The following table displays and describes the different IPA vowels and diphthongs. Click on a vowel to hear an audio clip. (Note: The audio clips may not play well in the media bar of Internet Explorer. Use another player or download the links to disk.)
| Vowel | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
![[i]](images/i_small.gif){kind=small} |
forward vowel | as in beet |
![[I]](images/i_big.gif){kind=small} |
forward vowel | as in bit |
![[e]](images/e.gif){kind=small} |
forward vowel | as in chaotic |
![[eI]](images/ei.gif){kind=small} |
diphthong | as in bait |
 |
forward vowel | as in bet |
![[ae]](images/ae.gif){kind=small} |
diphthong | as in bat |
![[a]](images/a.gif){kind=small} |
forward vowel | as in Boston (as spoken by New Englanders) |
![[aI]](images/ai.gif){kind=small} |
diphthong | as in by |
![[au]](images/au.gif){kind=small} |
diphthong | as in house |
![[u]](images/u.gif){kind=small} |
back vowel | as in boot |
![[ju]](images/ju.gif){kind=small} |
diphthong | as in abuse |
 |
back vowel | as in book |
![[o]](images/o.gif){kind=small} |
back vowel | as in pillow |
 |
diphthong | as in boat |
 |
back vowel | as in awe |
 |
diphthong | as in boy |
 |
back vowel | as in father |
 |
central vowel, stressed | as in bud |
 |
central vowel, unstressed (schwa) | as in appeal |
 |
central vowel with r, stressed | as in burr |
 |
central vowel with r, unstressed (hooked schwa) | as in butter |
 |
central vowel, r-less | as in bird |