Diphthong Sounds Pronunciation
Practice speaking English diphthong sounds aloud. Diphthongs are complex vowel sounds that glide from one vowel to another. Click on any sound below to start practicing with real-time feedback.
Closing Diphthongs
ā
eɪ
Example: say
Say: “say”
The vowel sound heard in words like "say", "make", "rain", and "eight". It's a diphthong, meaning it's a combination of two vowel sounds: it starts with a sound similar to the 'e' in "bet" (/ɛ/ or a slightly higher /e/) and glides towards the 'ee' sound in "see" (/i/ or /ɪ/).
ī
aɪ
Example: price
Say: “price”
The diphthong sound heard in words like "price", "high", "my", and "time". It's a combination of two vowel sounds: it starts with a sound similar to the "a" in "father" (/ɑ/ or /a/) and glides towards the "ee" sound in "see" (/i/ or /ɪ/).
ō
oʊ
Example: go
Say: “go”
The diphthong sound heard in words like "go", "home", "boat", and "know". It's a combination of two vowel sounds: it starts with a sound similar to the "o" in "go" (/o/) and glides towards the "oo" sound in "too" (/ʊ/).
ow
aʊ
Example: now
Say: “now”
The diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "now", "house", "out", and "down". Often called the MOUTH vowel. It starts with a low vowel, similar to /æ/ or /ɑ/, and glides towards a high back rounded vowel /ʊ/.
oy
ɔɪ
Example: boy
Say: “boy”
The diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "boy", "noise", "coin", and "toy". Often called the CHOICE vowel. It starts with a mid-back rounded vowel /ɔ/ (like in 'caught') and glides towards a high front unrounded vowel /ɪ/ (like in 'sit').
Centering Diphthongs
eə
eə
Example: care
Say: “care”
The centering diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "care", "fair", "there", and "hair". Often called the SQUARE vowel. It starts with a mid-front unrounded vowel /e/ (like in 'bed' but slightly higher) and glides towards the central vowel /ə/ (schwa).
ɪə
ɪə
Example: dear
Say: “dear”
The centering diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "dear", "fear", "clear", and "here". Often called the NEAR vowel. It starts with a high front unrounded vowel /ɪ/ (like in 'sit') and glides towards the central vowel /ə/ (schwa).
ʊə
ʊə
Example: cure
Say: “cure”
The centering diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "cure", "sure", "poor", and "tour". Often called the CURE vowel. It starts with a high back rounded vowel /ʊ/ (like in 'put') and glides towards the central vowel /ə/ (schwa). Note: This diphthong is becoming rare in many English dialects.