All the knowledge about Vowels and Consonants in English

To be able to learn English well, the first and foremost step is for the learner to understand clearly about vowels and consonants in phonetics. Additionally, pronouncing each vowel and consonant correctly also helps make learning English easier. So, what roles do consonants and vowels play in pronouncing standard English? Let's explore this together!

I. Overview of Vowels and Consonants in English

According to the English alphabet, the 5 vowels include u, e, o, a, i and the 21 consonants include b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z. Based on these 5 main vowels, the standard international IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription has divided them into 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs. Based on these main consonants, we will have 24 consonants divided into various groups such as voiced consonants, voiceless consonants, and the remaining consonants. Therefore, in total, there are 20 vowels and 24 consonants.

Let’s learn in detail about vowels and consonants and take a look at vowels and consonants examples below!

1. Vowels in English

1.1. What are Vowels in English?

Vowels are the vibrations of the vocal cords or the sounds that you pronounce without being obstructed by the airflow from the vocal cords. Vowels can stand alone or come before or after consonants to form different words. There are 5 main vowels: u, e, o, a, i. Based on these 5 main vowels, the standard international IPA transcription has divided them into 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs.

1.2. Monophthongs

Monophthongs in English include two types: long vowels and short vowels. Pronouncing long and short vowels correctly is extremely important, as sometimes mispronouncing them can lead the listener to understand the word as having a different meaning.

Note: /e/ & /æ/ are both short vowels, very easy to confuse, so we need to pay attention to the pronunciation.

• /æ/: manager /ˈmænɪdʒər/

• /e/: many  /ˈmeni/

1.3. Diphthongs

Diphthongs are composed of two monophthongs.

2. Consonants in English

2.1. What are Consonants in English?

Consonants are sounds that are produced when the airflow from the vocal cords to the lips is obstructed, causing the sound to be blocked. Consonants can only create sound when combined with vowels. Please remember that consonants cannot stand alone independently.

• The 24 consonants in English are: /b/, /p/, /m/, /g/, /f/, /η/, /v/, /s/, /l/, /z/,/ʃ/, /j/, /d/, /k/, /n/, /dʒ/, /t/, /h/, /ð/, /θ/, /r/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /w/

• These English consonants are divided into three different groups: voiced consonants, unvoiced consonants, and the remaining consonants.

2.2. Voiced consonants

Voiced consonants are sounds that originate from the throat, where you can feel the vibration of the vocal cords when pronouncing them. The air starts from the throat, then passes through the tongue and finally through the teeth when pronouncing these sounds.

2.3. Unvoiced consonants

When pronouncing unvoiced consonants, you can only hear a puff of air or a hissing sound. You cannot feel the vibration of the vocal cords when pronouncing these sounds. The airflow originates from the mouth instead of the throat.

2.4. Other consonants

II. 6 rules to remember when pronouncing English

To pronounce English correctly and avoid confusion, PREP has summarized 6 mandatory rules to remember when pronouncing English:

1. Rule 1

The consonant G has different pronunciations depending on the vowel that follows it:

• G will be pronounced as /g/ if the following vowel is a, u, or o. → Examples: game /ɡeɪm/; guarantee /ˌɡær.ənˈtiː/, gosh /ɡɒʃ/.

• G will be pronounced as /dʒ/ if the following vowel is i, y, or e. → Examples: gym /dʒɪm/, gene /dʒiːn/.

2. Rule 2

The consonant C has different pronunciations depending on the vowel that follows it:

• C will be pronounced as /k/ if the following vowel is a, u, or o. → Examples: cabaret /ˈkæb.ə.reɪ/, confident /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dənt/, cube /kjuːb/.

• C will be pronounced as /s/ if the following vowel is i, y, or e. → Examples: cyber /saɪ.bər-/, cigarette /ˌsɪɡ.ərˈet/, cedar /ˈsiː.dər/.

3. Rule 3

You don't need to pronounce the R consonant if it is preceded by a weak vowel sound like /ə/. This is usually the pronunciation rule in British English. For example:

• interpol /ˈɪn.tə.pɒl/

• murder /ˈmɝː.dɚ/

• corner /ˈkɔːr.nɚ/

However, this also depends on the geographic region and context. In some areas, especially in American English, some words still pronounce the "R" consonant, for example "corner" /ˈkɔːr.nər/.

4. Rule 4

The J consonant will be pronounced as /dʒ/ in almost all cases and will not have any other pronunciation. For example:

• job /dʒɒb/

• jack /dʒæk/

• juice /dʒuːs/

5. Rule 5

If a word ends with a vowel + consonant + "e", the "e" will become silent, and the vowel before the consonant will be a diphthong. For example:

• cure /kjʊr/

• care /ker/

• site /saɪt/

III. 3 ways of consonant and vowel combinations

When communicating in English, native speakers often combine consonants and vowels or the final sound of the previous word with the initial sound of the next word, specifically:

• Combining consonant + vowel. For example:

  • Deep end  → /diːpend/

  • Look at that! → /lʊ kæt ðæt/ (/lʊk‿æt/) instead of /lʊk æt ðæt/

• Combining consonant + /h/ sound. For example: This is her sister → /ðɪ sɪ zɜr ˈsɪstər/ (/ðɪs‿ɪz‿ɜr/) instead of /ðɪs ɪz hɜr ˈsɪstər/

• Combining vowel + vowel. Example: go out → go ‿ out

IV. Distinguishing English Consonants and Vowels

Based on the way the airflow is released during pronunciation, the sounds are usually divided into two main categories: vowels and consonants.

• Vowels are sounds that are not obstructed by the speech organs (such as teeth, lips, tongue, etc.) during pronunciation.

• In contrast, the airflow during the pronunciation of consonants is obstructed by the speech organs.

V. Rules for word stress

In addition to learning about the pronunciation of vowels and consonants in English, pronouncing the correct stress of a word will help the speaker express the right emotion and the listener understand the context of the text correctly. Refer to the article "15+ simple and easy-to-remember rules for word stress in English" by PREP to learn more about the principles of word stress.

VI. Practice exercises for vowels and consonants in English

To better understand the knowledge of vowels and consonants in English, let's complete the exercise section below!

1. Exercise: Circle the answer that has a different pronunciation compared to the others

2. Answer

To be able to practice vowels and consonants in English fluently, let’s register for the IELTS or TOEIC course at PREP!