pronunciations
How words sound
Pronunciations are the ways words are spoken aloud—the specific sounds, stress patterns, and rhythms that distinguish one word from another.
A word may have multiple accepted pronunciations varying by region, formality, or individual preference: Both pronunciations are correct.
Debates over pronunciation can reveal class consciousness or regional pride.
Clarity of spoken words
- dictionChoice of words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- clarityState of being understandable
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
tongue · lips · palate · throat · mouth · speech · oral · nasal
Minimal sound distinctions
- vowelsLetters with unblocked airflow
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
- syllablesUnits of pronunciation
- diphthongsCombined vowel sounds
allophones · plosives · fricatives · nasals · glides · liquids · voicing · aspiration
Pitch variation in speech
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- pitchFrequency of sound
- toneQuality of sound
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
rhythm · emphasis · contour · rising · falling · modulation · melody · pattern
Regional language variety
- regionalRelating to an area
- twangSharp vibrating sound
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- liltRhythmic speech quality
brogue · received · standard · native · foreign · British · American · Australian
Written version of speech
- IPASound notation system
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
- symbolsMarks conveying meaning
- dictionaryAlphabetical word reference
respelling · diacritics · breve · acute · grave · schwa · guide · key
enunciation
Clarity of spoken words
vocalization · tongue · lips · palate · throat · mouth · speech · oral · nasal · voiced
phonemes
Minimal sound distinctions
- vowelsLetters with unblocked airflow
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
- syllablesUnits of pronunciation
diphthongs · allophones · plosives · fricatives · nasals · glides · liquids · voicing · aspiration · glottal
intonation
Pitch variation in speech
cadence · rhythm · emphasis · contour · rising · falling · modulation · melody · pattern · accent
dialect
Regional language variety
lilt · brogue · received · standard · native · foreign · British · American · Australian · Southern
transcription
Written version of speech
dictionary · respelling · diacritics · breve · acute · grave · schwa · guide · key · brackets
variant
Differing form of something
- alternativeAnother available choice
- spellingCorrect letter sequence
- silentProducing no sound
irregular · exception · homophone · homograph · heteronym · regional · archaic · borrowed · anglicized · hypercorrection
- dictionary elementsheadwords, entries, definitions, lemmas, etymologies
- dialectologydialectology, dialect atlas, linguistic atlas, regional dialects, fieldwork
- dictionariesdictionary, dictionaries, definitions, definition, entries
- culturesAmerican culture, African culture, Asian culture, British culture, Canadian culture
- Inuit vocabularybody parts, numerals, greetings, action words, verb forms
pronunciationsspellings
Proper letter order
transcriptions · graphemes · typography · orthography · orthographies
pronunciationsmuteness
Inability to speak
silences · unspoken words · silence · speechlessness · mispronunciations
- 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