This website is intended to give young teenagers a start in learning the IPA, by teaching the basic IPA symbols and sounds associated with Standard American English.

IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. This is an alphabet designed by the International Phonetic Association to write down words phonetically. This means that they are written down as they sound: every sound has its own letter. There are no words that are spelled the same but sound different.

The IPA was created to give a common ground for discussion concerning linguistics, or the study of language. There are a lot of reasons to want to learn the IPA. Some of the more fun reasons are to use it as a secret code with friends, to better communicate how someone said something funny, or to write down crazy-sounding words you make up with your friends but can't really spell in English. For you who are interested in acting and singing, it's good to get a foundation in the IPA, since you will probably be using it somewhere down the line.

For more information about the International Phonetic Association, the International Phonetic Alphabet, other topics in linguistics, and this website, click on "Links & Info" at the top of the page.

Get Started!* Click on a link below to go to that section. We recommend starting with Consonants and continuing from there. We also recommend having a mirror handy to watch what your mouth is doing when you imitate these sounds! You might want to keep this helpful diagram (a cross-section of the mouth & relevant sound-producers) handy, too.

Consonants:
• Plosives
• Fricatives
• Affricates
• Nasals
• Approximants

Vowels:
• Front
• Central
• Back
• Diphthongs

Other

*As you go through this website, you will come across some technical terms. They are given because they may be helpful for you to know if you chose to continue studies in linguistics one day. However, if you find them difficult to keep track of or remember DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. The most important knowledge for you to gain from this site is what sounds go with what IPA symbols.