Enter an IPA sound
Open Find words by sound and type ʃ in IPA sound or sequence. Choose Starts with for Sound position, then select 1 syllable. Keep Primary stress at Any position and Letter-only spellings checked. Leave the optional fields under More filters empty.
Select Find words. The tool downloads the dictionary sections it needs on the first search and scans them locally, showing progress. The Starts with /ʃ/ example button provides a quick starting point; choose 1 syllable afterward and run the search for this tutorial’s exact settings.
Use the Vowels and Consonants sound-keyboard tabs beneath the field if you do not have an IPA keyboard handy. Tap to insert at the cursor or replace a selection; each sound stays separate from neighboring phonemes. Hover over a key or focus it with your keyboard to see an example word. Typing sh would request the two phonemes s and h, not ʃ. Spaces are optional in a sequence: s t and st request the same pair of dictionary phonemes. For an affricate, keep its letters together: tʃ requests CH, while t ʃ explicitly requests T followed by SH.
Read the matching rows
This query returns 651 matching pronunciations in the current bundled dictionary. The results are alphabetical, in pages of forty. Among them are ship /ʃɪp/, shoe /ʃu/ and shop /ʃɑp/. Each example has Syllables 1 and Stress 1.
The result counts pronunciations rather than unique spellings. A spelling can appear more than once if different stored forms match. These are broad US English dictionary entries; changing the site’s interface language does not change the pronunciation model.
The word list includes names and uncommon vocabulary, so review it before using it with learners. Letter-only spellings removes punctuation-bearing entries, not every proper name or rare form. Alphabetical order is a navigation choice, not a frequency ranking.
Add a precise stress question
For a different search, enter ə, choose Contains, select 2 syllables and set Primary stress to Last syllable. This looks for a stored form that contains schwa, has two vowel nuclei, and has primary stress on its last nucleus. About /əˈbaʊt/ is one matching example.
Under More filters, Exact stress pattern can make the requirement stricter. Use 01 for two nuclei with the first unstressed and the second primarily stressed. Use 010 for three nuclei with middle primary stress. A 2 in a pattern requests secondary stress at that position. All filters apply together, so a two-syllable count and a three-digit pattern cannot match.
A diphthong counts as one dictionary nucleus even when it is written with two IPA letters. The tool counts nuclei from stored stress-bearing vowel phonemes; it does not draw syllable boundaries or analyze the timing of a speaker’s production.
Refine without losing the sound target
Choose Contains when the sound may occur anywhere, or Ends with when it must finish the pronunciation. A longer IPA sequence narrows the phoneme pattern. Spelling contains narrows the written forms and can be useful when you are building a spelling-to-sound activity.
This tool distinguishes ə from ʌ using the dictionary stress code: ə matches AH0, while ʌ matches stressed AH. It similarly distinguishes ɚ and ɝ. Common notation aliases iː and uː are accepted as the site’s i and u. Unsupported symbols produce an explanation, so you can revise the query without receiving invented matches.
A search can retain up to one thousand pronunciation rows. If the full count is larger, add filters before treating the export as a complete list. The retained list is only the first portion of that broader alphabetical result.
Download a reproducible word list
Return to the initial /ʃ/, Starts with, 1 syllable settings and clear the additional filters. Select Find words, then Download TSV. The file i2speak-words-by-sound.tsv contains Word, IPA, Syllables and Stress columns. The actual file for this tutorial contains 651 result rows plus its header.
Copy results uses the same columns and all retained rows, not just the visible page. Import the TSV as UTF-8 tab-separated text in a spreadsheet. Stress patterns such as 01 can lose their leading zero if a spreadsheet guesses a number type; import the Stress column as text when preserving the notation matters.
Keep the query, sound position, syllable setting and stress filters alongside the downloaded list. Filter settings can return within a tab session when storage is available, but a saved export is the durable record. Review alternatives and choose suitable vocabulary before turning it into a class handout.
Make the search answer your question
A sound or a spelling pattern?
Use the IPA field for phonemes and Spelling contains for written letters. A lesson about sh spellings is different from a search for every pronunciation beginning with ʃ.
A stress position or an exact pattern?
Primary stress chooses a position. An exact pattern also constrains the other nuclei, including any secondary stress.
A pronunciation count or a word count?
Rows represent stored pronunciations. Review repeated spellings before describing the result as a list of distinct words.
Design a schwa-and-stress query
Write settings for two-syllable words that contain ə and have primary stress on the last syllable. Then explain what adding exact stress pattern 01 changes.
Compare with the model answer
The exact pattern explicitly requires an unstressed first nucleus and primarily stressed second nucleus. The other settings already require two nuclei, final primary stress and the schwa sound.
Common questions
Does a sound search work for every IPA symbol?
No. It searches the broad US dictionary inventory supported by the sound-keyboard controls. Unsupported symbols are identified instead of being guessed or silently removed.
Is the number of syllables a written-letter count?
No. It counts dictionary vowel nuclei for the displayed pronunciation. Diphthongs count as one, and alternative pronunciations of a spelling can have different counts.
Why does my exported stress pattern 01 look like 1 in a spreadsheet?
The TSV preserves 01, but a spreadsheet may interpret that field as a number. Import the Stress column as text to retain its leading zero.
Will Copy results copy only the current page?
It copies every retained row across all pages, up to the one-thousand-row limit. Compare the retained count with the full match count before assuming the export is complete.
Sources & further reading
- CMUdict: US English pronunciation dictionary
The pronunciation resource already bundled with i2Speak. Review its dictionary alternatives and possible omissions when preparing a teaching list.
Put it into practice
Open Find words by sound to try the example, then continue with the topic’s practice exercises.
Explore the practice guide
