Build an IPA practice routine
Read a spelling, recall its sounds, and compare the symbols deliberately. Learn what the checker accepts, how to use a correction, and how to build a useful second round.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Build your IPA confidence
Build confidence with a short IPA transcription exercise.
English narration Captions: English
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What you’ll learn
- Write a broad American English transcription from a familiar English spelling.
- Separate a notation convention from a pronunciation choice when reviewing feedback.
- Use a small set of missed words to plan a focused retry.
A few symbols, a clearer picture
One vowel matters
The tool distinguishes ship and sheep with ɪ and i. Its broad American convention does not add a length mark to i.
Stress is a setting
Check stress in a stress-focused round. Ignore stress marks lets you first concentrate on the consonants and vowels.
A declared tolerance
This English checker accepts r as a typing substitute for ɹ. That tolerance does not make the two IPA symbols universally interchangeable.
Optional ties here
Tied and untied affricates are accepted in this exercise. Other diacritics still count in the comparison.
Know what an answer means
A checked answer is a match to a dictionary model, not an assessment of a speaker.
Read the explanation
The activity shows a written English word and asks you to type IPA. Its answer set comes from the same broad American English dictionary engine as the converter. It does not play a word, record your voice or infer how you pronounce it. A green result means that your notation matches one of the allowed forms under the current checking settings.
Spelling alone may be ambiguous. Read, for example, has the accepted forms ɹɛd and ɹid. In a sentence you would need the meaning to choose between them; in this spelling-only activity either listed pronunciation is accepted. Use a short, unambiguous list when teaching one particular sound.
The first model uses the site’s convention: ɹ for English r, ɡ for the voiced velar stop, i and u without length marks, and ɚ or ɝ for r-colored vowels. A course may prefer a different convention. Read the checker’s notes before interpreting a mismatch as a lack of understanding.
The spelling sh corresponds to one symbol in this model.
More than one dictionary form can be valid for an isolated spelling.
Choose what to pay attention to
Change one learning goal at a time.
Read the explanation
First steps and Consonant contrasts begin with Ignore stress marks selected. Word stress begins with that option cleared. You can change it before starting. Once a round starts, the setting is locked so that the same standard applies to every answer in that round.
The checker accepts ordinary g or IPA ɡ, r or ɹ, optional tie bars on affricates, matching outer slashes or brackets, and spaces. These are explicit conveniences for this English exercise. It does not remove vowel length marks or every diacritic. An extra ː can therefore produce a mismatch even if your dictionary elsewhere uses that mark.
Use the symbol buttons below the answer field to insert a character at the caret. Enter checks your answer. Each item gets one scored attempt; after the feedback, choose Next word. Reveal answer is useful when you are stuck, but it records the word for a later retry rather than awarding a correct answer.
With stress checking on, include the mark in about.
With Ignore stress marks selected, the same segments are accepted without the mark.
Turn differences into a second attempt
Look at the smallest useful correction, then recall it again.
Read the explanation
When an answer differs, the feedback aligns it with the closest listed model. Matching positions stay plain; highlighted positions show replacements or extra and missing symbols. A dot is a visual placeholder for an empty position. It is not an IPA symbol you should copy into the answer.
Combining marks are compared together with their base symbol, so a marked vowel is treated as a visible unit. The alignment is a practical editing aid, not a phonological analysis. It can show where two strings differ without deciding why you chose that pronunciation.
At the end, read the review list and choose Retry missed words. The new round contains only incorrect or revealed items, and its score starts fresh. Copy summary preserves the round’s results and models as text. Keep a note of the patterns you want to improve, rather than treating a single percentage as a measure of pronunciation ability.
For ship, the useful change in this example is the vowel.
Both contribute to progress, but only the matched answer contributes to the score.
Practice a three-word contrast
Start with your own words
Choose My own vocabulary, paste the three words, keep Ignore stress marks selected, and choose Start practice.
Try the first word
For ship, type ʃip and choose Check answer. Compare the highlighted vowel with the model ʃɪp. This deliberately incorrect attempt makes the feedback easy to inspect.
Continue with sheep
Choose Next word. Type ʃip for sheep and check it. The same string now matches because the word has changed.
Handle the ambiguous spelling
For read, type ɹid or ɹɛd. Either listed form is accepted. Choose See my results to review the complete round.
Recall the correction
Choose Retry missed words. The new round contains ship. Type ʃɪp from memory, check it, then copy the summary if you want to retain a record.
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 small round as a teaching prompt
For a class, choose words that fit one objective and tell learners which convention to use. If the goal is a contrast, inspect both models first. The score is a record of string matches under the stated settings; use the explanations and retry choices to discuss the learner’s reasoning.
For personal study, mix a few familiar items with a small number of challenging ones. Keep the summary if you need a record, then return later for another recall attempt. The page does not maintain a long-term progress history.
My own vocabulary accepts up to 50 different dictionary words. Unknown spellings are listed and excluded; they are not evidence that the words lack a pronunciation. Use the worksheet maker when you want to supply checked IPA for specialist words or another language.
Explore the official IPA chartThese exercises practice written notation and interpretation.