pronunciation
How words sound
Pronunciation is the way a word or language is spoken—the sounds, stress patterns, and intonation that make up its utterance.
Someone's pronunciation may reveal their regional origin or native language: Her pronunciation marked her as a Southerner.
Correct pronunciation varies by dialect; what sounds wrong in one region may be standard in another.
Mispronunciation is saying a word differently from accepted norms: He always mispronounces "nuclear" as "nucular".
Minimal distinctive sound unit
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- vowelUnobstructed speech sound
- consonantIn agreement with
- diphthongComplex vowel gliding between positions
syllable · voiced · voiceless · fricative · plosive · affricate · nasal · segmental
Pitch variation in speech
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- pitchFrequency of sound
- toneQuality of sound
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
emphasis · contour · melody · cadence · rise · fall · timing · tempo
Clear vocal expression
- dictionChoice of words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- distinctnessQuality of being distinguishable
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
audibility · intelligibility · crispness · mumbling · slurring · garbling · tongue-twister · speech therapy
Regional language variety
- regionalRelating to an area
- twangSharp vibrating sound
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- brogueAccent or sturdy shoe
lilt · vernacular · native speaker · foreign accent · standard · non-native · sociolect · prestige
Alphabetical word reference
- entryAccess or submission
- phonetic spellingTranscription based on pronunciation
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
- IPASound notation system
guide · key · respelling · audio · lookup · variant · preferred · alternative
phoneme
Minimal distinctive sound unit
diphthong · syllable · voiced · voiceless · fricative · plosive · affricate · nasal · segmental · articulatory
intonation
Pitch variation in speech
rhythm · emphasis · contour · melody · cadence · rise · fall · timing · tempo · flow
articulation
Clear vocal expression
- dictionChoice of words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- distinctnessQuality of being distinguishable
precision · audibility · intelligibility · crispness · mumbling · slurring · garbling · tongue-twister · speech therapy · lisp
dialect
Regional language variety
brogue · lilt · vernacular · native speaker · foreign accent · standard · non-native · sociolect · prestige · stigmatized
dictionary
Alphabetical word reference
- entryAccess or submission
- phonetic spellingTranscription based on pronunciation
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
IPA · guide · key · respelling · audio · lookup · variant · preferred · alternative · British
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- speechspeech, speaking, talk, diction, conversation
- language learningvocabulary lists, lessons, acquisition, basic vocabulary, grammar books
- Learning Frenchvocabulary, grammar, verbs, nouns, adjectives
- other languages Q&Atranslation, vocabulary, grammar, phrases, idioms
- Spanish languagedialects, Spanglish, Latin America, Mexico, Caribbean
pronunciationmispronunciation
Incorrect vocal rendering
malapropism · speech error · slip of the tongue · misspeak · mispronouncing
pronunciationspelling
Correct letter sequence
orthography · written form · transcription · writing · grapheme
- pronunciation guideChart showing speech sounds
- English pronunciationHow words sound spoken
- pronunciation keySymbols showing word sounds
- pronunciation errorIncorrect vocalization of words
- different pronunciation
- pronunciation shiftsAlterations in spoken forms