Learn the IPA vowel chart
Read vowel symbols by height, backness and lip rounding instead of guessing from English spelling. Use the chart to build a small comparison set and keep vowel quality separate from stress and length.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Compare IPA vowels
Explore vowel height, backness and rounding, insert a comparison line, and save your IPA notes.
English narration Captions: English
Watch video
What you’ll learn
- Locate a vowel using height, backness and rounding.
- Explain what the left and right members of a vowel pair mean.
- Insert and compare vowel symbols without treating word hints as universal pronunciations.
A few symbols, a clearer picture
A rounding comparison
Both are close front vowels; i is unrounded and y is rounded.
A second rounding comparison
Both are close back vowels; ɯ is unrounded and u is rounded.
Schwa
A mid central vowel quality, not a symbol meaning every unstressed vowel.
A height comparison
These front unrounded vowels differ in height: e is close-mid and ɛ is open-mid.
Read a space, not an alphabet
The diagram organizes vowel qualities along continuous dimensions.
Read the explanation
The vowel chart is a reference map. Its vertical dimension runs from close toward open, while its horizontal dimension runs from front through central to back. These terms describe the tongue configuration used to make a vowel. Lip rounding adds another dimension that cannot be shown by position alone. Begin by locating a symbol, then read its description rather than assigning it the sound of a familiar written letter.
The positions are useful reference points, not photographs of the tongue or a guarantee that every speaker produces an identical sound. A language may use only a small part of the available vowel space. More detailed phonetic descriptions can add diacritics between these reference qualities. The i2Speak diagram includes 28 symbol buttons and additional height labels to help you find them; it is not a list of 28 English vowels.
Schematic comparison from close toward open; not a word or a required movement.
Schematic front-to-back comparison with unrounded reference vowels.
Read rounding and vowel quality separately
In a displayed pair, the symbol on the right is rounded.
Read the explanation
The pair i y lets you compare front vowels while keeping height similar and changing lip rounding. The pair ɯ u makes the same comparison at the back of the chart. Rounded vowels are therefore not limited to the back, and an unfamiliar rounded front vowel is not simply an English letter pronounced with extra emphasis. Identify all three dimensions before deciding which symbol belongs in a transcription.
Vowel quality also differs from duration. Writing iː adds a length mark after i; it does not turn i into another vowel-quality symbol. Likewise, e and ɛ occupy different height regions even when either one is relatively brief. English spelling is a poor shortcut here: the same spelling can accompany different sounds, and the same vowel can be spelled in several ways. Word hints are memory aids for particular accents.
Schematic unrounded-versus-rounded contrast at a close front position.
Schematic close-mid-versus-open-mid contrast; neither symbol means a particular spelling.
Keep schwa, stress and transcription purpose distinct
Schwa describes a central vowel, while stress describes prominence.
Read the explanation
Schwa ə is associated with many reduced syllables in English, but unstressed syllables can contain other vowels. Across languages, ə can also occur with stress. Do not replace every unstressed vowel with ə automatically. Decide which vowel quality you need from the pronunciation being described and from the conventions of your course, dictionary or research project.
Square brackets, such as [ə], identify a phonetic representation. Slashes, such as /ə/, identify a phonological category in a particular language analysis. A broad transcription may intentionally use a conventional symbol without recording every small phonetic difference. For listening practice, use the International Phonetic Association's external interactive chart; the buttons in this keyboard insert text and do not play recordings.
Schematic mid-central versus near-open-central comparison; two different qualities.
Build a four-vowel comparison line
Prepare a practice line
Open the Vowels chart and place the caret on an empty practice line in the editor. Turn off Smart IPA suggestions while entering spaces or literal notation.
Compare the front pair
Select i on the chart, type a space, then select y beside it. The chart buttons insert their displayed symbols at the caret.
Add two reference points
Type a space and select the central ə button. Type another space and select the close back rounded vowel u.
Check and keep the result
Compare your line with the sample. Use Copy text to copy the editor contents or Download text to save them; check the pasted result in your destination.
Check your understanding
Try each question, then compare your reasoning with the explanation. These exercises stay on this page and do not change your editor text.
Use a stated vowel convention
State the language, accent or speaker and transcription scope. A vowel symbol is a category, not an acoustic measurement or diagnosis.
Keep a symbol key and inspect the destination font. Compare reference recordings with appropriate language-specific material.
Listen to the IPA’s recorded chartListening opens the International Phonetic Association website. Exercises here practice notation and interpretation; they do not assess pronunciation.