ESL teachers
Build vocabulary lists, flashcards, and pronunciation drills with proper IPA next to each word. Switch between RP and General American to match your curriculum.
Companion tool
IPA Keyboard
Click any IPA symbol to insert it. Use this for vocabulary lists, flashcards, lesson prep, or anywhere you need to type the International Phonetic Alphabet by hand.
Step by step
How to use the IPA keyboard
The whole point of an IPA keyboard is to be faster than memorizing Unicode codes. Here is the workflow that gets you from "I need to write /ˈskɛd.juːl/" to "it's on the clipboard" in under ten seconds.
-
1
Open the symbol picker. Click Show keyboard above. The picker reveals five labeled rows: vowels, diphthongs, consonants, stress and length, plus a parentheses row for brackets and delimiters.
-
2
Click to insert. Place your cursor inside the transcription textarea, then click any IPA symbol. It is inserted exactly where the cursor sits. Click another symbol to continue building the word.
-
3
Mix with normal typing. The textarea is a normal text field. You can type ASCII letters, hyphens, dots, and spaces from your keyboard in between symbol clicks. That mix is faster than picking every character.
-
4
Use Space, Backspace, Clear. The Space and Backspace buttons in the keyboard mirror your hardware keys. Clear empties the entire transcription so you can start the next word fresh.
-
5
Copy and paste. Click Copy to put the finished IPA on your clipboard. Paste it into Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Notion, Anki, your LMS, or even a Slack message. The Unicode characters survive every modern app.
Tip: If you have a long block of English text to transcribe, the Phonetic Spelling Generator auto-converts entire passages to IPA. Use this keyboard for hand-built transcriptions and the generator for bulk work.
Symbol reference
A tour of the IPA symbols you will actually use
The full IPA chart contains over 100 symbols, but ordinary English transcription needs around forty. Here is what each group on the keyboard is for, with examples in both American and British accents.
Vowels
A vowel is a speech sound made with an open vocal tract. The IPA marks each English vowel quality with its own symbol because vowels carry most of the accent contrast between American and British English. Use the short vowel section of the keyboard for these.
| Symbol | Name | Example (American) | Example (British) |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | close front | happy /ˈhæpi/ | happy /ˈhæpi/ |
| ɪ | near-close front | ship /ʃɪp/ | ship /ʃɪp/ |
| ɛ | open-mid front | bed /bɛd/ | bed /bed/ |
| æ | near-open front | cat /kæt/ | cat /kæt/ |
| ə | schwa | about /əˈbaʊt/ | about /əˈbaʊt/ |
| ʌ | open-mid back unrounded | cup /kʌp/ | cup /kʌp/ |
| ɑ | open back unrounded | father /ˈfɑðɚ/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ |
| ɒ | open back rounded | - | hot /hɒt/ |
| ɔ | open-mid back rounded | thought /θɔt/ | thought /θɔːt/ |
| ʊ | near-close back rounded | put /pʊt/ | put /pʊt/ |
| u | close back rounded | goose /gus/ | goose /guːs/ |
| ɝ / ɚ | r-colored vowels (American) | bird /bɝd/, butter /ˈbʌtɚ/ | - |
| ɜː / ə | non-rhotic equivalent (British) | - | bird /bɜːd/, butter /ˈbʌtə/ |
The schwa /ə/ is the single most common vowel in spoken English. When in doubt about an unstressed syllable, use schwa.
Diphthongs
A diphthong is a vowel that glides from one position to another within a single syllable. English uses about eight to nine diphthongs depending on the accent. You type them as two characters in sequence, there is no special combined symbol, and the keyboard groups them so the common ones are one click away.
eɪ face /feɪs/
aɪ price /praɪs/
ɔɪ choice /tʃɔɪs/
aʊ mouth /maʊθ/
oʊ goat /goʊt/ (US)
əʊ goat /ɡəʊt/ (UK)
ɪə near /nɪə/ (UK)
eə square /skweə/ (UK)
ʊə cure /kjʊə/ (UK)
Consonants
English consonants are easier than vowels because the same set is used in both American and British. The tricky ones are the symbols that look nothing like the spelling. Here are the six consonant symbols that trip up beginners the most:
- θ, the voiceless "th" sound in think /θɪŋk/. Different from the "ð" in this.
- ð, the voiced "th" sound in this /ðɪs/ and brother /ˈbrʌðɚ/.
- ʃ, the "sh" sound in ship /ʃɪp/, nation /ˈneɪʃən/, and special /ˈspɛʃəl/.
- ʒ, the voiced equivalent in vision /ˈvɪʒən/ and measure /ˈmɛʒɚ/.
- ŋ, the final "ng" sound in sing /sɪŋ/. Never use two letters "ng"; ŋ is one sound.
- tʃ / dʒ, the affricates in cheese /tʃiːz/ and judge /dʒʌdʒ/. Type them as two-character sequences.
Stress, length, and brackets
Diacritics carry as much information as the symbols themselves. Without stress marks, an IPA transcription is just a string of phonemes with no rhythm. Use these for any multisyllabic word.
ˈ primary stress mark, placed before the stressed syllable. Example: banana /bəˈnænə/.
ˌ secondary stress mark. Example: international /ˌɪn.tɚˈnæʃ.ən.əl/.
ː length mark for long vowels (used mostly in British). Example: fleece /fliːs/.
. syllable boundary. Optional but helpful for teaching: about /ə.ˈbaʊt/.
‿ linking tie. Use to indicate two sounds run together in connected speech.
( ) parentheses for optional sounds. Example: family /ˈfæm(ə)li/ means the schwa may be dropped.
[ ] square brackets for narrow phonetic transcription with allophonic detail.
/ / slashes for broad phonemic transcription (the most common style in dictionaries).
Brackets matter
Phonetic vs phonemic transcription: which brackets do I use?
Short version: slashes for broad, brackets for narrow. Long version below.
Phonemic transcription uses slashes: /kæt/. It records only the distinctive sounds (phonemes) that change meaning in a language. Whether the /k/ is aspirated or unaspirated, /kæt/ still means "cat", so you do not bother marking that detail. This is the style used by Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and most language teaching materials. It is what learners actually need.
Phonetic transcription uses square brackets: [kʰæt]. It captures fine articulatory detail: aspiration (kʰ), velarization (ɫ), nasalization (ã), glottal stops (ʔ), and so on. This is the style used by phoneticians and linguists studying allophonic variation, accent research, and clinical speech analysis.
When in doubt, use slashes. Reach for square brackets only when you need to flag a specific articulatory feature, for example, when comparing how speakers from different regions produce the same phoneme.
The IPA keyboard includes both / / and [ ] on the parentheses row so you can wrap your transcription with whichever pair is correct for the context.
Accent guide
American vs British IPA: the symbols that change
The IPA itself is universal, but the symbols you reach for depend on which accent you are transcribing. Here are the four differences that come up most often when typing English IPA by hand.
1. Rhoticity (the /r/ question)
American English is rhotic: car is /kɑr/, the /r/ is always pronounced. British RP is non-rhotic: car is /kɑː/, the /r/ disappears unless followed by a vowel (the "linking r"). When typing British IPA, drop the final /r/ and add a length mark to the preceding vowel. When typing American, keep the /r/ wherever it is spelled.
2. R-colored vowels
American merges vowel and /r/ into a single r-colored vowel. Use ɝ for the stressed version (bird /bɝd/) and ɚ for the unstressed version (butter /ˈbʌtɚ/). British RP keeps the vowel separate from the absent /r/: bird is /bɜːd/, butter is /ˈbʌtə/.
3. The LOT vowel
American merges lot, palm, and thought toward ɑ: hot /hɑt/. British keeps them distinct: hot uses the rounded ɒ /hɒt/, while palm uses /pɑːm/ and thought uses /θɔːt/. The IPA keyboard has both ɑ and ɒ in the vowel row so you can pick the right one.
4. The GOAT vowel
American uses oʊ for words like go /goʊ/. British RP starts further back with əʊ: go /gəʊ/. Both are in the diphthong row of the keyboard. Pick whichever matches the accent you are transcribing.
If you are not sure which accent applies, transcribe in the one your audience expects. ESL textbooks in continental Europe and Asia usually default to RP. North American materials default to General American. The Phonetic Spelling Generator lets you switch accents with one click if you need to compare.
Sanity check
Six IPA mistakes everyone makes (and how to avoid them)
1. Writing "ng" instead of ŋ. "Singing" is /ˈsɪŋɪŋ/, not /ˈsɪnɡɪnɡ/. The "ng" of singing is a single sound. Type ŋ from the consonants row.
2. Writing "sh" instead of ʃ. "Shop" is /ʃɒp/, not /shop/. Lowercase ʃ is one consonant, not two. Same goes for ʒ ("vision"), θ ("think"), and ð ("this").
3. Forgetting the schwa in unstressed syllables. "About" is /əˈbaʊt/, not /æˈbaʊt/. Almost every unstressed vowel in English reduces to ə in connected speech. When in doubt, use schwa.
4. Skipping the stress mark. /banana/ is incomplete, you have to write /bəˈnænə/ to tell the reader where the prominence falls. Place ˈ before the stressed syllable, not on top of the vowel.
5. Using ASCII "r" everywhere in American IPA. Strictly, American /r/ is the approximant ɹ, but most teaching materials use plain r for readability. Stay consistent within one document.
6. Mixing slashes and brackets. Pick one. Slashes /…/ for broad, brackets […] for narrow. Do not stick a phonetic detail like aspiration inside slashes, and do not omit phonemic-only information from brackets.
Audience
Who actually needs an IPA keyboard?
If you ever find yourself describing how a word sounds in writing, an IPA keyboard speeds you up dramatically. Some of the most common audiences:
Language learners
Annotate your own notes with the exact IPA from your dictionary so you can review pronunciation at a glance instead of relying on dictionary apps.
Voice actors
Mark up scripts with the exact pronunciation you and the director agreed on. Stress marks lock in the rhythm; IPA vowels lock in the accent.
Speech therapists
Document a client's pronunciation accurately, including allophonic detail like aspiration, glottal stops, and nasalization, using narrow phonetic notation.
Linguists & researchers
Type IPA into papers, theses, and presentations without juggling Unicode escape sequences or specialized keyboard layouts.
Singers
Annotate lyrics in foreign languages, Italian, French, German art songs, with exact vowel and consonant transcriptions for clean diction.
Power user
Tips that make the IPA keyboard ten times faster
- Type what you can, click what you cannot. Half of any English transcription is ASCII letters (p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, l, f, v, s, z, h). Use your keyboard for those and click only the special symbols.
- Start with the schwa. Any unstressed vowel is probably ə. Click schwa first in every unstressed slot, then go back and refine if needed.
- Add stress before length. Write the stress mark first, then the vowel, then the length mark. /əˈbaʊt/ goes in the same order you read it.
- Wrap with brackets last. Type the IPA without delimiters, then wrap the whole word in / / or [ ] at the end. It is easier than typing the opening bracket first.
- Use a Unicode-friendly font. If your IPA renders as boxes in Word or a PDF, switch to Charis SIL, Doulos SIL, Gentium, Arial Unicode MS, or any modern system font. The IPA Extensions Unicode block is supported everywhere, but older fonts may lack glyphs.
- Cross-reference with the auto-transcriber. If you are not sure about a word, paste it into the Phonetic Spelling Generator first to get a starting IPA, then fine-tune it on this keyboard.
- Plan your scripts. Build a transcription, then pair it with our speech time calculator or reading time calculator to estimate how long the spoken version will run.
FAQ
IPA keyboard frequently asked questions
Quick answers about typing IPA online, accent differences, and clipboard compatibility.
What is an IPA keyboard?
An IPA keyboard is an online symbol picker for the International Phonetic Alphabet. Instead of memorizing Unicode codes or hunting through character maps, you click the IPA symbol you need (such as ə, ʃ, θ, ŋ, ˈ, ˌ, or ː) and it is inserted into the textarea. You can then copy the finished transcription into a document, flashcard, email, or lesson plan.
How do I type IPA symbols online?
Open the IPA keyboard above, click any symbol to insert it at your cursor position, and type normal characters between clicks for the rest of the word. When you are done, click "Copy" and paste the transcription anywhere. The keyboard works in any modern browser and does not require an account, app install, or special font.
What is the schwa (ə) and when do I use it?
The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel in English. It is a relaxed, unstressed "uh" sound that appears in syllables you do not put any emphasis on, like the first vowel of "about" /əˈbaʊt/ or the second vowel of "sofa" /ˈsoʊfə/. Whenever you transcribe an unstressed syllable, ə is almost always the right vowel to reach for.
What is the difference between phonetic and phonemic transcription?
Phonemic transcription is broad and uses slashes: /kæt/. It records the distinct contrastive sounds of a language but ignores small allophonic details. Phonetic transcription is narrow and uses square brackets: [kʰæt]. It captures fine articulatory detail like aspiration. Most dictionaries and language teaching materials use phonemic (/slash/) transcription.
How do I show primary and secondary stress in IPA?
Use ˈ (the primary stress mark) before the syllable that carries the main stress, and ˌ (the secondary stress mark) before any syllable that carries lesser stress. For example, the word "international" is /ˌɪn.tɚˈnæʃ.ən.əl/ in American English: secondary stress on "in," primary on "na."
Why does British English IPA have more vowel symbols than American?
British Received Pronunciation (RP) distinguishes vowels that General American collapses, mostly because RP is non-rhotic and uses length contrasts. RP uses ɒ (hot), ɜː (bird), ɪə (here), eə (fair), and ʊə (cure) as separate vowels; American typically maps them to ɑ, ɝ, plus r-colored sequences. Both accents share the same consonant inventory.
What are diphthongs and how do I type them?
A diphthong is a vowel where the tongue glides from one position to another within the same syllable, such as the vowel in "buy" /aɪ/ or "boy" /ɔɪ/. In IPA you type the two component vowels in order with no space between them. The keyboard groups the common English diphthongs together so you can pick the right glide quickly.
Can I use this IPA keyboard offline?
Yes. Once the IPA keyboard page has finished loading in your browser, all the symbol insertion and copy/clear actions run entirely on your device. You can disconnect from the internet and the keyboard still works for the rest of that session. Refreshing the page or opening it in a new tab does require a connection.
Will IPA characters paste correctly into Word and Google Docs?
Yes. The keyboard inserts standard Unicode characters from the IPA Extensions and Spacing Modifier Letters blocks, which are supported by every modern text editor including Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, LaTeX, Notion, and most note apps. If a specific symbol shows as a box, switch to a Unicode-aware font such as Charis SIL, Doulos SIL, Gentium, or any modern system font.
Is the IPA keyboard mobile-friendly?
Yes. The layout reflows to a single column on phones, the keys are sized for thumb tapping, and the copy and clear actions stay reachable at the bottom. You can use it to look up a pronunciation, build a transcription, and paste it into a notes or messaging app without leaving your browser.
How is this different from typing IPA with a system input method?
System input methods (like macOS keyboard layouts or Windows IPA fonts) require setup, training, and remembering key combinations for every symbol. This IPA keyboard is zero-setup: open the page, click the symbol, paste the result. It is faster for occasional use, and the layout is grouped pedagogically (vowels, diphthongs, consonants, stress) so you can learn the IPA while you type it.
Can I auto-generate IPA from English text instead of typing it?
Yes. The companion https://vclar.com/tools/phonetic-spelling-generator/ page converts entire English passages into IPA in either American or British pronunciation, with audio playback and editable tokens. Use the IPA keyboard on this page when you need to type a single transcription by hand, and use the auto-transcriber when you have a long block of text.