Shadowing Practice: Learn How to Read the IPA | Phonetic Alphabet - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi, everyone. Do you know what the IPA is? It's the International Phonetic Alphabet.
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These are the symbols that represent the sounds we say. Can you read this sentence?
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I speak English.
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Do you have to know the IPA to become fluent in English? No. Do you have to know the IPA to have good pronunciation? No. Not necessarily. But if you know the IPA, it's a tool that can help you. Being familiar with the IPA will make more information accessible to you, like the pronunciation listed in a dictionary. You'll also have greater awareness of individual sounds, and this will help you both hear and produce clearer contrasts between similar sounds.
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I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer, and using the IPA, I'd like to take you through the consonant and vowel sounds in American English. Please note there are variations of the IPA, but having familiarity with one system will make it easier to understand another. I often refer to the Longman Dictionary of American English, and I have a number of pronunciation textbooks in my personal library. One I've always liked is Accurate English by Rebecca Dauer.
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Let's start with the consonant sounds. It's easy to recognize B, P, D, and T. Look. When we see the letter B, we say /b/. Can you read this word?
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Baby. Note the use of the stress symbol to show that the first syllable is stressed: baby. P is /p/. How about this word? It's something we all desire: peace. The letter D makes the sound /d/. If you understood how to read "peace," you can figure out this word: deep. A true T sounds like /t/. Do you remember this word? Baby. So now try to read this word: date. Good.
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Now in American English the letter T can have different pronunciations.
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In a word like "little," we use a flap T. It looks like this. Here's how we write "little." So can you figure out this word? Battle.
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American English speakers may use a glottal stop in a word like "fountain." There are different symbols for a glottal stop. One of them looks like this. We often use a glottal stop when T comes before a pause or another consonant sound. Read these words with me, and we'll use a glottal stop.
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At. It. What.
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The symbols for G and K are easy to recognize. The letter G sounds like /g/.
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What word is this? Pig. The letter K sounds like /k/. Read these words: pick, key. Good.
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Let's look at four more symbols that are easy to read. They represent V, F, Z, and S. V is /v/. Read these words: give, live. F is /f/. Can you read these words?
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If. Fit. Z is /z/. Where might you see a monkey if you live in a big city? At a zoo. S is /s/. If this is "zoo," then what girl's name is this? Sue. Right.
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Excellent. Next, we have two symbols for "th." If TH is voiced, we use this symbol, as in: though, those. If TH is unvoiced, we use this symbol, as in: thin, thought.
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The "j" sound can have different spellings, but the phonetic symbol is this. A short version of my name is "Jen." Can you recognize who this person is? Judge.
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This symbol represents /tʃ/, which can be written with a CH or a TCH.
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What part of the face is this? Chin. And some people still wear a watch.
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How do we tell people to be quiet? Shh. Read these words with me. She. Sheep. Sheet.
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This symbol represents present /ʒ/ as in: treasure, measure. The phonetic symbols for H, L, M, and N are thankfully easier to read. H sounds like /h/ as in "head." L makes the /l/ sound. Read these words with me. Led. Let. List.
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M is /m/ as in: met, mist. N is /n/ as in "net: and the number "ten." Have you ever seen this symbol? It kind of looks like "n," right? It represents the "ng" sound. Can you read these words?
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Ring. Sing.
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R as a consonant sounds like /r/. You just read "ring," so what's this word? Wrong.
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The W and Y sounds are also easy to recognize. W sounds like /w/. Can you read these words?
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Wing. Wet. Y sounds like /y/. I'm confident you can read these words: yes, yet. Good job.
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For more detailed information about how the consonant sounds are made, you can watch my video on the 24 consonant sounds in American English.
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Now it's time to go through the vowel sounds. Ready? There are 15 vowel sounds in American English. Again, there are different systems, so other resources may not match the list I'm sharing with you, but it does correspond to my playlist on Vowel Sounds in American English.
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First, read the front vowels with me. /i, ɪ, eɪ, ɛ, æ/ Now see if you can match words to their phonetic transcriptions.
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Here are two more vowel sounds. First, "uh" as in "fun." But if this sound is unstressed, you'll see the schwa symbol. It looks like an upside down "e." This is the same sound basically, but it's unstressed. Which syllable is stressed in the word "confident"? Confident. The first one is stressed, right? This means the other two vowel sounds are unstressed. Take a look at the phonetic transcription. Confident. See how the "e" becomes a schwa? In fact, some dictionaries show "confident" like this, with two schwa symbols. Confident. The truth is that the difference between a short i and a schwa in an unstressed syllable in fast speech can be really hard to hear hard to hear with confidence. Confident. Confidence. Confidently.
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Look at the stressed syllable in "confident" again, and you'll see this symbol. Confident. /ɑ/ as in "confident" and as in "father." Now say these back vowel sounds with me. /u, ʊ, oʊ, ɔ/ For Some American English speakers, including me, there isn't always a big difference between /ɔ/ in "jaw" and /ɑ/ as in "father" or "confident." In fact, I have to really think about it to produce a clear difference. Can you match these words to their phonetic transcriptions?
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Now we'll look at three diphthongs. They each use two symbols because they represent a gliding from one vowel sound to another. Repeat after me. /aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ/ Can you read the words?
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like how toy kite around moist tonight shout join Great. Finally we have this symbol to represent /ɚ/.
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I know the /ɚ/ sound is a tricky sound for many learners to pronounce. If you need a more detailed explanation, you can go to my playlist on vowel sounds in American English. Read with me.
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sir shirt flirt learn work term Now see if you can read these words that use other vowel sounds in combination with /ɚ/.
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ear fair heart more higher power How about a final challenge to review everything? Again, the goal here is increased familiarity with the IPA. I don't expect you to have all the symbols memorized at this point, especially if you've never seen the symbols before. We're going to read slowly. Okay?
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But if you really want to challenge yourself, you can pause the video. Read aloud. Then play the video. Listen and check to see if you read the symbols correctly.
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Pronunciation is important, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your accent. Look back at "pronunciation." You'll see two stress marks. That's because there's primary stress and secondary stress. This is common in longer words. Look at "important." I just said that carefully and with a true T. With faster, more relaxed pronunciation, I'd probably use a glottal stop: important. Also, the sound /ɔr/ can be written a couple different ways. Some dictionaries will show it like this. Others may show it like that.
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I prefer the /ɚ/ sound because then it reminds me that we're really combining two vowel sounds.
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/ɔɚ/ Important or important. Finally you'll see some reduction here. "To" is reduced because it's not stressed. So I say /tə/. Also, "your" is reduced. Tt's not stressed, so I say /yɚ/. Your. Your accent.
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You don't have to sound exactly like a native speaker. Note how I flap the T in "native." Even native speakers have accents.
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The main goal should be to speak clearly and accurately.
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Note that the word "clearly" can also be transcribed this way. And some dictionaries may list accurately with a second schwa sound because that syllable is unstressed.
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Accent training is about accent reduction, and you work towards having smooth, clear speech.
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So continue your pronunciation practice, but have realistic goals and have faith that your training will pay off.
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Here's the full text, and I'll read at a natural pace.
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Pronunciation is important, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your accent. You don't have to sound exactly like a native speaker. Even native speakers have accents. The main goal should be to speak clearly and accurately. Accent training is about accent reduction, and you work towards having smooth, clear speech. So continue your pronunciation practice, but have realistic goals, and have faith that your training will pay off.
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We'll end here. Please remember to like and share the video if you found the lesson useful. As always, always thanks for watching and happy studies!
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I'd like to say a special thank you to a Kind-Hearted Patron Yummy Bian pledged $2 a month. Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn How to Read the IPA”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sound, word, symbol, English, vowel. This video has 50 sentences and 1584 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:27. The speaker talks slowly, about 81 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 28 of its 50 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| symbol noun | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. |
| vowel noun | /ˈvaʊ.əl/ | A sound produced by the vocal cords with relatively little restriction of the oral cavity, forming the prominent sound of a syllable. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| consonant noun | /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/ | A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant… |
| phonetic adjective | /fəˈnɛt.ɪk/ | Relating to the sounds of spoken language. |
| glottal adjective | /ˈɡlɑ.təl/ | Of or relating to the glottis. |
| schwa noun | /ʃwɑ/ | An indeterminate central vowel sound as the "a" in "about", represented as /ə/ in IPA. |
| syllable noun | /ˈsɪl.ə.bəl/ | A unit of human speech which often forms words corresponding to one opening of the mouth; a vowel and its surrounding consonants. |
| unstressed adjective | /ʌnˈstɹɛst/ | Not stressed or accentuated. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| dictionary noun | /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/ | A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meanings or senses, oftentimes also… |
| distress noun | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature. |
| transcription noun | /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/ | The act or process of transcribing. |
| accurately adverb | /ˈæk.jə.ɹɪt.li/ | In an accurate manner; exactly; precisely; without error or defect. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| pay off verb | To bribe, especially to deter oversight. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can you read this sentence?
- Can you read this word?
- Do you remember this word?
- Can you read these words?
- You just read "ring," so what's this word?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is stressed · is voiced · can be written |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've always liked · you've never seen |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may use · may not match · may show |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as you'll, don't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, schwa /ʃwɑ/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, transcription /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, accurately /ˈæk.jə.ɹɪt.li/, familiarity /fəmɪliˈæɹɪti/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like symbol, vowel, pronunciation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.