8 Common American English Diphthongs with Examples
Do you like to play on the slide?
This question contains three words with English diphthongs that make it feel like your mouth is sliding: like, play and slide.
In this post, we’ll slide easily into the eight main English diphthongs, examples with audio and tips for mastering them.
Contents
- What Is an English Diphthong?
- 1. /aʊ/ as in Town
- 2. /aɪ/ as in Light
- 3. /eɪ/ as in Play
- 4. /eə/ as in Pair
- 5. /ɪə/ as in Deer
- 6. /oʊ/ as in Slow
- 7. /ɔɪ/ as in Toy
- 8. /ʊə/ as in Sure
- Tips for Learning English Diphthongs
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What Is an English Diphthong?
To figure out what a diphthong is, we first have to return to the basics: vowels.
According to Cambridge’s English Dictionary, a vowel is a sound produced by the human mouth without being obstructed (blocked) by the teeth, tongue or lips. For example, American English is said to have 14 vowel sounds, and these are often categorized as long and short vowel sounds.
The word diphthong comes from the Greek word meaning “two sounds.” Based on that definition, we know that a diphthong is a sound that combines two vowel sounds.
In fact, these two vowel sounds are pronounced so closely together that they almost sound like one instead of two!
While technically a diphthong could be any two vowel sounds pronounced together, American English only has eight major diphthongs.
Enough waiting! Let’s look at each of the eight most common diphthongs in American English.
The letters in sideways brackets are from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a writing system that allows for accurate descriptions of sounds in all languages.
1. /aʊ/ as in Town
This diphthong can have many spellings and is commonly written as ow or ou within English words. Examples with the /aʊ/ diphthong include:
It’s also in the interjection Ow! used to express pain or discomfort when someone gets hurt.
Keep in mind that this diphthong is pronounced differently in other forms of English, most notably Canadian English.
2. /aɪ/ as in Light
This diphthong is commonly written as igh, but can also be represented by a single i or y in English words.
When it’s written as a single i, it’s normally followed by a consonant and then an e.
This diphthong is also pronounced slightly differently in certain dialects of English.
3. /eɪ/ as in Play
The diphthong /eɪ/ has quite a few different spellings in English. It can be written as ay, ai, ei, ey, ea or a single a. Like our previous diphthong, when /eɪ/ is written as a single a, it’s normally followed by a consonant and then an e.
Did you notice that this diphthong was also in the third word of our opening question?
4. /eə/ as in Pair
This diphthong’s pronunciation is very similar to the /eɪ/ diphthong, but this one occurs most commonly before the letter r. It’s commonly written as an ai, a single e or a single a that comes before an r.
For example, this diphthong can be heard in the words:
5. /ɪə/ as in Deer
Like our previous diphthong, /ɪə/ occurs commonly before certain consonants. Firstly, it can occur before the letter r, but it can also come before the letter l. It’s commonly written as ee, ea or a single e that comes before an r or l.
6. /oʊ/ as in Slow
The diphthong /oʊ/ is quite a versatile diphthong. It’s commonly written in a variety of ways, such as ow, oa or a single o that’s followed by a consonant and an e.
7. /ɔɪ/ as in Toy
After our previous diphthong, you’ll be happy to know that this one is easier to identify based on the spelling. Quite simply, it’s commonly written as oy or oi, such as in the words:
8. /ʊə/ as in Sure
The /ʊə/ diphthong is a little bit like a spider hiding under that slide we’ve been talking about—sometimes, it’s hard to tell if it’s even there!
That’s because this diphthong is sometimes pronounced as a single vowel sound, even in the American English dialect. That means that the sound at the end of “sure” may sound more like the English word “purr,” which has only one vowel sound. Examples of this diphthong are:
Tips for Learning English Diphthongs
What’s the best way to learn English diphthongs?
Why, it’s to actually hear them in isolation and as parts of words, of course!
- Watch a YouTube video. In a video by Rachel’s English, you can listen to five of the eight American English diphthongs. She breaks down the pronunciation of each diphthong in easy-to-understand terms and then gives some examples of common words that have the diphthongs in them.
- Watch videos of native speakers using diphthongs in action. Listen to how native speakers actually use diphthongs in their own speech. On the FluentU program, native English videos come with interactive subtitles that you can pause to see definitions and other helpful notes. You can also click on the word to see a pronunciation guide or add it to a personalized flashcard deck that will let you practice specific diphthong sounds out loud.
- Take a quiz to measure your progress. You can also check out a video and short quiz on diphthongs that are companions to the “Essential of Linguistics” textbook, and practice the common spellings of American English diphthongs with Spelling City.
- Try resources designed for children. If you’re looking for English diphthong practice for kids, The Joyful Learner has you covered.
Well, that list wasn’t too frightening, was it? Armed with your new knowledge of the eight American English diphthongs, you’ll be the talk of the town!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
