Part 1: The English Alphabet
Here is the complete alphabet, in order, with the name of each letter (what we call it) and its most common sound.
Letter Name (Pronunciation) Common Sound (Phonetic Symbol) Example Word
A a Ay (/eɪ/) /æ/ apple, cat
B b Bee (/biː/) /b/ ball, book
C c Cee (/siː/) /k/ or /s/ cat (k), city (s)
D d Dee (/diː/) /d/ dog, door
E e Ee (/iː/) /ɛ/ egg, elephant
F f Ef (/ɛf/) /f/ fish, fun
G g Gee (/dʒiː/) /g/ or /dʒ/ go (g), giraffe (j)
H h Aitch (/eɪtʃ/) /h/ hat, house
I i I (/aɪ/) /ɪ/ igloo, sit
J j Jay (/dʒeɪ/) /dʒ/ jam, jump
K k Kay (/keɪ/) /k/ kite, king
L l El (/ɛl/) /l/ lion, leg
M m Em (/ɛm/) /m/ moon, mother
N n En (/ɛn/) /n/ nose, net
O o Oh (/oʊ/) /ɑ/ or /oʊ/ octopus (ah), old (oh)
P p Pee (/piː/) /p/ pig, pen
Q q Cue (/kjuː/) /kw/ queen (q is almost always with u)
R r Ar (/ɑr/) /r/ red, rabbit
S s Ess (/ɛs/) /s/ or /z/ sun (s), rose (z)
T t Tee (/tiː/) /t/ tiger, table
U u U (/juː/) /ʌ/ or /uː/ umbrella (uh), ruler (oo)
V v Vee (/viː/) /v/ van, voice
W w Double-U (/ˈdʌbəl.juː/) /w/ water, window
X x Ex (/ɛks/) /ks/ fox, box
Y y Wy (/waɪ/) /j/ or /aɪ/ yellow (y), sky (ai)
Z z Zed (UK) / Zee (US) (/zɛd/ or /ziː/) /z/ zoo, zebra
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Part 2: Key Pronunciation Concepts
1. Letter Name vs. Letter Sound
This is the most important concept to understand early on.
· The Name is what we call the letter in the alphabet song.
· The Sound is what the letter makes in a word.
Example with the letter A:
· Name: "Ay" (like in the word "day")
· Sound: /æ/ (like in the word "apple")
A word is made by putting the sounds together, not the names.
2. Vowels and Consonants
· Vowels (5): A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y)
· Vowels are the most important sounds in a word. Every word must have at least one vowel sound.
· Vowel sounds can be "long" (saying their name) or "short" (a different sound).
· Consonants (21): All the other letters.
· They are the supporting sounds that work with vowels.
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Part 3: Common Pronunciation Challenges
English spelling and pronunciation are famous for being inconsistent. Here are a few reasons why.
1. The "Silent" Letters
Sometimes, letters are written but not pronounced.
· K in knife, know
· W in write, wrong
· B in lamb, thumb
· E at the end of words like make, like (it often makes the previous vowel "say its name")
2. The "Schwa" Sound (/ə/)
This is the most common vowel sound in English. It is a quick, relaxed "uh" sound that appears in unstressed syllables.
· A in about, ago
· E in synthesis, taken
· O in occur, gallop
3. Letters with Multiple Sounds
· C: /s/ before e, i, y (city, face), /k/ before a, o, u (cat, corn, cup)
· G: /dʒ/ before e, i, y (gem, giant, gym), /g/ before a, o, u (game, go, gun)
· S: /s/ (sun) and /z/ (has, rose)
· TH: This is a difficult sound for many learners. It can be:
· Voiceless /θ/ (air only): thin, thank you, teeth
· Voiced /ð/ (with vocal vibration): this, that, mother
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Practice Exercise
1. Say the Alphabet Aloud: Practice saying the alphabet from A to Z, focusing on the correct names of the letters.
2. Sound Drills: Look at the "Example Word" column in the table. Say each word, focusing on the sound the first letter makes.
3. Spell Your Name: Practice spelling your name out loud, using the letter names (e.g., "My name is Anna. That's A-N-N-A.").
4. Minimal Pairs: Practice saying words that differ by only one sound to train your ear and mouth.
· /b/ vs. /v/: best / vest
· /l/ vs. /r/: light / right
· /ɪ/ vs. /i:/: ship / sheep
Next Steps
Congratulations! You have completed the first course. The next step is to start combining these sounds into words and understanding basic word patterns.
Ready to continue? Here's a suggestion for your next course:
· Course 2: Basic Phonics & Simple Words - where we will learn how to blend sounds to read and pronounce simple words.
Remember, pronunciation takes time and practice. Don't be afraid to listen to native speakers and repeat what you hear. Keep up the great work
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