American and British English pronunciation differences

Differences in pronunciation

Pronunciation

Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....

between American English

American English

American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....

(AmE) and British English

British English

British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...

(BrE) can be divided into:

differences in accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...

(i.e. phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....

inventory and realisation). See differences between General American and Received Pronunciation
Differences between General American and Received Pronunciation
One aspect of American and British English pronunciation differences is differences in accent. The General American and the Southern British Received Pronunciation accents have some significant points of difference, described in this article...

for the standard accents in the United States and Britain; for information about other accents see regional accents of English speakers
Regional accents of English speakers
The regional accents of English speakers show great variation across the areas where English is spoken as a first language. This article provides an overview of the many identifiable variations in pronunciation, usually deriving from the phoneme inventory of the local dialect, of the local variety...

.
differences in the pronunciation of individual words in the lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...

(i.e. phoneme distribution). In this article, transcriptions use Received Pronunciation (RP) to represent BrE and General American (GAm) and to represent AmE.

In the following discussion

superscript ^A2 after a word indicates the BrE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in AmE
superscript ^B2 after a word indicates the AmE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in BrE

French stress

For many loanword

Loanword

A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...

s from French where AmE has final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. Such words include:

BrE first-syllable stress: adult^A2,B2, ballet^A2, baton, beret, bidet, blasé, brevet^A2, brochure^B2, buffet, café^A2, canard^B2, chagrin, chalet^A2, chauffeur^A2,B2, chiffon, cliché^B2, coupé, croissant, debris^B2, debut, décor, detail^A2, détente^B2, flambé, frappé, garage^B2, gateau, gourmet^A2, lamé, montage^A2, parquet, pastel, pastille, pâté, précis, sachet, salon, soupçon, vaccine; matinée, négligée, nonchalant, nondescript; also some French names, including Bernard^B2, Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....

, Degas, Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

, Dumas
Dumas
Dumas is a Southern French topographic surname, with fused preposition and definite article du, for someone who lived in an isolated dwelling in the country rather than in a village, from Occitan mas 'farmstead' .- People :...

, Francoise, Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....

^A2, Maurice, Monet^A2, Pauline, Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

, René^B2, Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...

, Rimbaud, Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...

^B2.
BrE second-syllable stress: attaché, consommé, décolleté, déclassé, De Beauvoir, Debussy, démodé, denouement, distingué, Dubonnet
Dubonnet
Dubonnet is a sweet, wine-based aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices , with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol....

, escargot, exposé, fiancé(e)^A2, retroussé

A few French words have other stress differences:

AmE first-syllable, BrE last-syllable: address^A2 (postal), moustache^A2; cigarette^A2, limousine^B2, magazine^B2,
AmE first-syllable, BrE second-syllable: liaison^A2, macramé
Macramé
Macramé or macrame is a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting. Its primary knots are the square knot and forms of "hitching": full hitch and double half hitches...

, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

(AmE also final-syllable stress)
AmE second-syllable, BrE last-syllable: New Orleans^A2

-ate and -atory

Most 2-syllable verbs ending -ate have first-syllable stress in AmE and second-syllable stress in BrE. This includes castrate, dictate^A2, donate^A2, locate^A2, mandate^B2, migrate, placate, prostrate, pulsate, rotate, serrate^A2,B2, spectate, striated, translate^A2, vacate, vibrate; in the case of cremate, narrate, placate, the first vowel is in addition reduced to /ə/ in BrE. Examples where AmE and BrE match include create, debate, equate, elate, negate, orate, relate with second-syllable stress (though in American usage, orate occasionally attracts first-syllable stress); and mandate and probate with first-syllable stress. Derived nouns in -ator may retain the distinction, but those in -ation do not. Also, migratory^A2 and vibratory retain the distinction.

Most longer -ate verbs are pronounced the same in AmE and BrE, but a few have first-syllable stress in BrE and second-syllable stress in AmE: elongate, infiltrate^A2, remonstrate^A2, tergiversate. However, some derived adjectives ending -atory have a difference, as stress shifting to -at- can occur in BrE with the final vowel sound being omitted, in this case, the 'o'. Among these cases are regulatory^B2 /ˌrɛɡ.jʊˈleɪ.tər.i/, celebratory^A2 /ˌsɛl.ɨˈbreɪ.tər.i/, participatory^B2 /pɑːˌtɪ.sɨˈpeɪ.tər.i/, where AmE stresses the same syllable as the corresponding -ate verb; and compensatory /kəmˈpɛnsətɔːri/, where AmE stresses the second syllable.

A further -atory difference is laboratory: AmE /ˈlæb.rə.tɔːr.i/ and BrE /ləˈbɒr.ə.tri/.

Miscellaneous stress

There are a number of cases where same-spelled noun, verb and/or adjective have uniform stress in one dialect but distinct stress in the other (e.g. alternate, prospect): see initial-stress-derived noun

Initial-stress-derived noun

Initial-stress derivation is a phonological process in English, wherein stress is moved to the first syllable of any of several dozen verbs when they become nouns or adjectives. This is called a suprafix in linguistics...

.

The following table lists words where the only difference between AmE and BrE is in stress (possibly with a consequent reduction of the unstressed vowel). Words with other points of difference are listed in a later table.

BrE	AmE	words with relevant syllable stressed in each dialect
1st	2nd	caffeine, cannot^A2, casein, Kathleen, Suez Suez Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities... ^A2, communal, escalope^A2,B2, harass^A2, omega, paprika^A2,B2, patina, subaltern, stalactite, stalagmite, Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the... ^A2,B2, transference, aristocrat^A2,B2, kilometre/kilometer^B2
2nd	1st	defense (sport), guffaw^A2, ice cream^A2,B2, guru, mama, papa, pretense^A2, princess^A2,B2, weekend^B2, Canton, angina^A2, Augustine Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province... ^A2, Bushido Bushido , meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and... ^A2, Ghana Ghana Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south... ian, Lofoten Lofoten Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:... ^B2, marshmallow, patronal, spread-eagle, controversy, formidable^B2, hospitable^A2,B2, miscellany, predicative, saxophonist^B2, submariner^A2, ancillary, capillary, catenary, corollary, fritillary, medullary, advertisement
1st	3rd	premature, opportune
3rd	1st	margarine, Pyrenees Pyrenees The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain... ^B2, cockatoo
3rd	2nd	arytenoid Arytenoid cartilage The arytenoid cartilages are a pair of small three-sided pyramids which form part of the larynx, to which the vocal folds are attached... ^A2, oregano, obscurantist^A2

-ary -ery -ory -bury, -berry, -mony

Where the syllable preceding -ary,-ery or -ory is stressed, AmE pronounce all these endings /əriː/, while BrE pronounce these endings without the vowel sound, similar to that of atory, where the 'o' isn't pronounced. Where the preceding syllable is unstressed, however, AmE has a full vowel rather than schwa: /ɛri/ for -ary and -ery and /ɔri/ for -ory. BrE retains the reduced vowel /əriː/, or even elides

Elision

Elision is the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce...

it completely to /riː/. (The elision is avoided in carefully enunciated speech, especially with endings -rary,-rery,-rory.) So military is AmE /ˈmɪlɪtɛriː/ and BrE /ˈmɪlɪtəriː/ or /ˈmɪlɪtriː/. Likewise, inventory is AmE /ˈɪnvəntɔri:/ and BrE /ˈɪnvəntəriː/ or /ˈɪnvəntriː/.

Note that stress differences occur with ending -atory (explained above) and a few others like capillary (included above). A few words have the full vowel in AmE in the ending even though the preceding syllable is stressed: library, primary^A2, rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...

. Pronouncing library as /ˈlaɪbɛriː/ rather than /ˈlaɪbrɛriː/ is highly stigmatized in AmE, whereas in BrE, /ˈlaɪbriː/ is common in rapid or casual speech.

Formerly the BrE-AmE distinction for adjectives carried over to corresponding adverb

Adverb

An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....

s ending -arily, -erily or -orily. However, nowadays most BrE speakers adopt the AmE practice of shifting the stress to the antepenultimate syllable: militarily is thus /ˌmɪlɪˈtɛrɪliː/ rather than /ˈmɪlɪtrɪliː/.

The placename component -bury (e.g. Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

) has a similar difference after a stressed syllable: AmE /bɛri/ and BrE /brɪː/ or /bərɪː/. The ending -mony after a stressed syllable is AmE /moʊni/ but BrE /mənɪː/. The word -berry in compounds has a slightly different distinction: in BrE, it is reduced (/bəriː/ or /briː/) after a stressed syllable, and may be full /bɛriː/ after an unstressed syllable; in AmE it is usually full in all cases. Thus, strawberry is BrE /ˈstrɔːbəriː/ but AmE /ˈstrɔbɛriː/, while whortleberry is BrE /ˈwɔːtlbɛriː/ and similarly AmE /ˈwɔrtlbɛriː/.

-ile

Words ending in unstressed -ile derived from Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

adjectives ending -ilis are mostly pronounced with a full vowel (/aɪl/) in BrE but a reduced vowel /ɪl/ or syllabic

Syllabic consonant

A syllabic consonant is a consonant which either forms a syllable on its own, or is the nucleus of a syllable. The diacritic for this in the International Phonetic Alphabet is the under-stroke, ⟨⟩...

/l/ in AmE (e.g. fertile rhymes with fur tile in BrE but with furtle in AmE). This difference applies:

generally to agile, docile, facile, fertile, fissile, fragile, futile, infertile, missile, nubile, octile, puerile, rutile, servile, stabile, sterile, tactile, tensile, virile, volatile;
usually to ductile, hostile, (im)mobile (adjective), projectile, textile, utile, versatile;
not usually to decile, domicile, infantile, juvenile, labile, mercantile, pensile, reptile, senile;
not to crocodile, exile, gentile, percentile, reconcile; nor to compounds of monosyllables (e.g. turnstile from stile).

Related endings -ility, -ilize, -iliary are pronounced the same in AmE as BrE. The name Savile
Savile
Savile is a surname, and may refer to:* Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax* George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax* George Savile , for others of that name* Henry Savile * Sir Henry Savile* Jimmy Savile...

is pronounced with (/ɪl/) in both BrE and AmE. Mobile
Mobile (sculpture)
A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal...

(sculpture), camomile and febrile are sometimes pronounced with /il/ in AmE and /aɪl/ in BrE. Imbecile
Imbecile
Imbecile is a term for moderate to severe mental retardation, as well as for a type of criminal. It arises from the Latin word imbecillus, meaning weak, or weak-minded. "Imbecile" was once applied to people with an IQ of 26-50, between "moron" and "idiot" .The term was further refined into mental...

has /aɪl/ or /iːl/ in BrE and often /ɪl/ in AmE.

-ine

The suffix -ine, when unstressed, is pronounced sometimes /aɪn/ (e.g. feline), sometimes /iːn/ (e.g. morphine) and sometimes /ɪn/ (e.g. medicine). Some words have variable pronunciation within BrE, or within AmE, or between BrE and AmE. Generally, AmE is more likely to favour /iːn/ or /ɪn/, and BrE to favour /aɪn/: e.g. adamantine^A2, carbine, crystalline^A2, labyrinthine, philistine, serpentine^A2, turbine^A2. However, sometimes AmE has /aɪn/ where BrE has /iːn/; e.g. iodine^B2, strychnine^A2.

Weak forms

Some function word

Function word

Function words are words that have little lexical meaning or have ambiguous meaning, but instead serve to express grammatical relationships with other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker...

s can have a weak form in AmE, with a reduced vocal used when the word is unstressed, but the full vowel is usually used in formal settings. These include: or [ɚ]; you [jə]; your [jɚ]; to [tə].

On the other hand, the title

Title

A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...

s Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

and Sir before a person's name have "weak forms" in BrE but not AmE:
before vowels, [snt] and [sər]; before consonants, [sn] and [sə].

Miscellaneous pronunciation differences

These tables list words pronounced differently but spelled the same. See also the table of words with different pronunciation reflected in the spelling.

Single differences

Words with multiple points of difference of pronunciation are in the table after this one. Accent-based differences are ignored. For example, Moscow is RP /ˈmɒskoʊ/ and GAm /ˈmɑːskaʊ/, but only the /oʊ/-/aʊ/ difference is highlighted here, since the /ɒ/-/ɑː/ difference is predictable from the accent. Also, tiara is listed with AmE /æ/; the marry–merry–Mary merger changes this vowel for many Americans. Some AmE types are listed as /ɒ/ where GAm merges to /ɑː/ .

BrE	AmE		/æ/	/ɑː/	annato, Caracas Caracas Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range... , chianti Chianti Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco ; however, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is now bottled in more standard shaped wine bottles... ^A2, Galapagos^A2, Gdańsk Gdansk Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the... ^A2, grappa Grappa Grappa is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume... ^A2, gulag Gulag The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of... ^A2, Hanoi Hanoi Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam... ^A2, Jan^A2 (male name, e.g. Jan Palach Jan Palach Jan Palach was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest.- Death :... ), Kant Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment.... ^A2, kebab Kebab Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer... , Las (placenames, e.g. Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... ), Mafia Mafia The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering... , Mombasa Mombasa Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry.... ^A2, Natasha, Nissan, Pablo, pasta, Picasso Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the... ^A2, ralentando, San^A2 (names outside USA; e.g. San Juan), Slovak Slovaks The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia... ^A2, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... ^A2, Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe... , wigwam Wigwam A wigwam or wickiup is a domed room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. The term wickiup is generally used to label these kinds of dwellings in American Southwest and West. Wigwam is usually applied to these structures in the American Northeast... ^A2, Yasser Yasser Arafat Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority... ^A2 (and A in many other foreign names and loanwords)
/iː/	/ɛ/	aesthete, anaesthetize, breve Breve A breve is a diacritical mark ˘, shaped like the bottom half of a circle. It resembles the caron , but is rounded, while the caron has a sharp tip... ^A2, catenary Catenary In physics and geometry, the catenary is the curve that an idealised hanging chain or cable assumes when supported at its ends and acted on only by its own weight. The curve is the graph of the hyperbolic cosine function, and has a U-like shape, superficially similar in appearance to a parabola... ^A2, Daedalus Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:... , devolution^A2,B2, ecumenical^B2, epoch^A2, evolution Evolution Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth... ^A2,B2, febrile^A2, Hephaestus Hephaestus Hephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes... , Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east... ^B2, lever Lever In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object or resistance force , or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels.This leverage... ^A2, methane Methane Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel... , Oedipus Oedipus Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family... ^A2, (o)estrus, (o)estrogen, penalize^A2, predecessor^A2, pyrethrin Pyrethrin The pyrethrins are a pair of natural organic compounds that have potent insecticidal activity. Pyrethrins are neurotoxins that attack the nervous systems of all insects. When present in amounts not fatal to insects, they still appear to have an insect repellent effect. Pyrethrins are gradually... ^A2, senile^A2, hygienic
/ɒ/	/oʊ/	Aeroflot Aeroflot OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year... , compost, homosexual^B2, Interpol Interpol Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation... , Lod Lod Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod... , pogrom Pogrom A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres... , polka Polka The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia... ^B2, produce (noun), Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn... , scone^A2,B2, shone, sojourn, troll^B2, yoghurt Yoghurt Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
/ɑː/	/æ/	(Excluding trap–bath split words) banana, khaki^A2, morale, Nevada Nevada Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its... ^A2, scenario^A2, soprano^A2, Pakistani
/ɛ/	/iː/	Cecil^A2,B2, crematorium^A2, cretin, depot, inherent^A2,B2, leisure^A2, reconnoit(re/er)^A2, zebra^B2, zenith^A2,B2
/æ/	/eɪ/	compatriot, patriot^B2, patronise, phalanx, plait, repatriate, Sabine Sabine The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Appennines of ancient Italy, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome... , satrap^A2, basil Basil Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the family Lamiaceae , sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries.... ^A2 (plant)
/ɪ/	/aɪ/	dynasty, housewifery, idyll, livelong^A2, long-lived^A2, privacy^B2, simultaneous, vicarious^A2, vitamin. Also the suffix -ization. See also -ine.
/z/	/s/	Aussie Aussie Aussie is Australian slang for an Australian.-Pronunciation:In Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, the word is pronounced , with a sound; however, in the United States, it is most often pronounced with an sound... ^A2, blouse (noun), complaisant^A2, crescent, diagnose^A2, erase, Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... ^A2, parse, valise, trans-^A2,B2 (in some words)
/ɑː/	/eɪ/	amen^A2, charade^B2, cicada, gala^A2, promenade^A2, pro rata, tomato, stratum
/oʊ/	/ɒ/	codify, goffer, ogle^A2, processor, progress (noun), sloth^A2,B2, wont ^A2, wroth
/ʌ/	/ɒ/	accomplice, accomplish, colander^B2, constable^B2, Lombardy Lombardy Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe... , monetary^A2, -monger^A2
/ɒ/	/ʌ/	hovel^A2,B2, hover. Also the strong forms of these function word Function word Function words are words that have little lexical meaning or have ambiguous meaning, but instead serve to express grammatical relationships with other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker... s: anybody^A2 (likewise every-, some-, and no-), because^A2,B2 (and clipping Clipping (morphology) In linguistics, clipping is the word formation process which consists in the reduction of a word to one of its parts . Clipping is also known as "truncation" or "shortening."... 'cos/'cause), of^A2, from^A2, was^A2, what^A2
(sounded)	(silent Silent letter In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the word's pronunciation... )	Beethoven, chthonic^A2, herb^A2 (plant), Knossos Knossos Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square... ^A2,B2, phthisic^A2,B2, salve^A2, solder
/ɑː(r)/	/ɜr/	Berkeley, Berkshire Berkshire Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and... , clerk, Derby Derby Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407... , Hertford Hertford Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000... . (The only AmE word with = [ɑr] is sergeant).
/aɪ/	/iː/	either^A2,B2, neither^A2,B2, Pleiades. See also -ine.
/iː/	/aɪ/	albino, migraine^B2. Also the prefixes anti-^A2, multi-^A2, semi-^A2 in loose compounds (e.g. in anti-establishment, but not in antibody). See also -ine.
/ə/	/ɒ/	Amazon, hexagon, octagon, paragon, pentagon, phenomenon^A2, python^A2
/iː/	/eɪ/	eta, beta, quay^A2, theta, zeta
/aɪ/	/ɪ/	butyl Butyl In organic chemistry, butyl is a four-carbon alkyl radical or substituent group with general chemical formula -C4H9, derived from either of the two isomers of butane.... ^B2, diverge^A2, minority^A2,B2, primer (schoolbook). See also -ine.
/ɛ/	/eɪ/	ate^B2 ("et" is nonstandard in America), mêlée^A2, chaise longue
/ɜːz/	/uːs/	Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Betelgeuse, also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Orionis , is the eighth brightest star in the night sky and second brightest star in the constellation of Orion, outshining its neighbour Rigel only rarely... , chanteuse, chartreuse^A2, masseuse
/eɪ/	/æ/	apricot^A2, dahlia^A2, digitalis, patent^A2,B2, comrade
(silent Silent letter In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the word's pronunciation... )	(sounded)	medicine^B2. See also -ary -ery -ory -bury, -berry
/ɒ/	/ə/	Amos, condom, Enoch
/ʃ/	/ʒ/	Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population... ^B2, Persia^B2, version^B2
/ə/	/oʊ/	borough^A2, thorough^A2, also place names such as Edinburgh^A2 (see also -ory and -mony)
/ɪr/	/ər/	chirrup^A2, stirrup^A2, sirup^A2, squirrel
/siː/	/ʃ/	cassia^A2, Cassius^A2, hessian
/tiː/	/ʃ/	consortium
/uː/	/juː/	coupon^A2, fuchsine Fuchsine Fuchsine or rosaniline hydrochloride is a magenta dye with chemical formula C20H19N3·HCl. There are other similar chemical formulations of products sold as fuchsine, and several dozen other synonyms of this molecule.... , Houston Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ... ^B2
/uː/	/ʊ/	boulevard, snooker Snooker Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :... , woof^A2 (weaving)
/ɜː(r)/	/ʊr/	connoisseur^A2, entrepreneur^A2
/ɜː/	/oʊ/	föhn^B2, Möbius^B2
/ə/	/eɪ/	Draconian^A2, hurricane^B2
/eɪ/	/iː/	deity^A2,B2, Helene^A2, Israel^A2
/juː/	/w/	iguana, jaguar, Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
/ɔː(r)/	/ər/	record (noun), stridor^A2,B2
/ziː/	/ʒ/	Frasier, Parisian Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , Malaysia
/æ/	/ɒ/	twat^B2
/ɒ/	/æ/	wrath
/ɑː/	/ət/	nougat
/ɑː/	/ɔː/	Utah Utah Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the... ^A2,B2
/ɑː/	/ɔːr/	quark^A2,B2
/æ/	/ɛ/	femme fatale Femme fatale A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art... ^A2
/aɪ/	/eɪ/	Isaiah Isaiah Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
/aʊ/	/uː/	nous^A2
/ð/	/θ/	booth^B2
/di/	/dʒi/	cordiality
/dʒ/	/ɡdʒ/	suggest^A2
/eɪ/	/ɛ/	nonpareil^A2
/eɪ/	/ə/	template
/eɪ/	/ət/	tourniquet
/ə(r)/	/ɑr/	Madagascar Madagascar The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa... ^A2
/ə(r)/	/jər/	figure^{A2 for the verb}
/ə/	/ɛ/	nonsense
/ɛ/	/ɑ/	envelope^A2,B2
/ɛ/	/ə/	Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
/ə/	/æ/	trapeze
/ɜː(r)/	/ɛr/	err^A2
/oʊ/	/ɒt/	Huguenot Huguenot The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the... ^A2
/oʊ/	/aʊ/	Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... ^A2
/oʊ/	/uː/	brooch^A2
/ɪ/	/iː/	pi(t)ta^B2
/iː/	/ɪ/	been^B2
/iːʃ/	/ɪtʃ/	niche^A2,B2
/jɜː/	/juː/	milieu
/juː/	/uː/	(Excluding words with predictable yod dropping) barracuda, puma^A2
/ɔː/	/æ/	falcon^A2
/s/	/z/	asthma
/ʃ/	/sk/	schedule^B2
/t/	/θ/	Anthony^A2,B2
/ts/	/z/	piazza^A2
/ʊ/	/ɪ/	kümmel Kümmel Kümmel, also called kummel or kimmel, is a sweet, colorless liqueur flavored with caraway seed, cumin, and fennel.Originally, the words kümmel, kummel, and kimmel are somewhat generic terms in the German, Dutch, and Yiddish languages, respectively, meaning both caraway and cumin...
/ʊ/	/uː/	Buddha^A2
/ʊ/	/ʌ/	brusque, hummus Hummus Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...
/uː/	/aʊ/	route^A2
/uː/	/oʊ/	cantaloup(e)
/ʌ/	/oʊ/	covert^A2,B2
/z/	/ʃ/	Dionysius
/ziː/	/ʃ/	transient^A2, nausea
/æ/	/ɪ/	timbre

Multiple differences

The slashes normally used to enclose IPA

International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...

phonemic transcriptions have been omitted from the following table to improve legibility.

Spelling	BrE IPA	AmE IPA	Notes
barrage	ˈbær.ɑːʒ	(1) bəˈrɑʒ (2) ˈbær.ɪdʒ	The AmE pronunciations are for distinct senses (1) "sustained weapon-fire" vs (2) "dam, barrier" (Compare garage below.)
boehmite Boehmite Boehmite or Böhmite is an aluminium oxide hydroxide mineral, a component of the aluminium ore bauxite. It is dimorphous with diaspore. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic dipyramidal system and is typically massive in habit. It is white with tints of yellow, green, brown or red due to impurities...	(1) ˈbɜːmaɪt (2) ˈboʊmaɪt	(1) ˈbeɪmaɪt (2) ˈboʊmaɪt	The first pronunciations approximate German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... [ø] (spelled ⟨ö⟩ or ⟨oe⟩) ; the second ones are anglicized.
bouquet	ˈbuːkeɪ	(1) boʊˈkeɪ (2) buˈkeɪ
boyar Boyar A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....	(1) ˈbɔɪ.ɑː (2) boʊˈjɑː	(1) boʊˈjɑr (2) ˈbɔɪ.jər
buoy Buoy A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...	ˈbɔɪ	ˈbu.i	The U.S. pronunciation would be unrecognised in the UK. The British pronunciation occurs in America, more commonly for the verb than the noun, still more in derivatives buoyant, buoyancy.
canton	kænˈtuːn	(1) kænˈtɑːn (2) kænˈtoʊn	difference is only in military sense "to quarter soldiers"
dilettante	dɪləˈtænti	(1) ˈdɪlətɑːnt (2) ˌdɪləˈtɑːnt	BrE reflects the word's Italian origin; AmE approximates more to French.
enquiry/inquiry	ɪŋˈkwaɪ.(ə)ri	(1) ˈɪŋ.kwə.ri (2) ɪŋˈkwaɪ.(ə)ri	BrE uses two spellings and one pronunciation. In AmE the word is usually spelled inquiry.
febrile	ˈfiːb.raɪl	(1) ˈfɛb.ril (2) ˈfɛb.rəl	The BrE pronunciation occurs in AmE
fracas	ˈfrækɑː	(1) ˈfreɪkəs (2) ˈfrækəs (3) frəˈkɑː	The BrE plural is French fracas /ˈfrækɑːz/. For AmE examples (1) and (2), the plural is anglicized fracases
garage	(1) ˈɡærɪdʒ (2) ˈɡærɑːʒ	ɡəˈrɑ(d)ʒ	The AmE reflects French stress difference. The two BrE pronunciations may represent distinct meanings for some speakers; for example, "a subterranean garage for a car" (1) vs "a petrol garage" (2). (Compare barrage above.)
glacier Glacier A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...	(1) ˈɡlæsiə (2) ˈɡleɪsiə	ˈɡleɪʃər
jalousie Jalousie A jalousie window or louvre window is a window which consists of parallel glass, acrylic, or wooden louvers set in a frame. The louvers are locked together onto a track, so that they may be tilted open and shut in unison, to control airflow through the window...	(1) ʒælʊˈziː (2) ˈʒælʊziː	ˈdʒæləsi
lapsang souchong Lapsang souchong Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Wuyi region of the Chinese province of Fujian. It is sometimes referred to as smoked tea...	ˈlæpsæŋ suːʃɒŋ	ˌlɑːpsɑːŋ ˈsuːʃɑːŋ
lasso Lasso A lasso , also referred to as a lariat, riata, or reata , is a loop of rope that is designed to be thrown around a target and tighten when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the American cowboy. The word is also a verb; to lasso is to successfully throw the loop of rope around something...	ləˈsuː	ˈlæsoʊ	The BrE pronunciation is common in AmE
lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...	(1) lɛfˈtɛnənt (2) ləˈtɛnənt	luːˈtɛnənt	The 2nd British pronunciation is restricted to the Royal Navy Royal Navy The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service... . Standard Canadian and Australian pronunciation is the same as the British.
lychee Lychee The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...	laɪˈtʃiː	ˈliːtʃiː	Spelling litchi has pronunciation /ˈlɪtʃiː/
Molière Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...	ˈmɒl.i.ɛə	moʊlˈjɛr
oblique	əbˈliːk	əbˈlaɪk	AmE is as BrE except in military sense "advance at an angle"
penchant	pãˈʃã	ˈpɛntʃənt	The AmE pronunciation is anglicized; the BrE is French.
penult	pɛˈnʌlt	(1) ˈpiːnʌlt (2) pɪˈnʌlt
premier	(1) ˈprɛmjə (2) ˈprɛmɪə	(1) ˈpriːmɪər (2) prɪmˈɪər
première	ˈprɛmɪɛə	(1) prɪˈmɪər (2) prɪmˈjɛr
provost	ˈprɒvəst	(1) ˈproʊvoʊst (2) ˈproʊvəst	The BrE pronunciation also occurs in AmE
quinine Quinine Quinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine which, unlike quinine, is an anti-arrhythmic...	ˈkwɪniːn	(1) ˈkwaɪnaɪn (2) ˈkwɪnaɪn
resource	(1) rɨˈzɔːs (2) rɨˈsɔːs	ˈriːsɔːrs
respite \|ˈrɛspaɪt	(1) ˈrɛspət (2) rɨˈspaɪt
reveille Reveille "Reveille" is a bugle call, trumpet call or pipes call most often associated with the military or summer camp; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise...	rɪˈvæliː	ˈrɛvəli
slough	slaʊ	slu	sense "bog"; in metaphorical sense "gloom", the BrE pronunciation is common in AmE. Homograph Homograph A homograph is a word or a group of words that share the same written form but have different meanings. When spoken, the meanings may be distinguished by different pronunciations, in which case the words are also heteronyms. Words with the same writing and pronunciation A homograph (from the ,... "cast off skin" is /slʌf/ everywhere.
Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...	tjuːˈnɪziə	(1) tuˈniʒə (2) tuˈniʃə
untoward	ˌʌn.tʊˈwɔːd	(1) ʌnˈtɔrd (2) ˌʌn.təˈwɔrd
vase Vase The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....	vɑːz	(1) veɪs (2) veɪz	The BrE pronunciation also occurs in AmE
z Z Z is the twenty-sixth and final letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-Name and pronunciation:In most dialects of English, the letter's name is zed , reflecting its derivation from the Greek zeta but in American English, its name is zee , deriving from a late 17th century English dialectal... (the letter)	zɛd	ziː	The spelling of this letter as a word corresponds to the pronunciation: thus Commonwealth (including, usually, Canada) zed and U.S. (and, occasionally, Canada) zee.

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