Common phonemes

Common English phonemes — vowels

Traditionally, English vowels can be pronounced in two ways: with a "short" sound and with a "long" sound.

The "short" forms of vowels are similar to the Spanish vowels: /&/, /e/, /I/, /Q/, /U/. The main difference is that English short vowels are very short and the lips do not move much when pronouncing them — most of them remain in the neutral position of /e/. An exception is /&/, which is pronounced with the lips more open than for the others (if you pronounce it without moving your lips, you get /V/, which is typically spelt with a U, not an A, as in bus, but, sun, or uncle, although it can be spelt with other vowels: son, mother, cousin).

These short forms are typically represented by a vowel followed by a consonant in the same syllable, but remember to be careful when you find a U before a consonant.

pat /p&t/	bag /b&g/	bat /b&t/	bad /b&d/	tan /t&n/	pan /p&n/	cat /k&t/	hat /h&t/
pet /pet/	beg /beg/	bet /bet/	bed /bed/	ten /ten/	pen /pen/
pit /pIt/	big /bIg/	bit /bIt/	bid /bId/	tin /tIn/	pin /pIn/	kit /kIt/	hit /hIt/
pot /pQt/	bog /bQg/	dog /dQg/	posh /pQS/		poll /pQl/	cot /kQt/	hot /hQt/
put /pUt/	book /bUk/	foot /fUt/	push /pUS/		pull /pUl/	full /fUl/
pub /pVb/	bug /bVg/	but /bVt/	bud /bVd/	ton /tVn/	pun /pVn/	cut /kVt/	hut /hVt/

You must also remember that a vowel followed by an -r represents a long sound, not a short one:

car /kA;^r/____
term /t3;m/____
first /f3;st/____
word /w3;d/____
ford /fO;d/____
turn /t3;n/____

The "long" forms of vowels sound the same as the names of the letters: /eI/, /i;/, /aI/, /@U/, /ju;/ (you can memorise the names of the vowels in English remembering the verse "Baby, I owe you" from a 1983 song by Freeeze: I. O. U.).

The "long" sounds of vowels are typically represented by the vowel followed by a consonant and an -e:

make /meIk/	plane /pleIn/	name /neIm/
these /Di:z/_________	complete /kOm"pli:t/____	Chinese /tSaIni:s/____
five /faIv/	rice /raIs/	write /raIt/
phone /f@Un/	note /n@Ut/	hope /h@Up/
use /ju;z/	huge /hju;dZ/	confuse /k@nfju;z/

In any case, remember that there are many exceptions to these very general rules.

Now you can do an exercise to put these rules into practice.
JJCC