PART 2 (PRONUNCIATION)

Here you have a rule-of-thumb guide to which there are numerous exceptions,
examples only of which are included. Excluded from the list are loan words which
often retain the original vowel sound from the language from which they come.
The table is based just on BrE. Vowel pronunciation varies considerably across the
varieties of English spoken worldwide.

Common Common
Sound Common spellings Sound Common spellings
exceptions exceptions
a, ai, ea, ei, ay, ey:
ee, ea, ie, ei, y:
take
seek i, ey, eo:
rain au, é:
teach ski
/iː/ /eɪ/ steak gauge
field key
weight café
receive people
say
petty (/i/)
they
y, a, ai, e, ia, o:
a, e, i, ou, io:
rhythm
asleep o, u, oi:
orange
i: different prosody
/ɪ/ bargain /ə/
kit definite tedium
pretty
obvious porpoise
marriage
nation
women
Ie,ea,a,ai:
friendly
e:
/e/ healthy
lend
many
said
eur,our,ear,or:
ir,er,ur: u,ew,ue: eau,eu,ui:
chauffeur
stir music beauty
/ɜː/ adjourn /juː/
err few feud
learn
fur cue nuisance
work
o, au, eau, oa, ow,
eu, o, oe, ou, ue,
ough:
u, oo, ew, ough: ui:
go
lute sleuth ew, ou:
mauve
/uː/ too shoe /əʊ/ sew
bureau
few soup soul
coat
through true
below
fruit
though
oo, u, ou: a, ea, ie:
e, ai, ie:
took o: many
/ʊ/ /ɛ/ pet
pull wolf deaf
said
could friend
u, o, oo:
ou, oe:
a: al: bun
/æ/ /ʌ/ touch
band salmon son
does
blood
 or,oo,al,aw,augh,ough
lore au,oa,ou,oar:
a,au,ou:
floor cause
o: watch
/ɔː/ talk broad /ɒ/
sock sausage, because
saw pour
cough
caught board
bought
i, ei, ie, uy, y, eigh,
igh:
fine ye, ig, ui:
au,ear:
a,ar, tie eye
/ɑː/ aunt /aɪ/
father buy sign
heart
cry guide
height
high
ou, ow, ough:
oi, oy:
ou: bout
/ɔɪ/ devoid /aʊ/
buoy how
boy
bough
a,ea,ai,er:
stare e,ea,ere,ee:
bear ay,ei: series ie,eo:
/ɛə/ hair mayor /ɪə/ hear wierd
heir here theory
there beer