Vowel production and description - american accent

8 important questions on Vowel production and description - american accent

Spelling of schwa /ə/

<u> sum, bus, butter
<o> love, money, nothing, color
<ou> cousin, trouble, enough, tough
Unusual spellings
blood, flood, does

Spelling of schwar /er/ or [ɚ]

<er> herd, determined, fertile
<ur> curry, fur, turn, occur, purpose, rural, sure, cure, mature
<ir> bird, girl, confirm, dirty
<ear> earth, rehearse, earnest
<our> adjourn, courage, courteous, journey, nourish
<yr> myrtle, myrrh
<wor> = /wər/ word, worthy, world, worry
Unusual spellings
colonel, attorney, entrepreneur, liqueur, neural

Spelling fleece /i/

<ee> bee, beer, see, glee, volunteer
<ea> sea, season, beard, reveal, clear
<ie> achieve, believe, grieve, niece, fierce, pier
<e> these, gene, scene, fetus, zero, atmosphere, bacteria
<ei> seize, receive, ceiling, weird, weir
<i> ski, magazine, pizza, technique, souvenir
Unusual spellings
people, Phoebe, Phoenix, key, quiche, mosquito, Portuguese, quay
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Spelling The sport vowel [o]

<or> north, sort, force, sword /sord/
<ore> before, more, score
<oar> board, soar
<oor> door, floor
<our> four, pour
<quar> = /kwor/ quartet, quartz, quarter
<war> = /wor/ war, warm, reward

Spelling face /eɪ/

<a + consonant(s) + vowel> lady, change, amazing, nature, space
<ague> = /eɪɡ/ vague, plague
<ai(gh)> wait, contain, maintain, straight
<ay> gray, pay, stay, always
<ei> weigh, eight, beige
<ey> obey, they
Loanwords from French:
ballet, buffet, sachet, café, sauté, puree, foyer, dossier, décor, matinee, suede
Unusual spellings
steak, break, great, gauge, bass (but the fish is /bæs/)

Spelling price /aɪ/

<i> climb, kind, find, child, pilot
<i-e> side, time, wise
<ie> die, lie, lies
<igh> high, slight, tight
<ign> = /aɪn/ align, sign, design
<y> cry, try, why, apply
<ye> eye, bye, dye
<y-e> type, style
<ei> height, feisty
<ui> guide, quite
<uy> buy, guy
Unusual spellings
aisle, isle, island, maestro

Spelling goat /oʊ/

<o> no, hero, folio, don’t, won’t
<o-e> zone, those, smoke
<oe> toe, goes
<oa> moan, loan, road
<ow> know, slow, narrow
<olk> = /oʊk/ folk, yolk
<ol, oul> = /oʊl/ gold, mold, boulder, shoulder
<ough> though, doughnut, thorough, Peterborough
Unusual spellings
brooch, yeoman
Words from French:
<au> or <eau> gauche, mauve, chauffeur, bureau, chateau, Rousseau, Bordeaux, plateau

Spelling mouth /aʊ/

<ou> house, out, south, ground
<ow> howl, now, how, down

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