Transcription Rules And Tips
These are the rules our tutors use when marking phonemic transcription. Follow them and your transcriptions will be laid out correctly, with stress marks, syllable boundaries and slashes in the right places, and you will get the common spelling patterns right. Every word page in the dictionary also shows the rules that apply to that word.
- Rule 1
Double Letters
Double letters usually realise one sound. There are some cases where double letters realise two sounds, which usually happens with cc and zz.
letter /ˈlet.ə/bigger /ˈbɪɡ.ə/manner /ˈmæn.ə/see /siː/accent /ˈæk.sənt/success /səkˈses/pizza /ˈpiːt.sə/
- Rule 2
No Stress Mark On One Syllable
When transcribing a monosyllabic word in isolation, do not place the stress marker on it, because monosyllabic words are inherently stressed. It is wrong to write /ˈrʌf/.
rough /rʌf/
- Rule 3
Mark The Stressed Syllable
When a word has more than one syllable, the primary stress marker must be placed before the stressed syllable. It is wrong to write /lɔː.jə/ without the stress marker.
lawyer /ˈlɔː.jə/
- Rule 4
One Primary Stress In Connected Speech
When transcribing connected speech, like a phrase or a sentence, only one primary stress marker is used. It is wrong to write /ˈdʒiː.zəs.lʌvzˈpiː.tə/.
Jesus loves Peter /dʒiː.zəs.lʌvzˈpiː.tə/
- Rule 5
One Pair Of Slashes
When an expression has more than one word, only two slanting lines are used, one at the start and one at the end. It is wrong to write /kʌm/ /hɪə/.
come here /kʌmˈhɪə/
- Rule 6
Syllable Boundaries
When an expression has more than one syllable, put the syllable boundary marker between each syllable. It is wrong to leave spaces, as in /ðeɪ ə naʊˈhɪə/.
They are now here /ðeɪ.ə.naʊˈhɪə/
- Rule 7
Stress Mark Replaces The Dot
Do not place a syllable boundary marker where the stress marker appears. /ðeɪ.ə.naʊ.ˈhɪə/ is not acceptable.
They are now here /ðeɪ.ə.naʊˈhɪə/
- Rule 8
Weak Forms In Connected Speech
In connected speech, grammatical words such as pronouns, auxiliary verbs and articles are in their weak forms, usually with the schwa /ə/, /i/ or /u/.
The boys are coming for the objects /ðə.bɔɪz.əˌkʌm.ɪŋ.fə.ðiˈɒb.dʒɪkts/
- Rule 9
The -s Ending
When s is an inflection after a voiced sound it is voiced /z/. After a voiceless sound it is voiceless /s/.
boys /bɔɪz/feels /fiːlz/caps /kæps/clicks /klɪks/
- Rule 10
The -ed Ending
When the past ending ed comes after a voiceless sound it is voiceless /t/, and after a voiced sound it is voiced /d/.
passed /pɑːst/picked /pɪkt/begged /beɡd/robbed /rɒbd/
- Rule 11
The -ed Ending After t And d
When ed comes after d or t it is pronounced /ɪd/.
graded /ˈɡreɪ.dɪd/wanted /ˈwɒn.tɪd/
- Rule 12
-ed In Adjectives
When ed marks the past tense it is /t/ or /d/, as in Father blessed me /blest/ and He aged well /eɪdʒd/. When the word is an adjective, ed is often /ɪd/, as in a blessed child and aged people.
- Rule 13
The Letters th
The letters th usually realise the dental sounds /θ/ and /ð/. Some exceptions are Thomas /ˈtɒm.əs/, thyme /taɪm/ and Esther /ˈes.tə/.
- Rule 14
Two Letters Ending In A Vowel
In a two-letter word that ends with a vowel, the vowel is long.
- Rule 15
Two Letters Starting With A Vowel
In a two-letter word that starts with a vowel, the vowel is short.
- Rule 16
Three Letters, Vowel In The Middle
In a three-letter word with a vowel between two consonants, the vowel is short.
- Rule 17
a Before ft
When ft follows the letter a, the vowel is long.
- Rule 18
a Before s Or ss
When s or ss follows the letter a, the vowel is long. An exception is gas /ɡæs/.
- Rule 19
could, should, would
The letters oul in these modal auxiliaries realise the short /ʊ/ in their strong form. Their weak form has the schwa /ə/.
- Rule 20
Words Ending In -er And -or
When er or or ends a word of more than one syllable, it is the schwa /ə/.
teacher /ˈtiː.tʃə/doctor /ˈdɒk.tə/minister /ˈmɪn.ɪs.tə/inventor /ɪnˈven.tə/
- Rule 21
Words Ending In -al
When a word of more than one syllable ends with al, the a is the schwa /ə/.
- Rule 22
Words Ending In -le
When le ends a word of more than one syllable, it has the schwa /ə/.
- Rule 23
i Before que
The letter i before que is usually the long vowel /iː/.
- Rule 24
The Letter x
The letter x is either /ks/ or /ɡz/. It is /ks/ in six, box and extreme, and /ɡz/ in exam, exit and exhaust.
six /sɪks/box /bɒks/extreme /ɪkˈstriːm/exam /ɪɡˈzæm/exit /ˈeɡ.zɪt/exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔːst/
- Rule 25
-the And -th At The End
The letters the at the end of a word give the voiced /ð/, while th gives the voiceless /θ/. An exception is smooth, which has the voiced /ð/.
- Rule 26
The Letters qu
The letters qu are usually pronounced /kw/.
queen /kwiːn/quick /kwɪk/question /ˈkwes.tʃən/quiet /ˈkwaɪ.ət/quote /kwəʊt/
- Rule 27
ng At The End Of A Word
The letters ng at the end of a word become /ŋ/.
- Rule 28
n Before /k/ And /ɡ/
The letter n before the sounds /k/ and /ɡ/ becomes /ŋ/.
- Rule 29
The Letter y
The letter y before a vowel is usually a consonant, /j/. After a consonant it is usually a vowel.
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