Phonetic English Dictionary

Did you ever have trouble looking up a word because, although you knew how to say it, you weren’t quite sure how it was spelled?  Or, did you ever want to compare the way two similar sounding words are spelled?  Phonetic dictionaries are special dictionaries that list words by how they sound instead of how they are spelled.  English phonetic dictionaries are particularly helpful to people just learning a language, because phonetic dictionaries represent words the way they’re meant to be pronounced using the sounds and characters of any language.

What is Phonetics?

Phonetics is a branch of linguistic study that concerns itself with how words sound—not how they look, what they mean, or where they’re from.  Phonetics can help people better understand a language through hearing, and better speak a language by providing help with pronunciation.

Who Uses Phonetic Dictionaries

Just about anyone can use a phonetic dictionary!  For example, students who are unfamiliar with the English language might pick up a phonetic dictionary to accustom themselves with the way a word is intended to sound, which helps with pronunciation, identification, and comprehension of English words.  These are particularly helpful to non-native English speakers who are proficient in reading and understanding the written language, but have trouble speaking it and comprehending it when it is spoken. Some teachers are beginning to use phonetic dictionaries with pictures as a way to aid younger students who are just learning to read—being able to learn bigger words and understand how those words are put together through phonics can result in better listening comprehension, and can aid the young boy or girl as he or she begins to identify and sound out words. Phonetic dictionaries are very useful tools for writers and poets as well.  Alliteration, assonance, rhyme, and consonance refer to the way certain parts of words sound like one another.  In addition to rhyme, poets use repetition of other sounds to engage a reader and to express different emotions.  Searchable online phonetic dictionaries, and searchable software version, can help to construct more interesting, beautiful-sounding pieces of work.

What about the IPA

In case you were wondering, there is actually a standardized, prescribed set of phonetic rules known as the International Phonetic Alphabet that anyone can use (in any language) to learn the sounds and pronunciation of another language.  When you look inside of a normal dictionary like Webster’s or the Oxford English Dictionary, you’ll often notice a string of funny symbols next to a word, usually before the definition.  These symbols, based in the Latin alphabet, allow for a word to be written and transcribed into any language—and still read the same way aloud!  These symbols can be extremely useful, as they demonstrate the proper way of pronouncing a word and offer various alternative pronunciations also considered to be correct.  

Problems and Solutions

The problem with the International Phonetic Alphabet, however, is that the symbols are somewhat difficult to learn, almost like trying to learn another whole language on its own.  Plus, if a person already knows how to pronounce a word but simply cannot find the definition, they’re still stuck.  Phonetic dictionaries often do two things: first, they will take the IPA recommended pronunciation of a word and convert it into more common characters.  Then, they list the newly spelled (or misspelled!) words in alphabetical order. Take, for example, the common word “fiancée,” a woman engaged to be married.  “Fiancée” can actually be pronounced in one of two ways—with the accent on the second or third syllable.  The IPA lists the pronunciation of this word as either “fiɑn’seɪ” or “fi’ɑnseɪ.” To most people, these symbols look quite foreign.  Other dictionaries might use still other standardized forms of phonetic pronunciation; for example, “fē'än-sā'.” However, a phonetic dictionary takes the IPA pronunciation and shows the way the word is pronounced in a particular language.  A phonetic dictionary might list the word as being pronounced “fee-ahn-sey” or “fee-ahn-say,” with the accent on the bolded portion of the word.  These words would be listed in order of pronunciation with other words that have the same beginning sound, whether the word begins with “fee,” “fi,” “phi” or “fei.”

Where Can I Find a Phonetic Dictionary?

Phonetic dictionaries are available everywhere.  They can be bought from bookstores or universities and online.  Many phonetic dictionaries are now run through computers to allow a user to try out different types of phonetic searches with just a few clicks.  Software for these dictionaries can sometimes be downloaded for free.  And many online phonetic dictionaries exist as well—some for children, some for adults; some for native Spanish or French speakers; and some for parties simply interested in the way a particular word is supposed to sound. Here are some links to online phonetic dictionaries to get you started: