Only 26 Letter But So Many Sounds

The English language is unfaithful to its spelling. This can be confusing to both native speakers and English speakers of other languages.

Facts:

• There are 26 letters in the English alphabet:
  ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
• Of the 26 letters, 5 are vowels:
  AEIOU (well, sometimes Y).
• But, there are more than 40 vowel and consonant sounds in English.
• Sometimes, the number of letters in a word matches the number of sounds:
  
• DENTIST – 7 letters, 7 sounds: /ˈdentɪst/
• FROG – 4 letters, 4 sounds: /frɒg/
• Other times, the number of sounds differs from the number of letters:
  
• HAPPY – 5 letters, 4 sounds: /ˈhæp.i/
• TEAM – 4 letters, 3 sounds: /tiːm/
• Sometimes, letters are silent:
  
• NIGHT – /naɪt/ (Where do you say the G and the H?)
• CASTLE – /ˈkæs.əl/ (What happened to the T?)
• Occasionally, two letters make one sound, and sometimes one letter makes two sounds:
  
• BREAD – /bred/
• SIX – /sɪks/
• Sometimes, two words sound the same but are spelled differently:
  
• WRITE – /raɪt/
• RIGHT – /raɪt/
• Sometimes, words have the same spelling but different sounds and meanings:
  
• READ – /riːd/ (Read the instruction manual before using the device.)
• READ – /red/ (I read that book ages ago.)
• TEAR – /ter/ (You’ve got a tear in your sweater.)
• TEAR – /tɪər/ (Cutting onions makes my eyes tear.)

It’s confusing, and that’s why we have phonemic script. This system uses symbols to show how words should sound. Although linguists may disagree on the exact transcription, it’s a invaluable tool to learn for using a dictionary and learning the accepted pronunciation of unfamiliar words.

For this reason, we use the IPA (International Phonemic Alphabet) in our classes: it helps students recognize sounds independently and become confident learners outside of class.

Want to learn more about ways we help students perfect their English skills? Set up your evaluation and placement class and join a course!