Interactive IPA Chart
This interactive IPA chart presents the full International Phonetic Alphabet as a clickable reference table. Click any symbol to see its full phonetic name, type, and example words from real languages — all organized into consonants, vowels, and other symbols.
The International Phonetic Alphabet is a standardized notation, first published in 1888, in which every symbol stands for one distinct speech sound. That makes it precise enough to transcribe pronunciation in any language — far beyond what ordinary spelling reveals. Whether you are a language learner decoding a dictionary, a linguist documenting sounds, a speech therapist describing speech patterns, or a singer mastering lyrics, the chart gives you a quick lookup for every IPA symbol.
How to Use the IPA Chart
Choose a section
Use the tab buttons to switch between Consonants (the pulmonic table by manner and place), Vowels (organized by height and backness), and Other (non-pulmonic consonants, diacritics, suprasegmentals, and tones).
Click a symbol
Tap any IPA symbol and the detail panel shows its full name (for example, "Voiceless bilabial plosive"), its type badge — Consonant, Vowel, or Other — and an example word from a real language.
Read the colour coding
In the consonant table the left symbol is voiceless and the right symbol is voiced; in the vowel chart the left symbol is unrounded and the right is rounded. Shaded cells mark articulations judged impossible.
Search for a sound
Type in the search bar to jump to any symbol by sound name (such as "bilabial" or "schwa"), by the symbol character itself, or by example language (such as "French"). Pick a result to open its details.
Features
Full Pulmonic Consonant Table
Every pulmonic consonant laid out across 8 manners of articulation and 11 places, with voiceless and voiced pairs in each cell.
Vowel Chart
Vowels arranged by tongue height and backness, with unrounded and rounded variants shown side by side.
Non-Pulmonic Consonants
Clicks, voiced implosives, and ejectives, plus other symbols that fall outside the main pulmonic grid.
Diacritics
Modifier marks for voicing, aspiration, nasalization, palatalization, and more, displayed with combining characters.
Suprasegmentals
Primary and secondary stress, length marks, syllable breaks, and intonation group boundaries.
Tones & Word Accents
Level and contour tone marks with global rise and fall, covering the pitch patterns of tonal languages.
Clickable Symbol Details
Click any symbol to reveal its phonetic name, a Consonant / Vowel / Other type badge, and an example word.
Real-Language Examples
Sounds are illustrated with words from languages such as English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Hindi, and Mandarin.
Colour-Coded Layout
Voiceless and voiced consonants, and unrounded and rounded vowels, use distinct colours, while impossible articulations are shaded out.
Instant Search
Find any symbol by name, character, or example language, with up to 20 matching results shown as you type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you read the IPA chart?
Pick a section with the tabs, then find a sound by its place and manner (for consonants) or height and backness (for vowels). Click any symbol to see its full name and an example word. In the consonant table the left symbol is voiceless and the right is voiced; in the vowel chart the left is unrounded and the right is rounded.
What does IPA stand for?
IPA stands for the International Phonetic Alphabet, first published in 1888 by the International Phonetic Association and revised several times since. It is a standardized set of symbols that represents the sounds of every human language, with one symbol for each distinct speech sound.
What is the difference between an IPA chart and a phonemic chart?
The IPA chart is the universal inventory of symbols for the sounds of all languages. A phonemic chart is a smaller subset that lists only the contrasting sounds of one specific language — for example, the roughly 44 phonemes of English. This tool shows the full IPA, so any phonemic chart is contained within it.
What is the difference between voiceless and voiced consonants?
Voiceless consonants (the left symbol in each cell) are made without vocal-cord vibration — for example, [p] in "pin". Voiced consonants (the right symbol) add vocal-cord vibration — for example, [b] in "bin". Rest your fingers on your throat while you say each one and you can feel the buzz appear on the voiced sound.
What is the schwa /ə/?
The schwa /ə/ is the mid central vowel — a short, relaxed, neutral sound made with the tongue in the middle of the mouth. It is the most common vowel in English, appearing in unstressed syllables like the "a" in "about" or the "e" in "taken". Search "schwa" in the chart to open its details.
Why are some cells in the consonant table shaded?
Shaded cells mark articulations that are judged physically impossible. For instance, a pharyngeal plosive cannot be produced because the pharynx cannot form the complete closure that a plosive needs.
What are diacritics used for?
Diacritics are small marks added to a base symbol to show a modified pronunciation. A ring below a symbol marks a voiceless variant, a tilde above marks nasalization, and so on. They let you transcribe fine detail beyond the basic symbol set.
How do I read the tone symbols?
Tone symbols show pitch. Level tones use horizontal bars at different heights (˥ extra high down to ˩ extra low), and contour tones combine them to show movement (˩˥ rising, ˥˩ falling). The Other tab also lists global rise and fall marks for the whole word.
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