Phonetics is the study and classification of speech sounds.
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet but they stand for at least 44 sounds of real English. They are represented with the following sounds: 
Some examples of phonetic transcriptions:
| beat | /bi:t/ | beat | /bi:t/ | beaten | /'bi:tn/ | | become | /b? 'k?m/ | became | /b? 'ke?m/ | become | /b? 'k?m/ | | begin | /b? 'g?n/ | began | /b? 'gæn/ | begun | /b? 'g?n/ | | bend | /bend/ | bent | /bent/ | bent | /bent/ | | bind | /ba?nd/ | bound | /ba?nd/ | bound | /ba?nd/ | | bite | /ba?t/ | bit | /b?t/ | bitten | /'b?tn/ | | bleed | /bli:d/ | bled | /bled/ | bled | /bled/ | | blow | /blou/ | blew | /blu:/ | blown | /bloun/ | | break | /bre?k/ | broke | /brouk/ | broken | /'brouk?n/ | | bring | /br??/ | brought | /br?:t/ | brought | /br?:t/ | | build | /b?ld/ | built | /b?lt/ | built | /b?lt/ | | burn | /b?:rn/ | burnt | /b?:rnt/ | burnt | /b?:rnt/ | | burn | /b?:rn/ | burned | /b?:rnd/ | burned | /b?:rnd/ | | buy | /ba?/ | bought | /b?:t/ | bought | /b?:t/ | | catch | /kæt?/ | caught | /k?:t/ | caught | /k?:t/ | | choose | /t?u:z/ | chose | /t?ouz/ | chosen | /'t?ouz?n/ | | come | /k?m/ | came | /ke?m/ | come | /k?m/ | | cost | /k?st/ | cost | /k?st/ | cost | /k?st/ | | cut | /k?t/ | cut | /k?t/ | cut | /k?t/ | | dig | /d?g/ | dug | /d?g/ | dug | /d?g/ | | do | /du:/ | did | /d?d/ | done | /d?n/ | | draw | /dr?:/ | drew | /dru:/ | drawn | /dr?:n/ | | dream | /dri:m/ | dreamt | /dremt/ | dreamt | /dremt/ | | dream | /dri:m/ | dreamed | /dri:md/ | dreamed | /dri:md/ | | drink | /dr??k/ | drank | /dræ?k/ | drunk | /dr??k/ | | drive | /dra?v/ | drove | /drouv/ | driven | /'dr?v?n/ | | eat | /i:t/ | ate | /e?t, et/ | eaten | /'i:tn/ | | fall | /f?:l/ | fell | /fel/ | fallen | /'f?:l?n/ | | feed | /fi:d/ | fed | /fed/ | fed | /fed/ | | feel | /fi:l/ | felt | /felt/ | felt | /felt/ | | fight | /fa?t/ | fought | /f?:t/ | fought | /f?:t/ | | find | /fa?nd/ | found | /fa?nd/ | found | /fa?nd/ | | fly | /fla?/ | flew | /flu:/ | flown | /floun/ | | forget | /f?r 'get/ | forgot | /f?r 'g?t/ | forgotten | /f?r 'g?tn/ | | forgive | /f?r 'g?v/ | forgave | /f?r 'ge?v/ | forgiven | /f?r 'g?v?n/ | | freeze | /fri:z/ | froze | /frouz/ | frozen | /'frouz?n/ | | get | /get/ | got | /g?t/ | got | /g?t/ | | get | /get/ | got | /g?t/ | gotten | /'g?tn/ | | give | /g?v/ | gave | /ge?v/ | given | /'g?v?n/ | | go | /gou/ | went | /went/ | gone | /g?n/ | | grow | /grou/ | grew | /gru:/ | grown | /groun/ | | hang | /hæ?/ | hung | /h??/ | hung | /h??/ | | have | /hæv/ | had | /hæd/ | had | /hæd/ | | hear | /h??r/ | heard | /h?:rd/ | heard | /h?:rd/ | | hide | /ha?d/ | hid | /h?d/ | hidden | /'h?dn/ | | hit | /h?t/ | hit | /h?t/ | hit | /h?t/ | | hold | /hould/ | held | /held/ | held | /held/ | | hurt | /h?:rt/ | hurt | /h?:rt/ | hurt | /h?:rt/ | | keep | /ki:p/ | kept | /kept/ | kept | /kept/ | | know | /nou/ | knew | /nu:/ | known | /noun/ | | lay | /le?/ | laid | /le?d/ | laid | /le?d/ | | lead | /li:d/ | led | /led/ | led | /led/ | | learn | /l?:rn/ | learnt | /l?:rnt/ | learnt | /l?:rnt/ | | learn | /l?:rn/ | learned | /l?:rnd/ | learned | /l?:rnd/ | | leave | /li:v/ | left | /left/ | left | /left/ | | lend | /lend/ | lent | /lent/ | lent | /lent/ | | let | /let/ | let | /let/ | let | /let/ | | lie | /la?/ | lay | /le?/ | lain | /le?n/ | | lose | /lu:z/ | lost | /l?st/ | lost | /l?st/ | | make | /me?k/ | made | /me?d/ | made | /me?d/ | | mean | /mi:n/ | meant | /ment/ | meant | /ment/ | | meet | /mi:t/ | met | /met/ | met | /met/ | | pay | /pe?/ | paid | /pe?d/ | paid | /pe?d/ | | put | /p?t/ | put | /p?t/ | put | /p?t/ | | read | /ri:d/ | read | /red/ | read | /red/ | | ride | /ra?d/ | rode | /roud/ | ridden | /'r?dn/ | | ring | /r??/ | rang | /ræ?/ | rung | /r??/ | | rise | /ra?z/ | rose | /rouz/ | risen | /'r?z?n/ | | run | /r?n/ | ran | /ræn/ | run | /r?n/ | | say | /se?/ | said | /sed/ | said | /sed/ | | see | /si:/ | saw | /s?:/ | seen | /si:n/ | | sell | /sel/ | sold | /sould/ | sold | /sould/ | | send | /send/ | sent | /sent/ | sent | /sent/ | | set | /set/ | set | /set/ | set | /set/ | | shake | /?e?k/ | shook | /??k/ | shaken | /'?e?k?n/ | | shine | /?a?n/ | shone | /?oun, ??n/ | shone | /?oun, ??n/ | | shoot | /?u:t/ | shot | /??t/ | shot | /??t/ | | show | /?ou/ | showed | /?oud/ | shown | /?oun/ | | shut | /??t/ | shut | /??t/ | shut | /??t/ | | sing | /s??/ | sang | /sæ?/ | sung | /s??/ | | sink | /s??k/ | sank | /sæ?k/ | sunk | /s??k/ | | sit | /s?t/ | sat | /sæt/ | sat | /sæt/ | | sleep | /sli:p/ | slept | /slept/ | slept | /slept/ | | smell | /smel/ | smelt | /smelt/ | smelt | /smelt/ | | smell | /smel/ | smelled | /smeld/ | smelled | /smeld/ | | speak | /spi:k/ | spoke | /spouk/ | spoken | /'spouk?n/ | | spell | /spel/ | spelt | /spelt/ | spelt | /spelt/ | | spell | /spel/ | spelled | /speld/ | spelled | /speld/ | | spend | /spend/ | spent | /spent/ | spent | /spent/ | | spill | /sp?l/ | spilt | /sp?lt/ | spilt | /sp?lt/ | | spill | /sp?l/ | spilled | /sp?ld/ | spilled | /sp?ld/ | | spit | /sp?t/ | spat | /spæt/ | spat | /spæt/ | | spit | /sp?t/ | spit | /sp?t/ | spit | /sp?t/ | | split | /spl?t/ | split | /spl?t/ | split | /spl?t/ | | spoil | /spo?l/ | spoilt | /spo?lt/ | spoilt | /spo?lt/ | | spoil | /spo?l/ | spoiled | /spo?ld/ | spoiled | /spo?ld/ | | stand | /stænd/ | stood | /st?d/ | stood | /st?d/ | | steal | /sti:l/ | stole | /stoul/ | stolen | /'stoul?n/ | | strike | /stra?k/ | struck | /str?k/ | struck | /str?k/ | | swim | /sw?m/ | swam | /swæm/ | swum | /sw?m/ | | take | /te?k/ | took | /t?k/ | taken | /'te?k?n/ | | teach | /ti:t?/ | taught | /t?:t/ | taught | /t?:t/ | | tear | /te?r/ | tore | /t?r/ | torn | /t?rn/ | | tell | /tel/ | told | /tould/ | told | /tould/ | | think | /???k/ | thought | /??:t/ | thought | /??:t/ | | throw | /?rou/ | threw | /?ru:/ | thrown | /?roun/ | | understand | /?nd?r 'stænd/ | understood | /?nd?r 'st?d/ | understood | /?nd?r 'st?d/ | | wake | /we?k/ | woke | /wouk/ | woken | /'wouk?n/ | | wear | /we?r/ | wore | /w?r/ | worn | /w?rn/ | | win | /w?n/ | won | /w?n/ | won | /w?n/ | | write | /ra?t/ | wrote | /rout/ | written | /'r?tn/ |
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