Phonatomy /foʊˈnætəmi/
Hear it. See it. Type it.
The sounds of American English, connected to the anatomy that produces them.
Developed by Christina Sharpe, SLP post-baccalaureate student
Audio is synthesized in your browser. Diagrams are simplified side views for study.
Study tools in one place.
From a single sound to a full transcription.
Consonants
The consonant sounds of English, arranged by place, manner, and voicing.
Vowels
Placed by tongue height and advancement.
Diphthongs
Reading the chart
Central vowels come in pairs: /ʌ/ and /ɝ/ in stressed syllables, /ə/ and /ɚ/ in unstressed ones.
Word bank
Practice words by position, with transcriptions. Tap a word to hear it; the copy button copies its transcription.
Word to IPA
Type English words to get a General American transcription. Tap any symbol to open its sound page.
Dictionary pronunciations, not a transcription of a particular speaker. They are broad (phonemic), so allophones like the flap in “butter” or aspiration aren’t shown.
Keyboard
Build a transcription, hear it, then copy it anywhere.
About Phonatomy
Phonatomy is a free set of interactive tools for clinical phonetics and speech anatomy and physiology. Few study tools connect the two subjects directly. Here, each sound of American English links to its IPA symbol, its articulatory description, and the structures that produce it.
Every tool runs in the browser, requires no login, and works on a phone.
The site is intended for educational reference. It is not a substitute for clinical judgment or instrumental assessment: audio is synthesized and diagrams are simplified.
Developed by Christina Sharpe, SLP post-baccalaureate student.