Visual guide
How the phonetic spelling generator tool presents input and output.
Say it correctly
Why generate phonetic spelling?
Written spelling does not always tell a reader how a name or word sounds. Pronunciation guidance removes the guesswork in graduations, meetings, classrooms, presentations, podcasts, and recorded narration.
An easy respelling such as SAIR-uh can be read by almost anyone. IPA is more precise for language learners and linguists. ARPABET is useful when working with speech dictionaries and text-to-speech pronunciation.
No automatic generator can define how a person pronounces their own name. Treat unknown-name output as a draft, listen to it, and confirm it with the person whenever possible.
Four steps
How to spell a name phonetically
- 01
Enter a name or English word
Type up to five words. Names, places, presentation terms, and words that text-to-speech mispronounces are all useful inputs.
- 02
Generate four pronunciation formats
Get an easy respelling, IPA transcription, ARPABET phonemes, and letter-by-letter NATO spelling.
- 03
Listen and compare
Use browser speech playback to hear the original spelling, then compare it with the generated pronunciation guidance.
- 04
Copy the useful version
Use the easy spelling for people, IPA for linguistics, or ARPABET when testing speech and pronunciation systems.
Choose the right notation
Easy phonetic spelling vs IPA vs ARPABET
Easy respelling
Best for name cards, event scripts, introductions, and ordinary readers. It uses familiar English sound clues rather than special symbols.
IPA transcription
Best for dictionaries, language study, and precise sound comparison. Readers need to know the International Phonetic Alphabet.
ARPABET phonemes
Best for US English speech-processing workflows. ASCII codes and stress numbers are easy to store in pronunciation dictionaries.
Sound reference
Phonetic Spelling Generator: 45 English spellings and their sounds
This is the reference table the transcription tools lead with: what a spelling actually sounds like, in four notations at once. Find the row for the sound you need, copy the column that fits your audience, then test it in the generator above. Pronunciations are broad General American, the same accent the tool uses.
Vowel sounds 12 rows
| Spelling | Example word | Easy respelling | IPA | ARPABET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | cat | a | /æ/ | AE |
| a | father | ah | /ɑ/ | AA |
| ai | rain | ay | /eɪ/ | EY |
| e | bed | eh | /ɛ/ | EH |
| ee | see | ee | /i/ | IY |
| i | sit | ih | /ɪ/ | IH |
| i-e | ice | eye | /aɪ/ | AY |
| o | go | oh | /oʊ/ | OW |
| oo | moon | oo | /u/ | UW |
| ou | out | ow | /aʊ/ | AW |
| u | cup | uh | /ʌ/ | AH |
| er | her | ur | /ɝ/ | ER |
Consonant sounds 21 rows
| Spelling | Example word | Easy respelling | IPA | ARPABET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | bat | b | /b/ | B |
| c | cat | k | /k/ | K |
| ch | chair | ch | /tʃ/ | CH |
| d | dog | d | /d/ | D |
| f | fish | f | /f/ | F |
| g | go | g | /ɡ/ | G |
| h | hat | h | /h/ | HH |
| j | jump | j | /dʒ/ | JH |
| l | lamp | l | /l/ | L |
| m | moon | m | /m/ | M |
| n | nest | n | /n/ | N |
| p | pig | p | /p/ | P |
| r | red | r | /ɹ/ | R |
| s | sun | s | /s/ | S |
| sh | ship | sh | /ʃ/ | SH |
| t | top | t | /t/ | T |
| th | think | th | /θ/ | TH |
| th | this | th | /ð/ | DH |
| v | van | v | /v/ | V |
| w | water | w | /w/ | W |
| z | zebra | z | /z/ | Z |
Tricky letter combinations 5 rows
| Spelling | Example word | Easy respelling | IPA | ARPABET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ng | sing | ng | /ŋ/ | NG |
| ph | phone | f | /f/ | F |
| qu | queen | kw | /kw/ | K W |
| kn | knee | n | /n/ | N |
| -tion | nation | shun | /ʃən/ | SH AH0 N |
Commonly mispronounced names and places 7 rows
These entries are transcribed as whole words, so the stress digits in the ARPABET column matter: 1 is primary stress, 2 is secondary stress, and 0 is unstressed.
| Name or place | Easy respelling | IPA | ARPABET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcestershire | WUS-tuh-shur | /wˈʊstəʃɚ/ | W UH1 S T AH0 SH ER0 |
| Leicester | LEHS-tur | /lˈɛstɚ/ | L EH1 S T ER0 |
| Greenwich | GREH-nihch | /ɡɹˈɛnɪtʃ/ | G R EH1 N IH0 CH |
| Thames | TEHMZ | /tˈɛmz/ | T EH1 M Z |
| Tucson | TOO-sahn | /tˈusˌɑn/ | T UW1 S AA2 N |
| Yosemite | yoh-SEH-mih-tee | /joʊsˈɛmɪti/ | Y OW0 S EH1 M IH0 T IY0 |
| Colonel | KUR-nuhl | /kˈɝnəl/ | K ER1 N AH0 L |
Rows in the sound tables show the phoneme a spelling produces. Rows in the names table show the whole word. When a name is missing from the US English dictionary, the generator marks its respelling as an estimate, because the person who owns the name is the final authority on how it is said.
Read the symbols
How to read IPA
IPA looks intimidating because it uses one symbol per sound instead of one letter per spelling. That is also why it works: "/ʃ/" is always the sh sound, no matter which letters a word uses to spell it. The chart below covers the symbols you will meet in this tool and in most dictionary entries.
/ə/
Schwa, the reduced "uh" in unstressed syllables. about
/ɪ/
Short i, relaxed and clipped. sit
/i/
Long ee, tense and bright. see
/ɛ/
Short e, open mid vowel. bed
/æ/
Flat a, wide and low. cat
/ʌ/
Stressed uh, central vowel. cup
/ɑ/
Open ah, back vowel. father
/ɔ/
Open aw, rounded back vowel. saw
/ʊ/
Short oo, relaxed and rounded. book
/u/
Long oo, tense and rounded. moon
/eɪ/
Ay glide, diphthong in rain. rain
/aɪ/
Eye glide, diphthong in ice. ice
/oʊ/
Oh glide, diphthong in go. go
/aʊ/
Ow glide, diphthong in out. out
/ɔɪ/
Oy glide, diphthong in coin. coin
/ɝ/
Stressed ur, r-colored vowel. her
/ɚ/
Unstressed ur, r-colored schwa. water
/θ/
Quiet th, voiceless, no buzz. think
/ð/
Buzzing th, voiced. this
/ʃ/
Sh, hushing sound. ship
/ʒ/
Zh, voiced sh. vision
/tʃ/
Ch, affricate. chair
/dʒ/
J, voiced affricate. jump
/ŋ/
Ng, nasal. sing
/j/
Y consonant, glide. yes
/ɹ/
R, approximant. red
/ˈ/
Primary stress, strongest syllable follows. ˈpencil
/ˌ/
Secondary stress, lighter beat follows. ˌafterˈnoon
Stress marks sit before the syllable they affect. In /ˌæftɚˈnun/, the light /ˌ/ beat falls on "af" and the strong /ˈ/ beat falls on "noon".
Real-world uses
Where pronunciation guidance helps
Names at events
Add a phonetic name spelling to graduation, award, wedding, and conference scripts.
TTS corrections
Test an easy sound-based spelling when a speech voice reads a name or brand incorrectly.
Language learning
Compare familiar respelling with IPA and audio while learning General American pronunciation.
Podcast scripts
Keep a pronunciation note beside unfamiliar people, places, products, and technical terms.
In context
A step-by-step visual guide for phonetic spelling generator.
FAQ
Phonetic Spelling Generator FAQs
01 What is a phonetic spelling generator?
A phonetic spelling generator turns a written name or word into instructions for how it sounds. This one returns an easy respelling, an IPA transcription, ARPABET phonemes, NATO letter spelling, and browser audio, so you can copy the format that fits your audience.
02 How do I spell my name phonetically?
Break the name into spoken syllables, write each syllable with familiar sound clues, and capitalize the stressed one. Sarah becomes SAIR-uh. Generate a draft with the tool above, hear it read back, and edit the respelling until it matches how you say your name.
03 Where can I find the phonetic spelling of names?
Type a name into the generator above. Names held in the CMU US English dictionary return a full IPA and ARPABET transcription. Unknown names use an approximate fallback marked as an estimate, because spelling rules cannot predict every name and the owner of the name is the authority.
04 What is phonetic spelling?
Phonetic spelling writes a word the way it sounds rather than the way it is normally spelled. Easy respelling uses familiar letters, for example Worcestershire as WUS-tuh-shur. IPA and ARPABET describe the same sounds with standardized symbols and ASCII codes.
05 IPA vs phonetic spelling: what is the difference?
Easy phonetic spelling is readable by anyone and suits name cards, scripts, and introductions. IPA is a standardized symbol set that represents sounds precisely, which is why dictionaries and language learners use it. ARPABET is an ASCII alternative used in speech processing and TTS testing.
06 Is there a phonetic alphabet generator for graduation?
Yes. Graduation and award ceremonies need two things: a readable respelling beside each name, and NATO letter spelling so a reader who has never seen the name can say every letter clearly. Generate both here, print them on the ceremony card, and confirm with each graduate in advance.
Still wondering? Get in touch →
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Try it now
Ready to test it in a real voice?
Paste the easy phonetic spelling into FreeTextoSpeech and compare the result.