THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (revised to 2020)

CONSONANTS (PULMONIC) 2020 IPA

p b t d ʈ ɖ c  k ɡ q ɢ ʔ
Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Postalveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal

m ɱ n ɳ ɲ ŋ ɴ
Plosive

ʙ r ʀ
Nasal

ⱱ ɾ ɽ
Trill

ɸ β f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ ʂ ʐ ç ʝ x ɣ χ ʁ ħ ʕ h ɦ
Tap or Flap

ɬ ɮ
Fricative

ʋ ɹ ɻ j ɰ
Lateral
fricative

l ɭ ʎ ʟ
Approximant
Lateral
approximant
Symbols to the right in a cell are voiced, to the left are voiceless. Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible.

i y ɨ ʉ ɯ u
CONSONANTS (NON-PULMONIC) VOWELS

ʘ Bilabial ɓ Bilabial ʼ Examples:

ɪʏ ʊ
Clicks Voiced implosives Ejectives Front Central Back

ǀ Dental ɗ Dental/alveolar pʼ Bilabial

Close

ǃ (Post)alveolar ʄ Palatal tʼ Dental/alveolar e ø ɘ ɵ ɤ o

ǂ Palatoalveolar ɠ Velar kʼ Velar ə
Close-mid

ǁ Alveolar lateral ʛ Uvular sʼ Alveolar fricative ɛ œ ɜ ɞ ʌ ɔ

æ ɐ
Open-mid

a ɶ ɑ ɒ
ʍ Voiceless labial-velar fricative ɕ ʑ Alveolo-palatal fricatives
OTHER SYMBOLS

w Voiced labial-velar approximant ɺ Voiced alveolar lateral flap

Open

ɥ Voiced labial-palatal approximant ɧ Simultaneous ʃ and x

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one
to the right represents a rounded vowel.

ʜ Voiceless epiglottal fricative ˈ ˌfoʊnəˈtɪʃən

͡ ˌ
SUPRASEGMENTALS

ʢ Voiced epiglottal fricative ts͜ kp

Primary stress

ʡ Epiglottal plosive ː eː
Affricates and double articulations
Secondary stress

ˑ eˑ
can be represented by two symbols
joined by a tie bar if necessary.
Long

̆ ĕ
˳ Voiceless ˳
n˳ d ̤ b̤ a̤ ̪ t̪ d̪
Half-long

|
DIACRITICS

̬ Voiced s̬ t̬ b a ̺ t̺ d̺
Extra-short

̰ ‖
t̰̼ d̰̼
Breathy voiced Dental

tʰ dʰ ̻ t̻ d̻
Minor (foot) group

ʰ ̼ .
Creaky voiced Apical

ɹi.ækt
ɔ̹ tʷ dʷ ḛ
Major (intonation) group

̹ ʷ ̰
Aspirated Linguolabial Laminal

‿
Syllable break

̜ ɔ̜ ʲ tʲ dʲ ⁿ dⁿ
More rounded Labialized Nasalized Linking (absence of a break)

̟ u̟ ˠ tˠ dˠ ˡ dˡ
Less rounded Palatalized Nasal release

̠ e̠ tˁ dˁ d˺ e̋ ˥ ě  Rising
TONES AND WORD ACCENTS

ˁ ˺
LEVEL CONTOUR

é ˦ ê  Falling
Advanced Velarized Lateral release

̈ ë ̴ ɫ
Extra

ē ˧ e  High
᷄
Retracted Pharyngealized No audible release or or
high

̽ e̽ ̝ e̝ ( ɹ̝ = voiced alveolar fricative)

è ˨ e  Low
᷅
High
Centralized Velarized or pharyngealized

̩ Syllabic n̩ ̞ Lowered e̞ ( β̞ = voiced bilabial approximant) ȅ ˩ e  Rising-

᷈
Mid rising
Mid-centralized Raised

̯ Non-syllabic e̯ ̘ Advanced Tongue Root e̘ ꜜ ↗

Low rising
Extra

˞ Rhoticity ɚ a˞ ̙ Retracted Tongue Root e̙ ꜛ ↘ Global fall

low falling

Some diacritics may be placed above a symbol with a descender, e.g. ŋ

N̊
Downstep Global rise

Upstep

Typefaces: Doulos SIL (metatext); unitipa (symbols)