːl], chemistry [ˈkemɪstrɪ]
[ʧ]	in all other cases	chalk [ʧɔːk]
th	[θ]	at the beginning and end of significant words	think [θɪŋk]
[ð]	at the beginning of service words (pronouns, articles)	the [ðiː]
in significant words between vowels	clothes [kləʊz]
x	[ks]	before a consonant and at the end of words	text [text]
[gz]	before the stressed vowel	exam [ɪgˈzaæm]
ph	[f]	photo [ˈfəʊtəʊ]

Source: https://ekaterina-alexeeva.ru/nachinayushhim/kak-pravilno-chitat-na-anglijskom-yazyke-tablitsa-sochetaniya-anglijskih-bukv.html

English letters and their transcription. Plus common combinations of English letters. Understandable and accessible

Greetings, my dear readers.

Today we continue to talk about how to learn to read correctly, so the topic of today’s article is the transcription of English letters.

We have already met you with the concept transcriptions and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.

I have a table for you to understand. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes so that you can immediately put the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with the studied sounds and their translation.

What else can be found on the blog:

Let `s start?

Features of English transcription:

• it is always enclosed in square brackets. I can’t say exactly where it came from, but I think it’s just worth taking it for granted;
• to understand where the stress is, the transcription uses the [‘] sign in front of the stressed syllable;
• it is important to remember that transcription is about the sound, not the spelling of words. Sometimes the spelling can be 90% different from what we say;
• to indicate that the sound is long, we use a colon.

In general, I wrote a detailed and understandable article about English transcription — please!

The letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:

English letter	Transcription	Russian analogue
Aa	[eɪ]	Hey
Bb	[biː]	Would be
Cc	[siː]	Si
Dd	[diː]	Di
Ee	[iː]	И
Ff	[ɛf]	Eph
Gg	[dʒiː]	Gee
Hh	[eɪtʃ]	H
Ii	[aɪ]	Ай
Jj	[dʒeɪ]	Jay
Kk	[keɪ]	Kay
Ll	[ɛl]	E
Mm	[ɛm]	Em
Nn	[ɛn]	En
Oo	[əʊ]	OU
Pp	[pi]	Pi
Qq	[kjuː]	Кью
Rr	[ɑː] or [ɑɹ]	A or Ap
Ss	[ɛs]	Es
Tt	[tiː]	You
Uu	[juː]	Ю
Vv	[viː]	In and
Ww	[ˈDʌb (ə) l juː]	Double
Xx	[ɛks]	The ex
Yy	[waɪ]	Wye
Zz	[zɛd], [ziː]	Zed, zee

But do you know what is most interesting about English?

If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!

So I have prepared for you

Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:

Combination	Transcription	How to pronounce	Example
ee	/i:/	И	bee — bee
ea	/ ı: /	И	tea — tea
oo	/ or /	У	cook — to cook
th	/ ð / / Ѳ /	З, С (interdental)	thumb — finger
sh	/ ʃ /	Ш	shout — to shout
ch	/ t ʃ /	Ч	chair — chair
ph	/f/	Ф	phone — phone
ck	/k/	К	snack — snack
ng	/ Ƞ /	Ng	song — song
wh	/w/	Ya	why — why
wr	/r/	Р	write — write
qu	/kw/	Kua	queen — queen
igh	/aı/	Ай	high — high
ALL	/ Ɔ: l /	Ol	tall — high
ai	/eı/	Hey	Spain — Spain
ay	/eı/	Hey	May — May
oi	/oı/	Oh	point — point
oy	/oı/	Oh	toy — toy
ow	/oƱ/	OU	grow — to grow
ou	/aƱ/	Ay	out — out
ew	/ ju: /	Ю	knew — knew
aw	/ Ɔ: /	Ltd	draw — draw
ee + r	/ ıə /	Eeyore	engineer — engineer
ou + r	/ aƱə /	Aue	our — our
oo + r	/ Ɔ: /	Ltd	door — door
wo + r	/ ɜ: /	Y / O	work — work
ai + r	/ eə /	Ea	chair — chair
oa + r	/ Ɔ: /	Ooh	roar — scream
ould	/ Ʊd /	Beats	could — could
ound	/ aƱnd /	Aund	round — round
eight	/eı/	Hey	eight — eight
-y	/ı/	И	tiny — tiny
au	/Ɔ:/	Oo	Paul — Paul
gh	/f/	Ф	laugh — laugh
aught	/ Ɔ: t /	From	taught — taught

I know this table looks huge now. You probably think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I’ll tell you this: at a certain moment, when you have enough reading practice, you will not even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a completely unfamiliar word, you will be able to read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.

How to memorize letter combinations?

1. Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
2. Read on. Pay attention to letter combinations when reading books or just texts.
3. Don’t get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then go directly to English.

   Learn as you progress!

4. Buy paper or in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you — an adult — need it, do not hesitate to borrow books for children — it is there that everything is chewed up in detail and interesting.

That’s all, my dears. I hope you found it helpful and clear.

I give even more such materials in the blog mailing list — subscribe and receive a portion of usefulness regularly.

Source: https://lizasenglish.ru/anglijskij-dlya-nachinayushhih/bukvy-i-ih-transkriptsiya.html

Transcription and reading rules in English

Transcription Is a recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols.

The transcription may not be interesting to everyone, but it is undoubtedly useful. Knowing the transcription, you will correctly read the unfamiliar word without assistance. In the classroom, you yourself can read the transcription of a word (for example, from the blackboard) without asking others, thereby facilitating the process of assimilating lexical material, etc.

At first, there will be errors in the correct reading, tk. there are always some subtleties in pronunciation. But this is just a matter of practice. A little later, if necessary, you can transcribe the words yourself.

Transcription is directly related to reading rules… In English, not everything that is seen (letter combinations) is read (as in Russian and Spanish, for example).

When textbooks (mostly Russian) tell about the rules of reading, much attention is paid to the type of syllable. Usually about five of these types are described. But such a detailed theoretical presentation of the rules of reading does not greatly facilitate the fate of a beginner, and may even mislead him. It must be remembered that a good knowledge of the rules of reading is a great merit of practice, not theory.

Your attention will be presented the basic rules for reading individual letters and letter combinations. «Behind the scenes» will remain some phonetic moments that are difficult to convey in writing.

A little patience! Both transcription and reading rules are easy to learn in a short time… Then you will be surprised: «How easy it has become to read and write!»

However, do not forget that, despite its widespread distribution, the English language does not cease to be a LANGUAGE, full of exceptions, stylistic and other delights. And at any stage of language learning, and especially at the initial stage, often look into the dictionary.

Symbols.Consonant Sounds	Sound pronunciation(similar Russian)	Symbols.Vowel sounds	Sound pronunciation(similar Russian)
[b]	[b]	Single sounds
[d]	[d]	[Λ]	[a] — short
[f]	[f]	[a:]	[a] — deep
[3]	[f]	[i]	[and] — short
[d3]	[j]	[i:]	[and] — long
[g]	[ G ]	[o] 1	[o] — short
[h]	[ NS ]	[o:]	[o] — deep
[k]	[ To ]	[u]	[y] — short
[l]	[l]	[u:]	[y] — long
[m]	[m]	[e]	as in the word «plaid»
[n]	[n]	[ε:]	as in the word «honey»
[p]	[ NS ]	Diphthongs2
[s]	[ with ]	[əu] 3	[ OU ]
[t]	[ T ]	[au]	[ay]
[v]	[ v ]	[ei]	[ Hey ]
[z]	[h]	[oi]	[ Oh ]
[t∫]	[h]	[ai]	[ay]
[∫]	[ NS ]
[r]	Soft [r] as in the word Russian
[ O	The sign of softness as in the Russian letter Ё (Christmas tree)
Sounds without analogies in Russian
[θ]	[æ]
[ð]
[ŋ]	Nasal, in French style, sound [n]	[ə] 4	[neutral sound]
[w]

Notes:

1. In many school textbooks and in some Russian dictionaries, this sound is designated as [o]. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.

2. Diphthong Is a complex sound with two sounds. In most cases, a diphthong can be «split» into two sounds, but not in writing.

   Since in many cases one of the constituent sounds of the diphthong, if used separately, will have a different designation. For example diphthong [au]: there is no transcriptional mark like [a] separately.

   Therefore, most diphthongs are indicated not by a set of different transcription symbols, but by their own sign.

3. In many school textbooks and in some Russian dictionaries, this sound is designated as [ou], which is more descriptive. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.

4. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters (combinations) that this sound give.

English words have several types of syllables. However, to understand the whole system, it is necessary to remember and distinguish between the following two types: open and closed.

Open syllable ends in a vowel: game,, stone — a vowel in a word is read in the same way as in the alphabet.

Closed syllable ends in a consonant: pen, cat, bus — a vowel in a syllable gives a different sound.

Stress in transcription and words is indicated by a vertical bar before the stressed syllable.

Single vowel sounds

Sound	Rules
[e]	usually gives the letter e in a closed syllable: get [get], vet [vet] as well as the combination of letters ea: dead [ded], pleasure [´ple3ə] Note: the same combination of letters often gives the sound [i:] (see below)
[i]	usually gives the letter i in a closed syllable: hit [hit], kill [kil] and also the letter y in a closed syllable: gym [d3im], cylinder [´silində] Note: the same letters in an open syllable give the sound [ai] (see . below)
[i:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: e + e (always): meet [mi: t], deep [di: p]; letter e in an open syllable: tree [tri:], Steve [sti: v]; in letter combination e + a : meat [mi: t], beam [bi: m] Note: the same letter combination (ea) often gives the sound [e] (see above)
[o]	usually gives the letter o in a closed syllable: pot [pot], lottery [´lotəri], as well as the letter a in a closed syllable after w: wasp [wosp], swan [swon]
[o:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: o + r: corn [ko: n], fortress [´fo: trəs]; more [mo:] almost always in a + u: fauna [´fo: nə], taunt [to: nt]; the exception is only a few words, for example, aunt Consonant (except w) + a + w: dawn [do: n], hawk [ho: k]. always in the combination of letters a + ll: tall [to: l], small [smo: l] The letter combination a + ld (lk) also gives this sound: bald [bo: ld], talk [to: k] Not often, but you can find the combination of letters ou + r, giving this sound: pour [po:], mourn [mo: n].
[æ]	usually gives the letter a in a closed syllable: flag [flæg], married [´mærid]
[Λ]	usually gives the letter u in a closed syllable: dust [dΛst], Sunday [´sΛndei]. Also: ouble: double [dΛbl], trouble [trΛbl] ove: glove [glΛv], dove [dΛv] Note: but there are also exceptions : move [mu: v] — (see below); flood [flΛd], blood [blΛd] — (see above)
[a:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: a + r: dark [da: k], farm [fa: m] (see note) regularly the letter a in a closed syllable: last [la: st], father [fa: ðə] — therefore it is necessary to check with the dictionary, because a closed syllable traditionally gives the sound [æ] as in cat [kæt]; consonant + alm also gives this sound stably: palm [pa: m], calm [ka: m] + note Note: 1. very rarely a + r gives the sound [o:] warm [wo: m]; 3. Rarely: salmon [sæmən]
[u] [u:]	the length of this sound in most cases varies for historical reasons rather than spelling. That is, for each word, it is determined individually. This difference in longitude does not carry a huge meaningful load, as in other sounds. And in oral speech it does not need to be specially emphasized. This sound occurs in the following cases: always o + o: foot [fut], boot [bu: t], took [tuk], moon [mu: n]

Source: https://www.study.ru/article/fonetika-angliyskogo/transkripciya-i-pravila-chteniya

Table and rules for the pronunciation of consonants and vowels of English letters

By Natalia Mar 6, 2019

The sounds that English letters represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be recorded, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.

English alphabet

There are 26 letters in English. The standard English alphabet starts with a and ends with z.

When classifying alphabetic characters, the following are distinguished:

• 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
• 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
• 2 semi-vowels: y, w.

Learning the English alphabet requires knowledge of both the symbol representing each letter and the phonetic sounds associated with that letter. Learning English phonetics is difficult. Only a small number of letters have no exceptions in the basic sound.

In most cases, each letter has multiple phonemes. The letter B sometimes sounds like bat (bat) or does not sound, for example, in the words crumb (kram), dumb (dam). The letter C sounds like «k» for cat (cat) or «c» for ceiling (si: ling), or «pm» for church (tch: pm). And the list of exceptions is endless.

Vowel sounds

Vowels represent the main category of phonemes in English speech. There are 20 vowel sounds in spoken English. This discrepancy (in relation to alphabetic characters) underlies the difficulty of writing in English.

Short	Long	Diphthongs
a [æ]	A (ā) [eı]	[eɪ]
e [ɛ]	E (ē) [i:]	[aɪ]
i [ɪ]	I (ī) [aı]	[ɔɪ]
o [ɒ]	O(ō) [ou]	[ɪə]
u [ʌ]	U (ū) [ju:]	[eə]
[ʊə]
[əʊ]
[aʊ]

For short and long vowels, additional vowel sounds are used. For sounds a and e — when the vowel accompanies the sound r. For o, the options are varied.

Consonant Sounds

Deaf	Voiced	Others
p	b	c
t	d	h
k	g	j
f	v	l
s	z	m
n
q
r
w
x
y

Transcription and stress

Phonetic transcriptions tell about the pronunciation of words. In English dictionaries, this is a necessary condition, since the spelling does not say how the word is pronounced.

Phonetic transcriptions are written in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), in which each English sound is assigned its own symbol. For example, the IPA-based phonetic transcription of the word home is / hoʊm /, the transcription come is / kʌm /, although the spelling of the words is similar (both ends in -ome), but transcribed with differences.

Vowels	Consonants
ʌ	b
ɑ:	d
æ	f
e	g
ə	h
ɜ: ʳ	j
ɪ	k
i:	l
ɒ	m
ɔ:	n
ʊ	ŋ
u:	p
aɪ	r
aʊ	s
eɪ	ʃ
oʊ	t
ɔɪ	tʃ
eəʳ	θ
ɪəʳ	ð
ʊəʳ	v
w
z
ʒ
dʒ

The rules do not fully cover aspects of stress in English words. The language is characterized by the presence of exceptions, and the English themselves are mistaken, especially in polysyllabic words.

But, obviously, some basic rules still apply:

1. In 80% of two-syllable nouns and adjectives, the stress falls on the first syllable: PURple, PREsent, CARton, TABle, CLEver, CHIna.
2. In most verbs and two-syllable prepositions, the stress falls on the second syllable: reLAX, beCIN, deCIde, betWEen.
3. In English, there are many two-syllable words of the same spelling that will refer to nouns or verbs, depending on whether the stress falls on the first or second syllable. For example, PREsent as a noun, but if the second syllable preSENT is underlined, it becomes a verb, or OBject and obJECT.
4. The accent falls on the syllable before the suffix if the «ending» begins with the letters i or u: -ion, -ual, -uous, -ial, -ient, -ious, -ior, -ic, -ity, and so on. Examples: sufFICient, explaNAtion, residual, geoGRAPhic. The exceptions are -ist, -ism, -ize, and -ing.
5. Other suffixes do not affect the stress in the word: -al, -ous, -ly, -er, -ed, -ist, -ing, -ism, etc. The stress falls on the first syllable. ORderly, Silently
6. Words ending in consonants or y are stressed on the first syllable: RARity, OPtimal.

Prefixes in two-syllable words are not stressed, except in some nouns or adjectives. Two-syllable nouns starting with a prefix are studied individually.

English consonants

There are fewer consonants in the English alphabet than consonants. Therefore, to expand the alphabet, digraphs are used like «Ch», «sh», «th» and «zh», and some letters and digraphs represent more than just one consonant. For example, the sound written “th” in this is transcribed as / ð /, and “th” in thin is / θ /.

English consonants are classified according to their combination of functions:

1. Articulation method (how air comes out of the vocal tract).
2. Place of education (which organs are involved).
3. Phonation (how vocal chords vibrate).
4. The time of the beginning of the sound (time of formation of sounds), aspiration is part of the function.
5. Air flow mechanism (how air moves along the vocal tract).
6. Length (how long consonant obstruction lasts) — a feature of the English language, for example, wholly / hoʊlli / and holy / hoʊli /.
7. Articulating force.

In addition, there is a function «Dull alveolar stop», / t / when the airflow mechanism is down.

According to the method of formation, consonants are divided into:

1. Approximants: j, w, r.
2. Nine fricative consonants: f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h.
3. Lateral approximant: l.
4. Two affricative sounds: tʃ and dʒ.
5. Six explosive sounds: p, b, t, d, k, g.
6. Nasal consonants: m, n, ŋ.

Sound — [x] — voiceless fricative — non-standard for English. Although in some original words, such as ugh (ugh!), It is an additional marker of irritation. In writing, the fricative is represented as «gh».

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Features of English consonants

A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that, when pronounced, retain the original sound. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, where both «b» and «r» are pronounced, is an initial combination. In the word bank «-nk» is the final combination.

Classification:

1. Initial combinations are classified into sets with «l», «r», and «s». In «l», the combination ends in «l». An example would be the letters «bl» in blind. Likewise, the final sound in «r» combined with «r» when «br» and «cr», for example, in the words bridge, crane. In contrast, «s» starts with s, «st» and «sn» — stap, snail.
2. The final combinations are grouped into sets with «s», «l» and «n»: -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples, first, desk, gold, sand, sink.

Digraphs

Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form one sound. Some digraphs are found both at the beginning and at the end of a word — «sh», «ch» and «th». There are also strict initial and final digraphs — «kn-» and «-ck».

Examples of digraphs:

Ch-	— ch
Kn-	— ck
Ph-	-sh
Sh-	-ss
Th-	-th
wh-	-tch
Wr-

Features of digraphs:

1. In some cases, consonants become unpronounceable:

Source: https://eng911.ru/words/transcription/zvuki.html

Letter combinations in English — reading rules, pivot tables

Consider letter combinations in English in the key of the rules of reading and pronunciation with the ability to listen to each letter combination in the examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

English reading rules for beginners

›Learning the language› Translation and reading ›Rules for reading English for beginners: a table of letters and diphthongs with transcription and pronunciation

Having studied the Russian alphabet, we can easily read any texts. But for correct reading in English, you will have to make more effort, because there are many discrepancies between spelling and pronunciation of words.

If you decide to master this language on your own and cannot understand how to read words in English correctly, then this material is exactly what you need. Today we will analyze the nuances of the pronunciation of English letters and letter combinations, and find out how easy it is to learn to read English from scratch.

And it will help to study the rules of reading English for beginners with a table in which all the letters and their sound are presented.

What are open and closed syllables?

First, let’s get acquainted with the most important law of reading in English — the rule of open and closed syllables. There is no similar norm in the Russian language, so we will analyze in detail what it is. Pay attention to the transcription.

An open syllable is a syllable that ends in a vowel sound. As a rule, it occurs in the following cases:

• The word ends in a vowel, respectively, the last syllable is always open: tfake [take]. *
• A vowel is followed by a consonant, followed by a vowel again: edlungstion [editing].
• There are two vowels in a word: cruel [cruel].

* Ultimate e in most cases, it is considered «dumb», that is, it is not pronounced, but appears at the base of the word precisely for the formation of an open syllable.

In open syllables, the vowel is always pronounced smoothly and stretched out. Accordingly, closed syllables are all those syllables in which the vowel sound is closed by a consonant and therefore sounds short and abrupt: cut [cat].

In addition, special reading rules in English are characteristic of syllables in which the vowel is closed by the letter r. The fact is that in the British version of the pronunciation of such syllables, the letter r is often completely omitted, i.e. not pronounced. Therefore, there are two options for reading such letter combinations:

1. In an open syllable, when r is surrounded by vowels, only both vowels are read: care [keea]. In such cases, the last e won’t be dumb.
2. In a closed syllable (vowel + r + acc.), R is also not readable, but it affects the sound of the vowel sound, making it more drawn out: start [staat]

The rule of open and closed syllables is the basic rule of reading in English, although there are many exceptions to it. But it is too early to learn exceptions without knowing the main rules. Therefore, now we will consider the options for the sound of all letters and letter combinations.

Rules for reading English for beginners — a table of correspondence of letters and sounds

Even if you started learning English and reading it from scratch, you probably already know the spelling and sound of all the letters of the English alphabet. But, as we already learned from the previous section, when reading, the pronunciation of letters depends on the type of syllable or letter combination.

Therefore, in the tables below, you can find several variants of the sound of the same letter at once. But do not be alarmed, for each case there will be an accessible explanation.

So, let’s continue to study English for beginners and learn the rules of reading in English.

Consonants

Let’s start with the easiest one: with a table of consonants, the pronunciation of which is similar to the Russian sound.

Letter	Transcription	Russian pronunciation
B	[B]	б
D	[D]	d *
F	[f]	ф
K	[k]	к
L	[l]	л
M	[m]	м
N	[n]	н
P	[p]	п
R	[r]	р
S	[s]	с
[z]	z (only in special positions: after voiced consonants, between two vowels, and in the -ism suffix.)
T	[t]	T*
V	[v]	в
W	[w]	v**
Z	[z]	з

* English d and t are pronounced more aspirated than their Russian counterparts.

** w is pronounced with lips extended into a tube, as a result, a cross between the Russian sounds в and у is obtained.

Now let’s deal with more complex letters.

Letter	Transcription	Pronunciation and explanations
C	[s]	c (before vowels i, e, y)
[k]	to (in other cases)
G	[dʒ]	j (before vowels i, e, y)
[g]	r (in other cases)
H	[H]	Very weakly pronounced Russian X (almost just a strong exhalation)
Q	[kW]	square
X	[ks]	ks (before a consonant or at the end of a word)
[gz]	z (between two vowels)
[z]	z (at the beginning of a word before a vowel)

And also we will study the letter combinations of consonants in English.

Combination	Transcription	Pronunciation
ck	[k]	к
ch	[tʃ]	ч
tch
ng	[ŋ]	nasal n
ph	[f]	ф
sh	[ʃ]	ш
th	[θ] [ð]	1) the sound is average between s and f (tongue between the teeth) 2) the sound is average between z and v (tongue between the teeth)
wr	[r]	р
wh	[w] [h]	y / in (just before o)
qu	[qw]	square

In addition, it is worth considering that the consonants at the very end of a word, the English language never allows stunning. Otherwise, you may not say at all what you wanted. For example: back [back] — behind, behind; bag [bag] — a bag, a bag.

Vowels

It is much more difficult to cope with reading English vowels, but the familiar rules of open and closed syllables will help us to understand it. We take them into service and learn how to read English vowels correctly.

Closed syllable
Letter	Transcription	Pronunciation	Examples
A	[æ]	э	bat, track, sad
E	[e]	э	pet, red, check
I	[ɪ]	и	pit, fill, tin, system, myth, lynx
Y
O	[ɒ]	о	spot, not, cross
U	[ʌ]	а	spun, truck, butter

Do not forget that in a closed syllable, all letters are pronounced briefly.

Open syllable
Letter	Transcription	Pronunciation	Examples
A	[ei]	Hey	game, flame, lake
E	[i:]	и	he, be, Pete
I	[aɪ]	ouch	mine,, nine, cry, bye, type
Y
O	[əʊ]	OU	bone, tone, rose
U	[jʊ]	ю	pupil, music, cube

And the vowels of an open syllable are always smooth and drawn out.

Open syllable with r
Letter	Transcription	Pronunciation	Examples
A	[eə]	ea	square
E	[ɪə]	ue	here
I	[aɪə]	aye	tired
Y
O	[ɔː]	Toothpaste	more
U	[jʊə]	yue	cycle

Remember that the letter r after a vowel is usually not pronounced.

Accordingcovered syllable with r
Letter	Transcription	Pronunciation	Examples
A	[ɑː]	aa	dark
O	[ɔː]	Toothpaste	sports
E	[ɜː]	ё	pert, bird, myrtle, burn
I
Y
U

Now we know how to read vowels in English words. But there is one more thing that needs to be learned for a perfect English reading.

Diphthongs and triphthongs in English

An important aspect of English for beginners is diphthongs and triphthongs, i.e. combinations of two or three letters with a special sound. Their pronunciation is called sliding, because

first, the main sound is strongly pronounced, and then it is smoothly transferred into a secondary sound. Diphthongs are a kind of exception and do not obey general grammatical laws, so you just have to memorize them.

The table below will help us learn the rules for reading English diphthongs for beginners.

English diphthongs
Combinations	Transcription	Pronunciation
air, ear, are	[eə]	uh *
ye, igh, uy, ie	[aɪ]	ouch
ea, ey, ai, ei, ei	[ei]	Hey
ere, eer, ier, ear	[ɪə]	uie
oy, oi	[ɔɪ]	ой
ou, ow	[au]	aah
ou, ow, oa, ol	[əu]	ooh
ure, ue, our, oor	[uə]	uue
English triphthongs
ower, our	[aʊə]	aaue
eur, ure	[juə]	yue
iet, ire, ier, iar, yre	[aɪə]	aye

* doubled letters indicate the length of the first sound in relation to the second.

So, we examined the basic nuances of reading in English. Treat the outlined rules responsibly: conduct reading lessons more often and be sure to learn to distinguish between the types of syllables in English. Otherwise, you will make gross mistakes in pronunciation, which will lead to a complete misunderstanding of the interlocutor of your words. Good luck in learning English and see you soon!

Rules for reading English for beginners: a table of letters and diphthongs with transcription and pronunciation Link to the main publication

Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/pravila-chteniya-anglijskogo-yazyka-dlya-nachinayushhih/

Rules for reading English for beginners: a table of letters and diphthongs with transcription and pronunciation

30.05.2019

Transcription is a recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols.

The transcription may not be interesting to everyone, but it is undoubtedly useful. Knowing the transcription, you will correctly read the unfamiliar word without assistance. In the classroom, you yourself can read the transcription of a word (for example, from the blackboard) without asking others, thereby facilitating the process of assimilating lexical material, etc.

At first, there will be errors in the correct reading, tk. there are always some subtleties in pronunciation. But this is just a matter of practice. A little later, if necessary, you can transcribe the words yourself.

Transcription is directly related to reading rules… In English, not everything that is seen (letter combinations) is read (as in Russian and Spanish, for example).

When textbooks (mostly Russian) tell about the rules of reading, much attention is paid to the type of syllable. Usually about five of these types are described.

But such a detailed theoretical presentation of the rules of reading does not greatly facilitate the fate of a beginner, and may even mislead him.

It must be remembered that a good knowledge of the rules of reading is a great merit of practice, not theory.

Your attention will be presented the basic rules for reading individual letters and letter combinations. «Behind the scenes» will remain some phonetic moments that are difficult to convey in writing.

A little patience! Both transcription and reading rules are easy to learn in a short time. Then you will be surprised: «How easy it has become to read and write!»

Note! However, do not forget that, despite its widespread distribution, the English language does not cease to be a LANGUAGE, full of exceptions, stylistic and other delights. And at any stage of language learning, and especially at the initial stage, often look into the dictionary.

Transcription icons and their pronunciation

[ b ]	[ б ]	Single sounds
[ d ]	[ д ]	[ Λ ]	[ а ] — a short
[ f ]	[ ф ]	[ a:]	[ а ] — deep
[ 3 ]	[ ж ]	[ i ]	[ и ] — a short
[ d3 ]	[ j ]	[ i: ]	[ и ] — long
[ g ]	[ г ]	[ o ]1	[ о ] — a short
[ h ]	[ х ]	[ o: ]	[ о ] — deep
[ k ]	[ к ]	[ u ]	[ у ] — a short
[ l ]	[ л ]	[ u: ]	[ у ] — long
[ m ]	[ м ]	[ e ]	as in the word «plеd «
[ n ]	[ н ]	[ ε: ]	as in the word «mёd «
[ p ]	[ п ]	Diphthongs
[ s ]	[ с ]	[ əu ]	[ OU ]
[ t ]	[ т ]	[ au ]	[ ay ]
[ v ]	[ в ]	[ ei ]	[ Hey ]
[ z ]	[ з ]	[ oi ]	[ ой ]
[ t∫]	[ ч ]	[ ai ]	[ ouch ]
[∫]	[ ш ]
[ r ]	Soft [ р ] as in a word рUssky
[ о	The sign of softness as in the Russian letter Ё (ёlka)
[ θ ]	[ æ ]
[ ð ]
[ ŋ ]	Nasal, in the French manner, sound [ n ]	[ ə ]4	[neutral sound]
[ w ]

Notes:

1. In many school textbooks and in some domestic dictionaries, this sound is denoted as [ o ]. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.
2. Diphthong Is a complex sound with two sounds. In most cases, a diphthong can be «split» into two sounds, but not in writing. Since in many cases one of the constituent sounds of the diphthong, if used separately, will have a different designation. For example diphthong [ au ]: separately such a transcriptional icon as [ a ] — Does not exist. Therefore, most diphthongs are indicated not by a set of different transcription symbols, but by their own sign.
3. In many school textbooks and in some domestic dictionaries, this sound is denoted as [ ou ], which is more descriptive. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.
4. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters (combinations) that this sound give.

Reading rules

English words have several types of syllables. However, to understand the whole system, it is necessary to remember and distinguish between the following two types: open и закрытый.

Open syllable ends in a vowel: game

Source: https://crownenglishclub.ru/baza-znanij/pravila-chteniya-anglijskogo-yazyka-dlya-nachinayushhih-tablitsa-bukv-i-diftongov-s-transkriptsiej-i-proiznosheniem.html

Rules for reading English for beginners, table. Intonation and stress in English

At the initial stage of learning English, you inevitably have to deal with the differences between your native language and a foreign one. Reading in English for beginners, children and adults is usually one of the first steps in learning.

And the first such differences between Russian and English are revealed as soon as you start learning to read in English. You are faced with the transcription and reading rules of the English language.

These two concepts are related, since with the help of transcription we can record and read the sounds that vowels and consonants convey in various combinations. But the reading rules explain exactly how the letters are pronounced in different environments.

There are a lot of reading rules in English, and they relate to both vowels and consonants. In addition, a huge number of words are not read according to the rules, that is, they are exceptions. Therefore, it begins to seem that it is extremely difficult to learn all this.

In fact, the rules of reading need to be learned, but there is no need to memorize them. After doing a few exercises on reading rules, you will already know how exactly the same type of words are read.

In the learning process, when you read and listen to a variety of study materials, the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of new words will be memorized as a whole.

Features of English pronunciation

At first, reading in English for beginners presents some difficulties due to the peculiarities of pronunciation — words are very often pronounced differently than they are spelled. Linguists even have a saying — «We write — Manchester, we pronounce — Liverpool.»

This situation is due to the fact that historically in the English language there existed, and there are still many dialects in which the same letters and letter combinations were read in different ways, which eventually became entrenched in official English. An example is the combination of letters ough.

The words though, through, thought differ by only one letter, and the combination of letters ough is read differently in all words.

The role of transcription in teaching English reading

So, as we have already said, in addition to the numerous rules for reading in English, difficulties arise when mastering the transcription of the English language. Transcription is the recording of speech sounds using special characters.

You should not avoid it, as it is the best assistant in learning a language, which, firstly, will save you time when memorizing new words, and secondly, it will help to avoid mistakes in pronunciation. After all, when you write out or memorize new words, you definitely need to know how they are read correctly.

There are two options for how to do this. The first is to listen to it in some online resource, and the second is to watch the transcription. 

Now in some tutorials, as well as on training sites, you can find «English transcription in Russian». It is believed that writing an English word in Russian letters is much easier than learning some incomprehensible phonetic symbols. In fact, this is a delusion.

English phonetics differs from Russian so much that Russian letters can only approximately convey the pronunciation of English words, and mostly the simplest ones, the reading of which even without this kind of «transcription» is not difficult.

Some English sounds in Russian simply do not exist, and the correct pronunciation of English and Russian sounds similar at first glance may have certain differences.

Therefore, we recommend that you take the time to study transcription icons and read sounds. This is one of the basic knowledge in mastering the rules of reading English for beginners. Knowledge of transcription will serve you faithfully at all stages of your learning.

We analyze the rules for reading English

There are different classifications of the rules for reading consonants and vowels in English. For vowels, as a rule, there are 4 types of syllables. These are the 4 types of environment a vowel can find itself in and which affects its pronunciation.

Some textbooks consider only the first two types of syllables — open and closed, but take into account whether the letter r is involved in these types of syllables — since it affects the reading of vowels. Consonants in different combinations can also be read differently.

I must say that the number of exceptions and variants of reading the same letter combinations in different words give reason to consider the reading rules rather general recommendations that should be studied before starting to read.

To familiarize yourself with the rules of reading in English, we suggest that you take as a basis the tables with options for reading letters, which are given in his textbook for children “English. 1-4 grades in diagrams and tables «N.Vakulenko.

These English reading rules for children cover almost every possible reading of vowels and consonants in English.

But before we go directly to the tables, we will deal with two more concepts that you will surely come across when you get acquainted with the reading rules. it open и closed syllable.

The syllable is called openWhen

• ends in a vowel and is the last in a word
• the vowel is followed by a consonant and then a vowel again
• the vowel is followed by another vowel

Examples of words with an open type of syllable (you can listen with sound):

age, blue, bye, fly, go 

The syllable is called closedWhen

• ends in a consonant and is the last in a word
• the vowel is followed by several consonants

Examples of words with a closed type of syllable:

bed, big, box, hungry, stand 

So, let’s formulate the rules for reading English for beginners: tables for reading vowels and consonants.

Vowel reading tables

A
A [ei] — in an open syllable	lake, make
A [æ] — in a closed syllable	rat, map
A [a:] — in a closed syllable on r	car, bar
A [εə] — at the end of a word vowel + re	care, fare
A [ɔ:] — combinations all, au	all, tall

O
O [əu] — in an open syllable	no, home
O [ɒ] — in a closed stressed syllable	lot, boss
O [ɜ:] — in some words with «wor»	word, work
O [ɔ:] — in a closed syllable with r	horse, door
O [u:] — in combination «oo»	too, food
O [u] — in combination «oo»	good look
O [aʊ] — in combination «ow» in the stressed syllable	Now, CLOWN
O [ɔɪ] — in combination «oy»	boy, joy

U
U [yu:], [yu] — in an open syllable	blue, duty
U [ʌ] — in a closed syllable	butter, cup
U [u] — in a closed syllable	put, bull
U [ɜ:] — in combination «ur»	Purse, hurt

E
E [i:] — in an open syllable, a combination of «ee», «ea»	he, meet, leaf
E [e] — in a closed syllable, combination «ead»	head, bread
E [ɜ:] — in combinations «er», «ear»	her, pearl
E [ɪə] — in ear combinations	near, dear

I
i [aɪ] — in an open syllable	nice, fine
i [aɪ] — in combination «igh»	high, night
i [ɪ] — in a closed syllable	big, in
i [ɜ:] — in combination «ir»	bird girl
i [aɪə] — in combination «ire»	hire, tired

Y
Y [aɪ] — at the end of a word under stress	my cry
Y [ɪ] — at the end of a word without stress	happy family
Y [j] — at the beginning of a word	yes, yellow

Consonant reading tables

С
C [s] — before i, e, y	Place, Cinema
C [tʃ] — in combinations ch, tch	children, catch
C [k] — in other cases	cat, picnic

Source: https://lim-english.com/posts/pravila-chteniya-angliiskogo-yazika-dlya-nachinaushih/

Vowel reading rules

The English alphabet has the following vowels — A, E, I, O, U, Y. In practice, their sounds are much larger, taking into account diphthongs and dialects.

Moreover, all these letters are not always pronounced as they are called in accordance with the alphabet. It is important to remember that no English word ends in I or U.

Before turning directly to reading vowels, let’s dwell on the consideration of English syllables.

This is important because the vowel can be read differently depending on the type of syllable.

A syllable (or syllable) is one or more sounds pronounced together with one push of air. A syllable is a constituent part of a word that has a direct impact on pronunciation.

There are open and closed syllables. Closed is called such because it ends in a consonant. Open: eye, see

Closed: bad, plan

In an open syllable, there are no problems with vowels: they sound the same as in the alphabet, with the exception of Y, which reads «ah».

You can visually familiarize yourself with the rules using the table below. When this table becomes clear to you, we will give and analyze in more detail examples of all cases.

So, the first letter of the alphabet is A. In a closed syllable, it reads like «e»: fat (thick), cap (cap). In a closed syllable that ends in the letter R, it reads like a long sound «a»: car (car). If the word ends with a combination of letters -re, then A will be read as «ea»: care (care), fare (fare).

The English letter E can be read as «e» (in a closed syllable and when combined -ead: bread (bread)), «e» (when combining the letters -er or -ear: pearl (pearl)) or «ua» (while the same combination –ear: hear).

We will read the letter I in a closed syllable as «and»: big (big). In other cases, it all depends on the combination of letters: igh (ah: night (night)), ir (e: bird (bird)) or ire (aye: tired (tired)).

The rules for reading Y depend on where this letter appears. If it is at the end of a word, and the stress falls on it, then we read it as «ay» (cry — to cry). If it is in the same place, but there is no stress, then «and» (happy — happy). At the beginning of the word Y sounds almost like «y» in Russian (yellow — yellow).

Rules for reading consonants

The English alphabet has 20 consonant letters. Some of them are deaf and voiced pairs. At the same time, unlike Russian, they do not soften here and always sound solid.

The consonants c, g, s, and x have two different readings depending on which letter they are next to. For clarity, we present a table.

As we can see, the reading of consonants is influenced by the letters a, i, o, y, e, as well as consonants and stressed sounds.

There are also a number of rules that indicate how certain consonants are read correctly in different combinations. Let’s turn to another table, and then we will analyze it in more detail using examples.

If there are consonants sh next to them, then we read them as «sh»: sheep (sheep), bookshelf (bookshelf). At the same time, it is important that this combination is pronounced exactly like that, regardless of the place occupied in the word.

The combination ch gives us the sound «h», which is also always preserved, and the position in the word is not important: chain (chain) or March (March).

When reading the combination of consonants ck, correctly pronounce it as «k». However, this rule is true only in those cases when these consonants follow the short A and other sounds: back (back).

Th can be read differently depending on which word this combination is in.

If we see it at the beginning of a significant word or at the end of a word, then it is pronounced like «s», pronounced through clenched teeth: birth (birth) or thin (thin).

At the beginning of a pronoun or service word, this combination sounds more solid: this (this), they (they).

The consonant wh also has two pronunciations. If it is followed by the letter O, then it is correct to read it as «x»: who (who), whole (all).

Before the rest of the letters, it is pronounced as «in»: where (where), what (what).

Qu at the beginning of a word reads «q»: queue.

Compare the pronunciation of the combination of kn and ng: in the first case, we read it as «n» (knight — knight), in the second this sound is nasal (thing — thing). This rule is true for finding kn at the beginning of a word and ng at the end.

The same nasal «n» sounds in the combination nk regardless of the place in the word: bank — bank.

There are also two combinations that, although they consist of two letters, are read as one: ph (read as «f» — phone (phone)) and wr (p — wrong). Note that wr is only pronounced like this at the beginning of a word.

Separately, it should be said about the combination with the English letters a, u, o and i. These rules for reading English are clearly demonstrated in the following table.

As you can see from it, the combination with the vowel al before the letter k is read as a long «o»: walk (to walk). In other cases — «ol», where «o» is also long (small — small).

Regardless of the place in the word, gu turns into «g» (guard — guard). Finally, for the combination with the vowel wa, the pronunciation of «wa» (wonderful — wonderful) or «vo» (before r — work) is characteristic.

Now that we know about all the complexities of consonants in English, it remains for us to consider the staging of stress in English words. After that, you can safely say that you have mastered the rules of reading the English language, and all that remains is to tirelessly practice and hone the knowledge gained.

How to put stress correctly?

Stress plays a huge role in the rules for reading English words. It should be given special attention. If there are fewer problems with the French language in this sense (the emphasis is always on the last syllable), and in Russian you will have to memorize almost every word separately, then with English everything is different. There are a number of laws you need to memorize to help you stress correctly and make your reading of English words correct.

We put stress on the first syllable in most cases when it comes to two-syllable nouns and adjectives: table (table), clever (smart).

The last syllable becomes stressed in the bulk of trisyllabic verbs: to decide (decide). The penultimate is stressed for words that end in –ic, –sion, and –tion: solution, biologic.

The third syllable from the end will be stressed for words that end in combinations with the vowel Y: –cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, as well as –al: biblical (biblical), democracy (democracy), biology (biology).

While all of these reading rules are important and require memorization, keep in mind that English has many exceptions. You will also have to memorize them, or always have special dictionaries at hand.

Learning to read with Capital School Center

Classes at the Capital School Center are characterized by the fact that teachers try to equally combine the study of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. At the exit, all our students have already mastered all the rules of reading in English, and can also speak and write fluently.

A separate difficulty for beginners is the transcription, which is taught to compose in order to just read English words correctly.

It is an excellent tool for memorizing the pronunciation, but very few people will be able to learn how to compose it on their own.

We will help you to master it without any particular difficulties and not delve into the linguistic jungle.

To remember how certain words sound, you need to listen to English speech as much as possible. The auditory element is one of four that we use in our classes in accordance with the 4D methodology. Another element useful for practicing is visual. With regard to our theme, it is important that you have all the visual materials at your disposal — both the drawing and the table.

Of course, in the classroom, we are also directly engaged in reading in English.

At your disposal are excellent adapted English texts on different topics and with different levels of difficulty, suitable for both beginners and those who have been studying the language for a long time.

It is believed that in order to formulate the pronunciation of words and texts, it is best to study with a native speaker. This opinion is fair, because who knows better than a person who speaks English since childhood about all its intricacies and laws in general and the rules of reading in particular? However, it should be borne in mind that such classes are not always suitable for those who are just starting to learn English.

Those who plan to take the IELTS or TOEFL exam are also required to familiarize themselves with the reading rules. 

Another way to practice English is to travel to his country. Our school offers study trips to the UK and the USA, during which you will listen to English language and speak independently with the locals all the time. 

Our school offers its clients a wide range of services. Depending on your needs, we will select the format of teaching English that is convenient for you. We have courses for those who are just starting their studies or want to continue their studies.

Upon completion of the courses, all of our students are tested and receive a certificate proving their level of English proficiency. 

Sign up for a free trial lesson online or by phone. We will be glad to see you and are ready to answer any of your questions!

Source: https://capitalsc.ru/pravila-chteniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke/