Pronunciation

Pronunciation may refer to:


 * The standard sound of a word when spoken.
 * Standard sounds are called phonemes. See also Category:Pronunciation.


 * The way that a particular individual pronounces a word. See Accent.


 * The action of speaking.


 * The way a particular written word is pronounced. This is very important for EFL students. See Decoding written words.

Variant pronunciations

 * Different accents pronounce different phonemes differently.
 * British and American /əʊ/ sound differently. For example "goat" is [goʊt] and [gəʊt]. Australian "goat" is [gəʉt].
 * In Received Pronunciation /r/ is omited at the end of the word or before a consonant. "Start" is [stɑːrt] and [stɑːt]. See Rhotic and non-rhotic accent.


 * Different accents pronounce some words with different phonemes
 * "Laugh" is /læf/ and /lɑːf/
 * "Hurry" and "furry" are /ˈhɜːriː/ and /ˈfɜːriː/; /ˈhʌriː/ and /ˈfɜːriː/.


 * Different dialects have pronunciation differences that don't obey a general rule
 * "Clerk" is /klɑːrk/ and /klɜːrk/. See American English v. British English - Pronunciation - Specific.


 * Some variant pronunciations exist in one dialect and other dialects have only one pronunciation.
 * The word "perhaps" is pronounced /pərˈhæps/ both in British and American English. The variant /præps/ exists ony in British English.
 * The word "process" is pronounced /ˈprɒss/ and /ˈprəʊss/. However in American English the variant /ˈprəʊss/ is also heard.


 * Some variant pronunciations exists across several dialects
 * applicable /əˈplɪkəbl, ˈæplɪkəbl/
 * different /ˈdɪfərənt, ˈdɪfrənt/. See Varisyllabic words.
 * direct /dəˈrekt, dɪˈrkt, daɪˈrkt/
 * economic /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk, ˌkəˈnɒmɪk/
 * either /ˈaɪðər, ˈiːðər/
 * envelope /ˈnvələʊp, ˈɒnvələʊp/
 * greasy /ˈɡriːsiː, ˈɡriːziː/