Phonetic Transcription Exercises for Beginners: Read, Match and Check

Try 24 phonetic exercises for beginners: read IPA, match words to transcriptions and write your own. Check each answer with an explanation and dictionary audio.

Published on October 21, 2026

Phonema App

Read, match, then write

These 24 phonetic exercises for beginners move from reading IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet) to matching words and writing short transcriptions. Attempt a block before opening its answer key. Each solution explains a sound or stress choice and links to a dictionary entry with audio.

You need paper or a place to type IPA. If the symbols are new to you, read our phonetic transcription guide first. It introduces the symbols and dictionary marks; this page gives you more practice using them.

Use Cambridge Dictionary’s UK model throughout this worksheet. These learner-dictionary transcriptions show the sounds of individual words without recording every detail of a particular speaker’s pronunciation. Follow the linked UK audio when checking. If your course specifies another accent or symbol system, use its key instead.

Exercise 1: read IPA and identify the word

Say each transcription aloud, then write the English word. For item 8, also mark the stressed syllable in the written word. If you can read the sounds but do not know the word, leave a question mark and check its meaning afterwards.

1. /pɪɡ/
2. /kʌp/
3. /muːn/
4. /ʃɒp/
5. /tʃiːz/
6. /θriː/
7. /dʒʌmp/
8. /əˈweɪ/

Answers 1: reading IPA

If an answer surprised you, read its transcription again before replaying the audio. Try to locate the specific symbol that changed your reading.

Exercise 2: match words to transcriptions

Write the matching letter beside each word. Use each letter once. Read the whole transcription: some choices differ only in the vowel or the opening consonant.

Transcription bank: A /west/ · B /tʃiːp/ · C /fæn/ · D /sɪt/ · E /vest/ · F /siːt/ · G /væn/ · H /tʃɪp/

9. sit
10. seat
11. chip
12. cheap
13. van
14. fan
15. vest
16. west

Answers 2: matching words and IPA

For sit–seat and chip–cheap, listen for vowel quality as well as length. Simply holding the same vowel longer does not reliably produce the contrast. Continue with minimal-pair practice if these pairs are difficult to say.

Exercise 3: write a short transcription

Write each word between slashes using the UK model. For 23 and 24, include the main stress mark; you may omit syllable dots. If you do not know a word’s pronunciation, open its link below and listen to the UK dictionary audio, then try writing what you hear. Cover the dictionary’s transcription while listening.

17. bad
18. bed
19. pull
20. pool
21. thin
22. this
23. city
24. agree

Answers 3: writing transcriptions

Check your work, then check your speech

Keep a separate result for each block: reading __/8, matching __/8, writing __/8. In the writing block, count an item as correct when its sounds and, for the two longer words, its main stress match the reference. Apply the notation allowances in the key. These scores track this worksheet; they are not a pronunciation level or an exam grade.

Choose up to three items you missed. Beside each one, note what happened: “read /ɪ/ as /iː/”, “used /v/ for /w/”, or “missed second-syllable stress”. Cover the key and retry those items the next day.

Then use the words in short sentences, such as “Please take a seat”, “Open the shop”, and “I agree with you”. Record yourself and compare the target word with the linked UK audio. A correct written transcription alone cannot tell you how you actually said it.

You can also practise your sentences in Phonema and review word and sound feedback. Phonema uses an American English reference; we have not validated its scoring of a British accent. Use the linked UK recordings for this worksheet’s pronunciation model. The app does not mark written IPA answers.

For more work on stress position, try our word stress exercises with answers.

Frequently asked questions

What phonetic exercises should beginners start with?

Start by reading short IPA transcriptions and identifying the words. Then match familiar words to similar transcriptions before writing a few transcriptions yourself. Check one block at a time and listen to dictionary audio after attempting it.

How do I check my phonetic transcriptions?

Compare your answer with the key sound by sound, including stress in longer words. Note the exact symbol you confused, listen to the linked dictionary recording and try the item again with the key covered. Check that your dictionary uses the same accent and notation.

Are these transcriptions British or American?

These exercises follow Cambridge Dictionary’s UK transcriptions for words said on their own. For example, shop has /ɒ/ and bed uses /e/. American pronunciations and other dictionary conventions may differ; use the specified model when checking this worksheet.

Does a correct IPA answer mean my pronunciation is correct?

No. A written answer checks whether you recognise or can write the transcription. To check your speech, say the word, record it in a short sentence and compare the target word with dictionary audio. Ask a teacher if you cannot hear the difference.

Sources and checking conventions

• Cambridge Dictionary: pronunciation symbols. We follow its UK notation, stress marks and syllable dots. Each answer links to the corresponding entry with UK audio.
• Compare shop for UK and US vowels, and city for the two models’ treatment of /t/. Follow the UK column when checking these exercises.

The exercise order, explanations and practice sentences were written for this guide. The key uses dictionary reference forms, not every possible regional pronunciation.

Related sounds

• ɪ — as in sit
• i — as in see
• ʊ — as in put
• u — as in two
• θ — as in think
• ð — as in this

* Reference check: 21 October 2026. We make Phonema, the pronunciation app mentioned here, so we have a commercial interest in it. You can complete every exercise with paper and a learner dictionary.