/hæv/
The a is /æ/, not /eɪ/.
Reading exceptions
Frequent words that don't follow a common spelling clue. Tap a word to hear it; pronunciations shown use British English and can vary by accent.
Final silent e
The vowel stays short
Final e does not always make the earlier vowel say its name. Learn these frequent words together.
/ɡɪv/
The i is /ɪ/, not /aɪ/.
/lʌv/
The o says /ʌ/, not /əʊ/.
/sʌm/
The o says /ʌ/; the final e is silent.
/dʌn/
The o says /ʌ/, as in some.
G before e, i, y
Hard g after all
G often says /dʒ/ before e, i or y, but these familiar words keep /ɡ/.
/ɡet/
Hard /ɡ/, despite the following e.
/ɡɪv/
Hard /ɡ/ before i; the final e also does not lengthen i.
/ɡɜːl/
Hard /ɡ/ before i.
/ɡɪft/
Hard /ɡ/ before i, like give.
AI usually says /eɪ/
Not like rain
AI is often /eɪ/ in rain or train, but a few everyday words break the pattern.
/sed/
AI says /e/, not /eɪ/.
/əˈɡen/
In common British pronunciation, the second vowel says /e/; /əˈɡeɪn/ also occurs.
/plæd/
AI says /æ/, as in cat.
EA often says /iː/
Three useful families
Sea and teach have /iː/. The -ead and -eath families often use /e/ (but bead and heath do not); a small group uses /eɪ/.
/hed/
The -ead family here has /e/: head, bread, dead.
/bred/
Rhymes with head, not bead.
/breθ/
The -eath family can have /e/; compare breathe /briːð/.
/ɡreɪt/
A small group with /eɪ/: great, break, steak.
/steɪk/
EA says /eɪ/, as in great.
OO often says /uː/
Two shorter sounds
Moon and food use /uː/, but book belongs to a common /ʊ/ family. Blood and flood are a smaller /ʌ/ pair.
/bʊk/
OO says /ʊ/, like look and cook.
/ɡʊd/
OO says /ʊ/, like wood and foot.
/blʌd/
OO says /ʌ/, as in flood.
/flʌd/
Rhymes with blood, not food.
The letters OUGH
One spelling, several sounds
There is no single OUGH sound. Memorise small rhyming families instead of guessing from the four letters.
/ðəʊ/
Rhymes with dough; GH is silent.
/θruː/
OUGH says /uː/; GH is silent.
/tʌf/
Rhymes with rough; GH says /f/.
/kɒf/
Rhymes with trough; GH says /f/.
/baʊ/
Rhymes with cow; GH is silent.
/θɔːt/
The -ought family has /ɔː/ in British English.
CH usually says /tʃ/
When CH changes
Chair uses /tʃ/. Greek-origin words often use /k/; some French-origin words use /ʃ/.
/skuːl/
CH says /k/, not /tʃ/.
/ˈkemɪst/
Greek-origin CH says /k/.
/ʃef/
French-origin CH says /ʃ/.
/məˈʃiːn/
CH says /ʃ/ here too.
Written consonants
Letters you cannot hear
Some familiar words retain letters from older spellings. Compare the written form with what you actually hear.
/ˈaɪlənd/
The s is silent.
/ˈɑːnsə/
The w is silent.
/det/
The b is silent.
/ˈsʌtəl/
The b is silent.
/ˈɒnɪst/
The initial h is silent.
OR often says /ɔː/
W changes the picture
In non-rhotic British English, fork has /ɔː/. After w, the OR in word and work usually says /ɜː/; war is a different family.
/wɜːd/
WOR says /wɜː/, not /wɔː/.
/wɜːk/
Rhymes with perk in British English.
/wɜːld/
The OR has /ɜː/, like word.
/wɔː/
WAR uses /ɔː/, unlike word and work.