Letter combinations in English with transcription. Rules for reading in English for beginners with examples

Sounds expressed by letters are conveyed using transcription signs. How to read the transcription is described on the page: Transcription

What are open and closed syllable types: Open and closed syllable

Vowel sounds.

Stressed vowels

eɪ ]- c a se - [keɪs]- case.

æ ] -t a nk - [tæŋk ]- tank, tank.

Vowel + r - [ ɑː ] - c a r - [kɑː ]- car, car.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ ɑː ] -p a rk - [pɑːk ]- a park.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ eə]-v a ry - [ˈveəri]- vary.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ iː ]-sh e - [ʃiː ]- she.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ e ]-b e t - [bet]- bet, bet.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]- h e r - [hɜː ]- her, her.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]-t e rm - [tɜːm ]- term.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ ɪə ] -m ere - [mɪə]- only.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ aɪ ]-l i ne - [laɪn ]- line.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɪ ] -b i t - [bɪt ]- bit, a little.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]-s i r - [sɜː ]- sir.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]- th i rd - [θɜːd]- third.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ aɪə ]- h i re - [haɪə]- rent.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ əʊ ] - z o ne - [zəʊn ]- zone, district.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɒ ] -l o t - [lɒt ]- a lot of.

Vowel + r - [ ɔː ] - o r - [ɔː ] - or.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ ɔː ] -b orn - [bɔːn ]- was born.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ ɔː ] - st o ry - [ˈstɔːri ]- story.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ jʊː ]-n u de - [njʊːd ]- naked.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ʌ ] - c u t - [kʌt ]- a cut.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]-f u r - [fɜː ]- wool, skin.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]-b urn - [bɜːn ]- burn.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ jʊə ]-p u re - [pjʊə ]- clean.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ aɪ ]-m y - [maɪ ]- my.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɪ ] -m y th - [mɪθ ]- myth.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ aɪə ]-t y re - [taɪə ]- tire.

Vowel combinations

[iː ]

ee-s ee - [ˈsiː ]- see

ea-s ea - [siː ]- sea

ie-bel ie ve - [bɪˈliːv ]- believe

[ɑː ]

a + ss - gr ass - [ɡrɑːs]- grass

a + st - l ast - [lɑːst ]- last

a + sk - t ask - [tɑːsk ]- task

a + sp - gr asp - [ɡrɑːsp ]- grasping

a + lm - c alm - [kɑːm ]- calm

ea + r - h ear t - [hɑːt ]- heart

[ɔː ]

au- au thor - [ˈɔːθə ] - author

aw-s aw - [ˈsɔː ]- saw, saw

oo + r - d oor - [dɔː ]- door

aught-t aught - [tɔːt ]- learned

ought-th ought - [θɔːt ]- thought

a + l - w al l - [wɔːl ]- wall

a + lk - t alk - [ˈtɔːk ]- conversation, conversation

wa + r - war m - [wɔːm ]- warm

[ɒ ]

wa- wa nt - [wɒnt]- want

[uː ]

oo-t oo - [tuː ]- too, too

ou - gr ou p - [ɡruːp ]- group

[juː ]

ew-n ew - [njuː ]- new

[ʊ ]

oo-b oo k - [bʊk ]- book

[zː ]

ea + r - l ear n - [lɜːn]- teach, study

wo + r - wor k - [ˈwɜːk ]- Job

[ʌ ]

o-s o n - [sʌn ]- son

ou-c ou ntry - [ˈkʌntri ]- a country

oo-fl oo d - [flʌd ]- flood

[eɪ ]

ai-r ai n - [reɪn ]- rain

ay-d ay - [deɪ]- day

ey-th ey - [ˈðeɪ ]- They

eigh- eigh t - [eɪt]- eight

[aɪ ]

i + gn - s ign - [saɪn ]- sign

i + ld - ch ild - [tʃaɪld ]- child

i + nd - bl ind - [blaɪnd]- blind

igh-n high t - [naɪt ]- night

[ɔɪ ]

oi- oi l - [ɔɪl ]- oil, petroleum

oy-t oh - [tɔɪ ]- toy

[aʊ ]

ou - ou t - [aʊt ]- from, outside

ow-d ow n - [daʊn ]- down

[əʊ ]

oa-c oa t - [ˈkəʊt ]- coat

ow-kn ow - [nəʊ ]- know

o + ll - t oll - [təʊl ]- losses

o + ld - c old - [kəʊld ]- cold

[ɪə ]

ea + r - n ear - [nɪə]- near, about

ee + r - engin eer - [ɛndʒɪˈnɪə ]- engineer

[eə]

ai + r - ch air - [tʃeə ]- chair

e + re - th here - [ðeə]- there, there

ea + r - b ear - [beə ]- bear

[ʊə ]

oo + r - p oor - [pʊə ]- poor

our-t our - [tʊə ]- tour, travel

Consonant sounds.

Consonant combinations

[k]-lu ck - [lʌk ]- luck, chance

[ʃ ] - sh ip - [ʃɪp ]- ship

[tʃ ] - ch ip - [tʃɪp ]- chip

[tʃ ]-ca tch - [kætʃ ]- catch, catch

[ɵ ] - th ick - [θɪk ]- thick

[ð ] - th is - [ðɪs]- this, this, this

[f] - ph one - [fəʊn ]- telephone

[kw] - qu ite - [kwaɪt ]- enough

[n ] - kn ife - [naɪf ]- knife

[ƞ ] -thi ng - [θɪŋ ] -

[ƞk ]- si nk - [sɪŋk]- sink, drain

wh + o - [h] - wh o - [huː ]- Who

wh + other vowels - [w] - wh at - [wɒt ]- What

wr at the beginning of a word before vowels - [r] - wr iter - [ˈraɪtə ]- writer

Consonant sounds with two reading options.

Reads like [ s ] before: e, i, y. ni c e - [naɪs ]- good, city - [ˈsɪti ]- city.

And How [ k] in other cases: with ome - [kʌm ]- come, c atch - [kætʃ ]- catch.

Reads like [ ʤ ] before: e, i, y. lar g e - [lɑːdʒ ]- big, en gine - [ˈendʒɪn ]- engine.

Exceptions: g et - [ɡet ]- receive, be g in - [bɪˈɡɪn ]- start, g ive - [ɡɪv]- give.

And How [ g] in other cases: g ood - [ɡʊd]- good, pleasant, g o - [ɡəʊ ] - go, go.

Reading types

Additional material, partially duplicating the previous one. Taken from another source and given for a deeper understanding of this topic.

The tables indicate how to correctly pronounce diphthongs, vowels and consonants in the English language.. The sound conveyed by a letter or letter combination is indicated using transcription signs, and the pronunciation of English sounds indicated in Russian letters should be understood as a hint to transcription, and not as an exact pronunciation of English sounds.

Rules for reading vowel sounds

	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound
	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Word	Transcription
Table. Types of reading in English. Vowel sounds.
I,Y	ɪ	And Short, open "and"	i t it	ɪt	(it)
			si x six	sɪks	(six)
			empty	ˈɛm(p)ti	(empty)
E	e	uh How "uh" in the word "this"	e mpty empty	ˈɛm(p)ti	(empty)
E	e	uh How "uh" in the word "this"	ten ten	ten	(ten)
A	æ	uh Open sound "e" (between "e" and "a")	a nt ant	ænt	(ent)
A	æ	uh Open sound "e" (between "e" and "a")	ma p card	mæp	(map)
O	ɒ	O Short "o" sound	ho t hot	hɒt	(hot)
O	ɒ	O Short "o" sound	o range orange	ˈɒrɪn(d)ʒ	(orinch)
U	ʌ	A Short sound "a"	under	ˈʌndə	(ande)
U	ʌ	A Short sound "a"	su n sun	sʌn	(san)
U,OO	u	y short "y" lips are rounded	put it down	ˈput	(put)
U,OO	u	y short "y" lips are rounded	boo k book	buk	(beech)
A, E, ER	ə	uh Short sound "e" (between "e" and "a")	a bout oh, oh, oh	əˈbaʊt	(about)
			sile nce silence	ˈsʌɪləns	(silence)
			lawyer	ˈlɔːjə	(l o´ye)
EE, EA	i:	And Long "i" sound	ea sy easy	ˈiːzi	(i:zi)
			Queen n queen	kwiːn	(kui:n)
			see see	ˈsiː	(si: )
A, AR	ɑ:	A Long and deep "a" sound	ha lf half	hɑːf	(ha:f)
A, AR	ɑ:	A Long and deep "a" sound	car a car	kɑː	(ka: )
OO	u:	at Long “u” sound without rounding the lips	foo d food	fuːd	(fu:d)
OO	u:	at Long “u” sound without rounding the lips	too too, too	tuː	(that: )
ER, IR	h:	e Reminds me of the “e” sound in the word “beet”	bir d bird	bзːd	(byo:d)
OR,AW	ɔ:	O Long "o" sound	or or	ɔː	(O: )
			for m form	ˈfɔːm	(fo:m)
			law law	lɔː	(lo: )

Rules for reading consonant sounds

English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Examples of pronunciation of English sounds
English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Word	Transcription	Pronunciation in Russian letters
Table. Types of reading in English. Consonant sounds.
P	p	P	pen pen	pen	(pen)
			pap er paper	ˈpeɪpə	(P e´ ypa)
			cup cup	kʌp	(cap)
B	b	b	b oy boy	ˌbɔɪ	(the battle )
			tab le table	ˈteɪb(ə)l	(T e´ybl)
			pub beer	pʌb	(Pub )
T	t	t Sound “T” but the tongue is not at the teeth, but at the gums.	t en ten	ten	(ten)
			sixteen sixteen	ˌsɪkˈsti:n	(sykstin)
			eight eight	eɪt	(eith)
D	d	d	d og dog	dɒɡ	(great dane)
			ladd er staircase	ˈladə	(l a´ta)
			bed bed	bed	(trouble)
C, K, CK	k	To	c at cat	kæt	(ket)
			tick and ticket	ˈtɪkɪt	(T and´ whale)
			cake	keɪk	(cake)
G	g	G	g irl girl	ɡɜ:l	(gel)
			tiger tiger	ˈtʌɪɡə	(T a´yga)
			big big	bɪɡ	(big)
CH, TCH	ʧ	h	ch air chair	tʃɛ	(h e´)
			watch ing	ˈwɒtʃɪŋ	(V rank)
			match match	matʃ	(match)
J, G, DGE	ʤ	j	j ump jump	dʒʌmp	(jump)
			log ic logic	ˈlɒdʒɪk	(l o´jik)
			fridg e refrigerator	frɪdʒ	(fridge)
F, PH	f	f	ph oto photography	ˈfəʊtəʊ	(f o´utau)
			coff ee coffee	ˈkɒfi	(To o´fi)
			cliff	klɪf	(cleave)
V	v	V	v iew view	vju:	(ugh)
			lov er favorite	ˈlʌvə	(l a´va)
			five e five	faɪv	(five)
T.H.	θ	c Like the sound "s" but tongue between teeth	th in thin	θɪn	(syn)
			Cath erine Catherine	ˈkæθrɪn	(To eh´srin)
			month month	mʌnθ	(mons)
T.H.	ð	h Like sound "z" but tongue between teeth	th is this	ðɪs	(zys)
			moth er mother	ˈmʌðə	(m a´ze)
			breathe e breathe	bri:ð	(bri:z)
S, C	s	With	six six	sɪks	(syks)
			parc el package	ˈpɑ:s(ə)l	(P a´ sl)
			class	klɑ:s	(cla:s)
S, Z	z	h	z oo zoo	zu:	(zu)
			laz y lazy	ˈleɪzi	(l e´zi)
			dogs dogs	dɒɡz	(dogz)
SH	ʃ	w	sh e she	ʃi	(shi)
			fish fishing	ˈfɪʃɪŋ	(f and´ tires)
			wash	wɒʃ	(fosh)
S	ʒ	and	vis ion vision	ˈvɪʒ(ə)n	(V i´zhen)
S	ʒ	and	beige beige	beɪʒ	(beizh)
H	h	X Short exhalation - “x”	have to have	hæv	(hav)
M	m	m	m e me, me	mi:	(mi: )
			farmer	ˈfɑ:mə	(f a´ma)
			hom e house	həʊm	(home)
N	n	n	name name	ˈneɪm	(n e´ im)
			runn er runner	ˈrʌnə	(R a´ on)
			son son	sʌn	(san)
NG	ƞ	n Nasal sound "n" using the back of the tongue	singer singer	ˈsɪŋə	(With and´nya)
NG	ƞ	n Nasal sound "n" using the back of the tongue	boxing	ˈbɒksɪŋ	(b o´ xin)
L	l	l	I like it	ˈlaɪk	(l a´ yk)
			ball et ballet	ˈbaleɪ	(b a´lay)
			football football	ˈfʊtbɔ:l	(f u´ solid waste:l)
R	r	R “r” - without vibration	red red	red	(ed)
R	r	R “r” - without vibration	lorr y truck	ˈlɒri	(l o´ri)
Y	j	th	y ou you	ju	(Yu )
Y	j	th	lawy er lawyer	ˈlɔ:jə	(l o´ye)
W	w	at the sound is similar to “u”; the lips are stretched and rounded	w in to win	wɪn	(vin)
W	w		flow er flower	ˈflaʊə	(ow a´ ua)

Diphthongs. Reading rules.

English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Examples of pronunciation of English sounds
English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Word	Transcription	Pronunciation in Russian letters
Table. Types of reading in English. Diphthongs.
A,AY,AI	eɪ	Hey	ai m goal	eɪm	(eym)
A,AY,AI	eɪ	Hey	say	ˈseɪ	(With Hey)
I, UY, Y	ai	ah	I I	ai	(ay)
I, UY, Y	ai	ah	buy	baɪ	(bye)
OY, OI	ɔɪ	Ouch	oi l oil	ɔɪl	(oil)
OY, OI	ɔɪ	Ouch	toy toy	tɔɪ	(that one)
O.O.W.	əu	OU	ow n own	əʊn	(oun)
			ho me home	həʊm	(home)
			low low	ləʊ	(low)
OW, OU	au	aw	out out	ˈaʊt	(out)
OW, OU	au	aw	cow	kaʊ	(kaw)
EA, EAR, ERE	ɪə	ie “and” + between “e” and “a”	ear ear	ɪə	(ie)
			bear d beard	bɪəd	(beed)
			here here	hɪə	(hie)
AIR, ARE	eə	ea "e" + between "e" and "a"	care	keə	(kee)
AIR, ARE	eə	ea "e" + between "e" and "a"	hair hair	heə	(heh ´ )
URE, OUR	uə	uh "y" + between "e" and "a"	tour travel	tʊə	(tue)
URE, OUR	uə	uh "y" + between "e" and "a"	insure	ɪnˈʃuə	(inshue ´ )

Greetings, my dear readers.

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

We have already introduced you to the concept 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 clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes so that you can immediately get the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with the sounds being studied and their translation.

What else can you find on the blog:

with letters and transcription (you can study them online, download, print and work with them);
for children I have a complete one.

Let `s start?

Features of English transcription:

it is always formatted with 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 [‘] before 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 pronounce;
to show that a sound is long we use a colon.

In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!

Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:

English letter	Transcription	Russian equivalent
Aa		Hey
Bb		Bi
Cc		Si
Dd		Di
Ee		AND
Ff	[ɛf]	Eph
Gg		Gee
Hh		H.
II		Ay
Jj		Jay
Kk		Kay
Ll	[ɛl]	Al
mm	[ɛm]	Em
Nn	[ɛn]	En
Oo	[əʊ]	OU
Pp		Pi
Qq		Q
Rr	[ɑː] or [ɑɹ]	A or Ar
Ss	[ɛs]	Es
Tt		Tee
Uu		YU
Vv		In and
Ww	[ˈdʌb(ə)l juː]	Double
Xx	[ɛks]	The ex
Yy		Wye
Zz	,	Zed, zee

But do you know what is the most interesting thing about English?

If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!

That's why I prepared for you

Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:

Combination	Transcription	How to pronounce	Example
ee	/i:/	AND	bee - bee
ea	/ ı:/	AND	tea - tea
oo	/u/	U	cook - to cook
th	/ ð / / Ѳ /	Z, S (interdental)	thumb - finger
sh	/ ʃ /	Sh	shout - shout
ch	/tʃ/	H	chair - chair
ph	/f/	F	phone - phone
ck	/k/	TO	snack - snack
ng	/ Ƞ /	Ng	song - song
wh	/w/	Ua	why - why
wr	/r/	R	write - write
qu	/kw/	Kua	queen - queen
igh	/aı/	Ay	high - high
all	/Ɔ:l/	Ol	tall - tall
ai	/eı/	Hey	Spain - Spain
ay	/eı/	Hey	May - May
oi	/oı/	Oh	point - point
oh	/oı/	Oh	toy - toy
ow	/oƱ/	OU	grow - grow
ou	/aƱ/	Ay	out - outside
ew	/ju:/	YU	knew - knew
aw	/ Ɔ: /	Ooo	draw - draw
ee+r	/ ıə /	Eeyore	engineer - engineer
ou+r	/aƱə/	Aue	our - ours
oo+r	/ Ɔ: /	Ooo	door - door
wo+r	/ ɜ: /	Y/O	work - work
ai+r	/eə/	Ea	chair - chair
oa+r	/ Ɔ: /	Ooh	roar - scream
might	/Ʊd/	Oud	could - could
ound	/aƱnd/	Aund	round - round
eigh	/eı/	Hey	eight - eight
-y	/ ı /	AND	tiny - tiny
au	/ Ɔ: /	Oo	Paul - Paul
gh	/f/	F	laugh - laugh
aught	/Ɔ:t/	From	taught - taught

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

How to remember combinations of letters?

Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
Read. Pay attention to combinations of letters when or just texts.
Don't get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then move directly to English. Learn as you go!
Buy paper or download a good e-book in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you, an adult, need it, don’t hesitate to take books for children - everything there is explained in detail and is not without interest.
Take the course « English from scratch» . This will make your path easier.

That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. I provide even more similar materials in the blog newsletter - subscribe and receive a dose of useful information regularly.

It is not easy to learn to read English correctly, because the rules for reading each individual letter in this language directly depend on its position in the word. For example, the vowel letter “a”, depending on its “neighbors”, can convey two different sounds: a - date or a [ǽ] - bag. Letter combinations can also be pronounced differently. Today we will look at the basic living rules for reading English, including vowel letters and combinations. How to read English correctly There are a lot of words in English, the use of which you just need to remember, since they do not follow the rules. There are also many exceptions, including from the rules of pronunciation, How to pronounce English sounds correctly, which also need to be memorized. Plus, you also need to learn how to pronounce phonemes, which have no analogues in the Russian language. However, for almost a billion people on Earth, English is a foreign language that they have studied and learned.

This huge number of people have learned to read foreign languages correctly and pronounce “foreign” sounds. With persistence and diligence, it is not difficult to acquire any skill. Therefore, tune in to fascinating videos or text lessons and interesting exercises to learn not only the living rules of reading English, but also be able to acquire good British or American pronunciation.

As I already said, vowels can convey several phonemes at once, depending on the type of syllable they are included in. It is very difficult to trace these patterns. And yet their reading can be divided into two categories: stressed vowels and unstressed vowels. Drum pronunciation rules:

In an open (go) or conventionally open (polea) syllable, vowels are read in the same way as they are called in the alphabet
In a closed syllable, vowels convey short sounds
When a vowel is followed by the letter “r” or “r” and a consonant, a long sound is pronounced
When a vowel is followed by “re” or “r” and a vowel, it is read as a triphthong or diphthong

This table will demonstrate these rules to you most clearly:

Letter	Open syllable	Closed sound	"r" or "r"+ acc.	"re" or "r"+vowel.
A	date	[æ] bag	car	[εə] care
O	[əu] nose	[ɔ] got	[ɔ:] north	[ɔ:] more
U	tube	[ʌ] stuff	[ɜ:] purlin ["p∂:®lin]	pure
E	she [∫i]	[e] shelf [∫elf]	[ɜ:] her	here
I	five	[i] big	[ɜ:] girl	fire
Y	bye	[i] myth	[ɜ:] myrtle ["m∂:®tl]	tire

Download this worksheet and print it out. It will be a good help for you when doing practical exercises. Reading Rules Rules for pronunciation of unstressed words:

The letters “e”, “y”, “i” are pronounced as [i] unless they are followed by an “r”: divide
The vowels “a”, “u”, “o” without stress, as well as in prefixes and suffixes, are read as the sound [∂]: glorious
The letter “i” before a vowel is pronounced [j]: union [`ju:nj∂n]
Vowels before “r” convey the sound [∂]: player [`plei∂ ®]

Do not forget to consolidate all acquired knowledge with the help of practical exercises. Watch an educational video demonstrating the position of the tongue and lips when pronouncing various phonemes.

Living rules for reading English

In fact, “Living Rules for Reading the English Language” is one of the best book guides on foreign reading and pronunciation from Yu. A. Ivanova. This tutorial clearly and simply explains the various English laws of pronunciation and reading. Each short lesson is immediately followed by practical exercises and self-tests with examples.

In the text and exercises you will see tasks that you need to listen to or watch a video, and at the end of each page there is a link where you can get these additional materials. To make the exercises more interesting and exciting, the author diluted the rules with funny rhymes and funny tongue twisters to practice pronunciation, which not only adults, but also children will be able to do.

The book contains many practical, exciting and varied exercises designed to teach a beginner or child the basic laws of reading and to distinguish by ear sounds that are not characteristic of the Russian language. The self-instruction manual can be used by students who have just begun to master the language and want to comprehend its basic postulates. The publication is recommended for both group classes and self-study.

For comfortable further study of a foreign language, it is very important to acquire reading skills, basic pronunciation laws, know the foreign alphabet and

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

Transcription may not be of interest to everyone, but it is, without a doubt, useful. Knowing the transcription, you will correctly read an unfamiliar word without outside help. During classes, you can read the transcription of a word yourself (for example, from the blackboard) without asking others, thereby making it easier for yourself to assimilate lexical material, etc.

At first there will be errors in correct reading, because... There are always some subtleties in pronunciation. But this is just a matter of practice. A little later, if necessary, you will be able to 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 domestic ones) talk about reading rules, much attention is paid to the type of syllable. About five such types are usually described. But such a detailed theoretical presentation of the rules of reading does not greatly ease the fate of a beginner, and can 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 to the basic rules for reading individual letters and letter combinations. “Behind the scenes” there will be some phonetic aspects that are difficult to convey in writing.

A little patience! Both transcription and reading rules are easily learned 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 wide 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 beginning, look into the dictionary more often.

Transcription icons and their pronunciation

Symbols Consonants	Pronunciation of sound (similar to Russian)	Symbols Vowel sounds	Pronunciation of sound (similar to Russian)
[ b ]	[ b ]	Single sounds
[ d ]	[ d ]	[ Λ ]	[ A] - a short
[ f ]	[ f ]	[ a:]	[ A] - deep
[ 3 ]	[ and ]	[ i ]	[ And] - a short
[ d3 ]	[ j ]	[ i: ]	[ And] - long
[ g ]	[ G ]	[ o ]	[ O] - a short
[ h ]	[ X ]	[ o: ]	[ O] - deep
[ k ]	[ To ]	[ u ]	[ at] - a short
[ l ]	[ l ]	[ u: ]	[ at] - long
[ m ]	[ m ]	[ e ]	as in the word "pl" e d"
[ n ]	[ n ]	[ ε: ]	as in the word "m" e d"
[ p ]	[ P ]	Diphthongs
[ s ]	[ With ]	[ u ]	[ OU ]
[ t ]	[ T ]	[ au ]	[ aw ]
[ v ]	[ V ]	[ ei ]	[ Hey ]
[ z ]	[ h ]	[ oi ]	[ Ouch ]
[ t∫]	[ h ]	[ ai ]	[ ah ]
[∫ ]	[ w ]
[ r ]	Soft [ R] as in the word R Russian
[ O	A sign of softness as in a Russian letter Yo (e lk)
Sounds without analogies in Russian
[ θ ]		[ æ ]
[ ð ]
[ ŋ ]	Nasal, in the French style, sound [ n ]	[ ə ]	[neutral sound]
[ w ]

Notes:

o]. But in modern English dictionaries this sound is usually designated as shown in the table.

Diphthong is a complex sound that consists of two sounds. In most cases, a diphthong can be "broken" into two sounds, but not in writing. Since in many cases one of the component sounds of a diphthong, if used separately, will have a different designation. For example diphthong [ au]: separately such transcription icon as [ a] - Does not exist. Therefore, most diphthongs are not indicated by a combination of different transcription symbols, but by their own sign.

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

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

Reading Rules

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

Open syllable ends with a vowel: game, like, stone- a vowel letter in a word is read the same way as in the alphabet.

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

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

Single vowel sounds

Sound	Rules
[ e ]	usually gives a letter e in a closed syllable: g e t[g e t ], v e t[v e t ] as well as a letter combination ea:d ea d[d e d ], pl ea sure [´pl e 3 ə ] Note: the same letter combination often produces the sound [ i:] (see below)
[ i ]	usually gives a letter i in a closed syllable: h i t[h i t ], k i ll[k i l ] and also the letter y in a closed syllable: g y m[d3 i m ], c y Linder [´s i lində ] Note: the same letters in an open syllable give the sound [ ai] (see below)
[ i: ]	appears in the following letter combinations: e+e(always): m ee t[m i: t ], d ee p ; letter e in an open syllable: tr ee[ tr i:], St e ve[st i: v ]; in letter combination e+a: m ea t[m i: t ], b ea m [ b i: m] Note: this is the same letter combination ( ea) often makes the sound [ e] (see above)
[ o ]	usually gives a letter o in a closed syllable: p o t[p o t ], l o ttery [´l o təri ], and also the letter a in a closed syllable after w: wa sp[w o sp ], s wa n[sw o n ]
[ o: ]	o+r:c or n[k o: n ], f or tress [´f o: trə s ]; m or e[m o: ] almost always in a+u:f au na[´f o: nə ], t au nt[t o: nt ]; the only exceptions are a few words, for example, au nt Consonant (except w) +a+w:d aw n[d o: n ], h aw k[h o: k]. always in letter combination a+ll:t all[ t o: l ], sm all[sm o: l ] Letter combination a+ld (lk) also produces this sound: b ald[ b o: ld ], t alk[ t o: k] Not often, but you can find the letter combination ou + r giving this sound :p our[ p o:], m our n.
[ æ ]	usually gives a letter a in a closed syllable: fl a g[fl æ g ], m a rried [´m æ rid ]
[ Λ ]	usually gives a letter u in a closed syllable: d u st[d Λ st ], S u nday [´s Λ ndei]. And: double:d double[d Λ bl ], tr double[ tr Λ bl ] ove:gl ove[gl Λ v ], d ove[d Λ v] Note: but there are also exceptions: m ove[ m u: v ] - (see below); fl oo d[fl Λ d ], bl oo d[bl Λ d ] - (see above)
[ a: ]	appears in the following letter combinations: a+r:d ar k[d a: k ], f ar m [ f a: m ] (see note) regular letter a in a closed syllable: l a st [ l a: st ], f a ther[f a:ðə ] - therefore it is necessary to check the dictionary, because a in a closed syllable it traditionally produces the sound [ æ ] as in c a t[k æ t ]; consonant + alm also produces this sound consistently: p alm[ p a: m ], c alm[k a: m ] + note Note: 1. very rarely a+r gives sound [ o:]w ar m[w o: m ]; 3. Rarely: s al mon[s æ mən ]
[ u ] [ u: ]	The length of this sound varies in most cases for historical reasons rather than for orthographic reasons. That is, for each word it is determined individually. This difference in longitude does not carry a huge semantic load, as in other sounds. And in oral speech it does not need to be specifically emphasized. This sound occurs in the following cases: Always o+o:f oo t[f u t ], b oo t [ b u: t ], t oo k[t u k ], m oo n[m u: n ] after pu in a closed syllable sometimes gives a short version: pu t[p u t ], pu sh[p u∫ ] (the previous letter is always p) - (see note) ou+ consonant: c ou ld[k u: d ], w ou nd[w u: nd ] (but such cases are not frequent). r+u+ consonant + vowel: p ru ne [ pr u: n ], ru mour[r u: mə ] Note: 2. But in similar cases with other consonants u almost always produces a sound [ Λ ] : c u t[k Λ t ], pl u s[pl Λ s ], p u nch[p Λ nt∫ ]
[ ε: ]	occurs in closed syllables with the following letter combinations: Always i /e /u + r(in a closed syllable): sk ir t[sk ε: t ], p er son[p ε: sən]t ur n[t ε: n ], b ur st[b ε: st ] - (see note) ea + r:p ear l[p ε: l ], l ear n[ l ε: n ] Note: in some cases a combination o+r after w makes this sound: w or d[w ε: d ], w or k[w ε: k]
[ ə ]	Most unstressed vowels produce a neutral sound: vowel combinations: fam ou s[ feim ə s ], c o mput er[k ə mpju:t ə ]

Vowel diphthongs

Sound	Rules
[ ei ]	a in an open syllable: g a me [g ei m], p a le[p ei l ] ai in a closed syllable: p ai n[p ei n ], r ai l[r ei l ] ay(usually at the end): pr ay[ pr ei], h ay[ h ei ] ey(rarely, but aptly) usually at the end: gr ey[ gr ei], surv ey[´sε:v ei ] Note: 4. the same letter combination sometimes produces the sound [ i:]: key [ k i: ]
[ ai ]	usually occurs in the following cases: letter i in an open syllable: f i ne[f ai n ], pr i ce [ pr ai s ] ie at the end of a word: p ie[ p ai], d ie[d ai ] letter y in an open syllable: rh y me[r ai m ], s y ce[s ai s ] and at the end of the word: m y[ m ai], cr y[kr ai ] ye at the end of a word: d ye[d ai], r ye[r ai ]
[ oi ]	usually occurs in the following cases: oi(usually in the middle of a word) - p oi son [´p oi zən ], n oi se[n oi z ] oh(usually at the end) - b oh[ b oi], all oh[´æl oi ]
[ au ]	appears in the following letter combinations: o+w:h ow[ h au], d ow n[d au n ] - (see note) o + u:r ou nd[r au nd ], p ou t[p au t ] Note: 1. the same letter combination often produces the sound [ u] (see below)
[ u ]	usually gives a letter o in an open syllable: st o ne[ st u n ], l o nely [´l u nli ] letter combinations o+w(usually at the end of a word): bl ow[bl u], cr ow[kr u] - (see note) ou before l:s ou l[s əul], f ou l[f u l ] oa+ vowel: c oa ch[k ut∫], t oa d[t u d] old(as in open syllable): c old[k u ld ], g old[g u ld]. Note: 1. exception word: b o th[ b uθ ]; 2. the same letter combination often produces the sound [ au] (see above)
[ iə ]	ea + r:h ear[ h iə], n ear[ n iə] - (see note) e + r + e:h here[ h iə] , s here[s iə ] ee + r:d eer[d iə], p eer[ p iə ] Note: 1. if this letter combination is followed by a consonant, then the sound [ ε: ] - d ear th[d ε: θ]. Exception - b ear d[b iə d]
[ eə ]	give the following letter combinations: a+r+e:d are[d eə], fl are[ fl eə ] ai + r:h air[ h eə], f air[ f eə ]
[ aiə ]	give the following letter combinations: i+r+e:f ire[ f aiə], h ire[ h aiə ] y + r + e:t yre[ t aiə], p yre[ p aiə ]

Consonants

Sound	Rules
[∫ ]	There are several letter combinations that always produce this sound (among others): tion [∫ə n]: celebra tion[´seli´brei∫n], tui tion[tju:´i∫n] cious [∫ə s]: deli cious[dil´∫əs], vi cious[´vi∫əs] cian [∫ə n]: musi cian[mju:´zi∫ən], politi cian[poli´ti∫ən] and, of course, the letter combination sh: sh eep [∫i:p], sh oot [ ∫u:t ]
[ t∫]	always occurs in: ch: ch air [t∫eə], ch ild [t∫aild] t+ure:crea ture[´kri:t∫ə], fu ture[ ´fju:t∫ə ]
[ ð ] [ θ ]	These two sounds are given by the same letter combination th. Usually, if this letter combination is in the middle of a word (between two vowels), then the sound [ ð ]: wi th out [wi´ ð aut] And, if it is at the beginning or end of a word, then the sound [ θ ]: th anks [ θ ænks ], fai th[ fei θ ]
[ ŋ ]	the nasal sound occurs in the letter combination vowel + ng: s ing[ si ŋ ], h ung ry [´hΛ ŋ gri ], wr ong[wro ŋ ], h ang[hæ ŋ ]
[ j ]	softness in sound may occur in some cases, and not manifest itself in other similar cases, for example s u per [´s u: p ə ] (see dictionary): u in an open syllable: m u te[m j u:t ], h u ge[h j u:d3 ] ew:f ew[ f j u: ], l ew d[l j u:d ] if the word starts with y + vowel: ya rd[ j a:d ], yo ung[ jΛŋ ]

Now take the interactive lesson and pin this topic