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English Phonetics: The 44 Sounds, IPA Symbols and Transcription — REET Notes

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This page brings together the 44 sounds of English, IPA symbols, vowels and diphthongs, how consonants are classified, and the rules for stress and transcription — all in one place. This was the single most-asked part of English in REET 2024, so it's where the safest marks are waiting.

  • 17 questions in REET 2024
  • Teacher-training level
  • 9 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: English phonology — IPA symbols and RP sounds (Wikipedia)

How REET asks this topic

REET 2024's English (Language I/II) papers carried 17 questions from Phonetics alone — the single most-asked topic in the entire English section. The questions came in three flavours: (1) picking the correct phonetic transcription of a word (description, soon, cloth, clumsy, show, stone), (2) identifying which word carries the sound of a given symbol (/ð/, /əʊ/, /ɪə/), and (3) counting and classifying sounds — velar sounds, fricatives, semi-vowels, voiced sounds, the 24 consonants, the 7 short monophthongs, consonant clusters. The level matches teacher-training (D.El.Ed./B.Ed.) textbooks and is based on the IPA symbols of British RP. Two questions — one on fricatives, one on a wrongly printed symbol — were declared BONUS by BSER.

What phonetics is, and how many sounds English actually has

Phonetics is the branch of linguistics that studies how speech sounds are produced, carried and heard. The smallest sound unit that changes meaning in a language is called a phoneme — in 'pin' and 'bin', swapping only /p/ for /b/ changes the whole meaning. Phonemic (broad) transcription is written between two slashes / /, while narrow phonetic transcription uses square brackets [ ]; REET's questions test the phonemic / / form.

The English alphabet has 26 letters — 5 vowel letters and 21 consonant letters — but English actually has 44 sounds: 20 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds. This gap is exactly where REET sets its trap: 'how many consonant sounds are there' is answered 24, not 21. English spelling doesn't map neatly onto pronunciation, so the letter 'c' is sometimes /k/ (cat) and sometimes /s/ (city). That mismatch is precisely why the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) exists — to write pronunciation down precisely, independent of spelling.

Vowel sounds (20): 12 monophthongs + 8 diphthongs

CategorySymbolExample words
Short monophthongs (7)/ɪ/ /e/ /æ/ /ʌ/ /ɒ/ /ʊ/ /ə/sit, bed, cat, cup, hot, put, about
Long monophthongs (5)/iː/ /ɑː/ /ɔː/ /uː/ /ɜː/see, car, saw, soon, bird
Closing diphthongs — ending in /ɪ/ (3)/eɪ/ /aɪ/ /ɔɪ/day, my, boy
Closing diphthongs — ending in /ʊ/ (2)/əʊ/ /aʊ/home, now
Centring diphthongs — ending in /ə/ (3)/ɪə/ /eə/ /ʊə/hear, hair, poor

The mark ː after a vowel is the length mark, used only on long vowels. A monophthong is a 'pure' vowel (the tongue stays in one position); a diphthong is a glide where the tongue moves from one vowel position toward another.[Source 1]

Consonant sounds (24): grouped by manner of articulation

MannerCountSoundsExample
Plosives / Stops6/p b t d k g/pen, bat, ten, dog, cat, go
Fricatives9/f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h/fan, van, thin, this, sun, zoo, ship, measure, hat
Affricates2/tʃ dʒ/chair, judge
Nasals3/m n ŋ/man, no, sing
Lateral1/l/leg
Approximant / Frictionless continuant1/r/red
Semi-vowels2/j w/yes, wet

6 + 9 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 24. Note: /r/ is not a fricative, and /tʃ, dʒ/ are affricates, not fricatives — this is exactly why REET 2024's fricative question ended up as BONUS.[Source 1]

Place of articulation and voicing

PlaceSoundsHow to remember it
Bilabial/p b m/ (and /w/ — labial-velar)both lips together
Labio-dental/f v/upper teeth + lower lip
Dental/θ ð/tongue tip between the teeth — thin, brother
Alveolar/t d s z n l r/ (Roach treats /r/ as post-alveolar in RP)the ridge just behind the upper front teeth
Palato-alveolar/ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ/ship, measure, chair, judge
Palatal/j/hard palate — yes
Velar/k g ŋ/back of the tongue + soft palate (velum) — king, go, sing
Glottal/h/the gap between the vocal cords (glottis)

A voiced sound is made when the vocal cords come together and vibrate: /b d g v ð z ʒ dʒ m n ŋ l r w j/ and every vowel. A voiceless sound has no vibration: /p t k f θ s ʃ tʃ h/.[Source 1]

Consonant clusters, syllables, stress, and exam-useful rules

A consonant cluster is two or more consonant sounds occurring together with no vowel between them — as in /sk/ in sky and ask, /str/ in street, or /ksts/ in texts. English words can start with up to three consonants (spring, street). Hindi-speaking children often say 'iskool' for 'school', because Hindi has no word-initial /sk/ cluster of its own.

A syllable is a unit of sound built around a vowel — 'cat' has 1, 'teacher' has 2, 'beautiful' has 3 syllables. Word stress matters too: for several word pairs, shifting the stress changes the word class — the noun 'REcord / PREsent' is stressed on the first syllable, while the verb 'reCORD / preSENT' is stressed on the second.

Rules for pronouncing -ed and -s: the past-tense ending -ed is pronounced /t/ after a voiceless sound (jumped, washed), /d/ after a voiced sound (played, called), and /ɪd/ after a /t/ or /d/ sound (wanted, needed). The plural -s is pronounced /s/ after a voiceless sound (cats), /z/ after a voiced sound (dogs), and /ɪz/ after /s z ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ/ (buses, judges). Silent letters also get tested: the k in knife, the p in psychology, the h in honest, the b in lamb.

Facts worth a quick repeat

Total sounds (RP)
44 = 20 vowels + 24 consonants
Monophthongs
12 = 7 short + 5 long
Diphthongs
8 = 5 closing + 3 centring
Semi-vowels
/j/, /w/
Nasals
/m/, /n/, /ŋ/ — /ŋ/ is also velar
Dental sounds
/θ/ (thin, cloth) is voiceless; /ð/ (this, brother) is voiced
What makes a sound voiced
Vibration of the vocal cords

How to teach this to children

Minimal-pairs activity (Classes 3–8)

Say word pairs like ship–sheep, cat–cut, pen–pan; children listen and raise a hand for whichever word was said. This sharpens their ear for contrasts like /ɪ–iː/, /æ–ʌ/ and /e–æ/.

Teaching aids

Put up a phonemic chart with a picture and word next to each symbol (sheep /iː/). Have children watch lip and tongue position in a mirror; put a hand on the throat while saying /s/ and /z/ — /z/ will produce a vibration, giving a direct, physical feel for voiced vs voiceless.

Common misconceptions

Saying 'iskool' for 'school'; using /t/ or 'th' instead of /θ/ in 'thin'; not distinguishing /v/ from /w/; and assuming that the number of letters equals the number of sounds. Instead of scolding, the teacher should model the correct sound, let children repeat it, and practise it in meaningful sentences.

Assessment idea

Listening sort: give 12 word-cards and have children sort them into three boxes by the sound of their -ed ending — /t/, /d/, /ɪd/. At Level 2, try matching a word to its symbol (home → /əʊ/).

Memory trick / exam tip

Remember the counting formula: 44 = 20 + 24 → 20 = 12 + 8 → 12 = 7 + 5 → 8 = 3 + 2 + 3 (ending in ɪ, ending in ʊ, ending in ə). In transcription questions, rule out any option that uses plain English letters like c, o, sh — none of these appear among the 44 RP phonemic symbols (/cloθ/ for 'cloth' is wrong — it's /klɒθ/; 'sho' for 'show' is wrong — it's /ʃəʊ/).

REET 2024 questions (solved)

Question 32

The phonetic transcription of the word ‘description’ is

  1. A/deskripsʌn/
  2. B/discr∂pʃen/
  3. C/dɪ'skrɪpθn/
  4. D/diskripʃn/

Explanation

‘description’ का मानक उच्चारण /dɪˈskrɪpʃn/ है — इसमें ‘-tion’ का उच्चारण /ʃn/ होता है। विकल्पों में केवल (D) /diskripʃn/ में ‘-ption’ के लिए /pʃn/ सही दिया गया है। (A) में /sʌn/ और (C) में /θn/ गलत ध्वनियाँ हैं, इसलिए (D) सबसे उपयुक्त है।

Question 41

The correct word with this symbol (ð) sound is

  1. Abrother
  2. Blaughter
  3. Cgreat
  4. Dhigher

Explanation

/ð/ सघोष (voiced) दन्त्य ध्वनि है, जो ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘brother’ के ‘th’ में सुनाई देती है। ‘brother’ का उच्चारण /ˈbrʌðə/ है। ‘laughter’ और ‘higher’ में ‘gh’ /f/ या मौन है, तथा ‘great’ में यह ध्वनि नहीं है।

Question 68

__________ is an example of cluster-sound.

  1. AL
  2. Bsk
  3. Cs
  4. Dk

Explanation

Consonant cluster में बिना स्वर के दो या अधिक व्यंजन ध्वनियाँ एक साथ आती हैं, जैसे ‘sky’, ‘ask’ में /sk/। ‘L’, ‘s’ और ‘k’ अकेली ध्वनियाँ हैं, इसलिए ‘sk’ cluster sound का उदाहरण है।

Question 71Bonus — dropped in the final key

According to the nature of obstruction, the following are the fricative sounds

  1. Ap, b, t
  2. Bm, n
  3. Cf, r, s
  4. Dtʃ, dʒ, ʃ

Explanation

BSER ने final key में इस प्रश्न को BONUS घोषित किया है। अंग्रेज़ी में fricative ध्वनियाँ /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/ हैं। (C) ‘f, r, s’ में /r/ approximant है और (D) में /tʃ, dʒ/ affricates हैं, जबकि (A) plosives और (B) nasals हैं; अतः कोई भी विकल्प पूरी तरह सही नहीं है।

Question 81

The correct transcription of ‘soon’ is

  1. A/ʃun/
  2. B/su:n/
  3. C/sɔn/
  4. D/sʌ:n/

Explanation

‘soon’ में ‘oo’ लंबा स्वर /uː/ है, इसलिए उच्चारण /suːn/ है। (A) में /ʃ/ ध्वनि गलत है, (C) /ɔ/ और (D) /ʌ/ अलग स्वर हैं।

Question 87

___________ is an example of velar sound.

  1. Az
  2. Bð
  3. Ch
  4. Dŋ

Explanation

Velar ध्वनियाँ जीभ के पिछले भाग के कोमल तालु (soft palate/velum) से स्पर्श से बनती हैं: /k/, /g/, /ŋ/। अतः /ŋ/ (जैसे ‘sing’ में) velar है। /z/ alveolar, /ð/ dental और /h/ glottal ध्वनि है।

Question 40

The voiced sounds are produced by :

  1. Adrawing the vocal cords
  2. Bseparating the vocal cords
  3. Cthe vibration of vocal cords
  4. Dclosing the vocal cords tightly

Explanation

Voiced sounds (घोष ध्वनियाँ) जैसे /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/ बोलते समय स्वर-तंत्रियाँ (vocal cords) पास-पास आकर कम्पन (vibration) करती हैं। जब vocal cords अलग रहती हैं और कम्पन नहीं होता तो voiceless ध्वनियाँ बनती हैं। अतः C सही है।

Question 46Bonus — dropped in the final key

β| symbol appears in :

  1. Amajor
  2. Bmaize
  3. Cmeasure
  4. Dzeal

Explanation

BSER ने अंतिम उत्तर कुंजी में इस प्रश्न को निरस्त (BONUS) कर दिया है। प्रश्न-पत्र में ध्वनि-चिह्न गलत छपा है ('β|'), जो अंग्रेज़ी ध्वनि-चिह्नों (IPA) में इस रूप में नहीं है। संभवतः यहाँ /ʒ/ चिह्न अभिप्रेत था, जो 'measure' (/ˈmeʒə/) में आता है, पर मुद्रण त्रुटि के कारण प्रश्न स्पष्ट नहीं रहा।

Question 61

Phonetic symbols of ‘cloth’ is :

  1. A/kləʊð/
  2. B/kləʊðz/
  3. C/cloθ/
  4. D/klɒθ/

Explanation

'cloth' का उच्चारण /klɒθ/ है – इसमें short vowel /ɒ/ और अंतिम ध्वनि voiceless /θ/ (जैसे 'thin' में) है। /kləʊðz/ 'clothes' के निकट है और /cloθ/ में 'c' और 'o' अंग्रेज़ी वर्तनी के अक्षर हैं, IPA चिह्न नहीं। अतः D सही है।

Question 64

Vowel sound of ‘hear’ will be :

  1. Aɪə
  2. Beə
  3. Cɜː
  4. Dæ

Explanation

'hear' का उच्चारण /hɪə/ है, जिसमें diphthong /ɪə/ है (जैसे here, near)। /eə/ 'hair, there' में, /ɜː/ 'her, bird' में और /æ/ 'cat' में आता है।

Question 82

Short monophthongs are ____ in numbers.

  1. A5
  2. B6
  3. C7
  4. D8

Explanation

RP (British) अंग्रेज़ी में short monophthongs (लघु शुद्ध स्वर) 7 हैं – /ɪ/ (sit), /e/ (bed), /æ/ (cat), /ʌ/ (cup), /ɒ/ (hot), /ʊ/ (put) और /ə/ (about)। Long monophthongs 5 हैं – /iː/, /ɑː/, /ɔː/, /uː/, /ɜː/। इस प्रकार कुल 12 शुद्ध स्वर होते हैं।

Question 89

Phonetic symbols for ‘clumsy’ is :

  1. A/klʌmzi/
  2. B/klɜːmsi/
  3. C/kəmsiː/
  4. D/klɜmzi/

Explanation

'clumsy' का उच्चारण /ˈklʌmzi/ है – पहले अक्षर में short vowel /ʌ/ (जैसे cup) और 's' की ध्वनि /z/ है। /ɜː/ 'bird' वाली लम्बी ध्वनि है जो यहाँ नहीं है, और विकल्प C में /l/ ही गायब है।

Question 34

Phonetic symbol for “show” is

  1. Aʃəʊ
  2. Bsoʊ
  3. Cʃo
  4. Dsho

Explanation

'show' का उच्चारण /ʃəʊ/ है — आरंभिक 'sh' ध्वनि का संकेत /ʃ/ और 'ow' द्विस्वर (diphthong) का संकेत /əʊ/ है। (B) में /s/ गलत है, (D) 'sho' ध्वन्यात्मक संकेत नहीं है।

Question 44

The number of consonant sounds is

  1. A21
  2. B22
  3. C23
  4. D24

Explanation

अंग्रेज़ी भाषा (RP) में 24 व्यंजन ध्वनियाँ (consonant sounds) और 20 स्वर ध्वनियाँ (12 शुद्ध स्वर + 8 द्विस्वर) मानी जाती हैं, कुल 44 ध्वनियाँ। (21 व्यंजन अक्षर हैं, ध्वनियाँ नहीं।)

Question 61

The correct pronunciation of the word ‘stone’ is

  1. A/stɔ:n/
  2. B/staun/
  3. C/stʊən/
  4. D/stəʊn/

Explanation

'stone' का उच्चारण /stəʊn/ है, जिसमें 'o' द्विस्वर (diphthong) /əʊ/ के रूप में बोला जाता है। /stɔ:n/ में लंबा स्वर /ɔ:/ है जो 'stone' का उच्चारण नहीं है।

Question 64

___________ is an example of /əʊ/ sound

  1. Atoil
  2. Bboy
  3. Chome
  4. Dpoor

Explanation

'home' का उच्चारण /həʊm/ है, जिसमें द्विस्वर /əʊ/ है। 'toil' और 'boy' में /ɔɪ/ तथा 'poor' में /ʊə/ (या /ɔ:/) ध्वनि है।

Question 80

The list of semi-vowels comprise

  1. As, z
  2. Bj, w
  3. Ch, l
  4. Dm, n

Explanation

अंग्रेज़ी में दो अर्ध-स्वर (semi-vowels) हैं — /j/ (जैसे 'yes' में) और /w/ (जैसे 'wet' में)। s, z संघर्षी (fricatives), m, n नासिक्य (nasals) तथा h संघर्षी और l पार्श्विक (lateral) ध्वनियाँ हैं।

Practice questions

Question 1

How many vowel sounds are there in RP English?

  1. A12
  2. B20
  3. C24
  4. D44

Explanation

RP English has 20 vowel sounds — 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs. 24 is the count of consonant sounds, and 44 is the total of all sounds together.

Question 2

The voiceless counterpart of the sound /v/ is

  1. A/b/
  2. B/f/
  3. C/θ/
  4. D/w/

Explanation

/v/ and /f/ are both labio-dental fricatives; /v/ is voiced and /f/ is its voiceless counterpart. /b/ is a bilabial plosive, /θ/ is dental, and /w/ is a semi-vowel.

Question 3

The diphthong in the word ‘boy’ is

  1. A/aɪ/
  2. B/eɪ/
  3. C/ɔɪ/
  4. D/əʊ/

Explanation

'Boy' is pronounced /bɔɪ/. /aɪ/ appears in 'my', /eɪ/ in 'day', and /əʊ/ in 'home'.

Question 4

Which word begins with a bilabial sound?

  1. Afan
  2. Bpen
  3. Cten
  4. Dking

Explanation

/p/ is a bilabial sound, made with both lips coming together, as in 'pen'. /f/ is labio-dental, /t/ is alveolar, and /k/ is velar.

Question 5

The sound /ʒ/ is found in

  1. Apleasure
  2. Bsure
  3. Cjam
  4. Dzoo

Explanation

'Pleasure' is pronounced /ˈpleʒə/, containing /ʒ/. 'Sure' has /ʃ/, 'jam' has /dʒ/, and 'zoo' has /z/.

Question 6

In which word is the ‘-ed’ ending pronounced /ɪd/?

  1. Aplayed
  2. Bjumped
  3. Cwanted
  4. Dcalled

Explanation

Verbs ending in a /t/ or /d/ sound take the /ɪd/ pronunciation for -ed, so 'wanted' is correct. 'Played' and 'called' take /d/, and 'jumped' takes /t/.

Question 7

The correct transcription of ‘thin’ is

  1. A/θɪn/
  2. B/ðɪn/
  3. C/tɪn/
  4. D/θiːn/

Explanation

'Thin' has the voiceless dental sound /θ/ followed by the short vowel /ɪ/. /ð/ is the voiced sound found in 'this', /tɪn/ would be 'tin', and /iː/ is a long vowel that doesn't belong here.

Question 8

Which of the following is a centring diphthong?

  1. A/eɪ/
  2. B/aʊ/
  3. C/ʊə/
  4. D/ɔɪ/

Explanation

Centring diphthongs end in the central vowel /ə/: /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/. The other three are closing diphthongs, ending in /ɪ/ or /ʊ/.

Question 9

A Class 3 learner says ‘iskool’ for ‘school’. The most suitable response of the teacher is to

  1. Apunish the learner for wrong pronunciation
  2. Bmodel the word and give repeated practice of /sk/ words in meaningful sentences
  3. Cask the learner to write the spelling ten times
  4. Dignore pronunciation completely in primary classes

Explanation

This error comes from Hindi not having a word-initial /sk/ cluster. The teacher modelling the correct pronunciation and giving repeated, meaningful practice with words like sky, skip, school is the most effective response; punishment or copying out spellings doesn't fix pronunciation.

Question 10

To help learners hear the difference between /ɪ/ and /iː/, the most suitable activity is

  1. Aminimal pair listening practice such as ship–sheep
  2. Btranslating the lesson into Hindi
  3. Cmemorising grammar rules
  4. Dsilent reading of a story

Explanation

Minimal pairs differ in exactly one sound, so listening to and identifying ship–sheep makes the /ɪ/–/iː/ contrast clear. Translation, rote grammar rules, and silent reading don't train the ear to hear pronunciation differences.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions does REET ask from English Phonetics?+

There's no fixed number, but REET 2024's three shifts together carried 17 questions from Phonetics in the English sections — making it one of the highest-scoring English topics you can prepare.

How many sounds does English have?+

44 sounds by British RP: 20 vowel sounds (12 monophthongs + 8 diphthongs) and 24 consonant sounds.

Which are the semi-vowels?+

/j/ (yes) and /w/ (wet). They start as an open, vowel-like sound but function as consonants in the word.

What's the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds?+

In voiced sounds the vocal cords vibrate (/b, d, g, z/); in voiceless sounds they don't (/p, t, k, s/). Put a hand on your throat while speaking and you can feel the difference directly.

Keep reading

Framing Questions & Question Tags

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Idioms & Phrases

Next topic: idioms commonly asked in the exam

REET Syllabus

The complete official syllabus for Level 1 and Level 2

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Questions, answer keys and explanations for every shift

Official Sources

  1. English phonology — IPA symbols and RP sounds (Wikipedia)
  2. NCERT Position Paper: Teaching of English (NCF 2005)

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked