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Difficulty: HardMonophthongs (Pure Vowels)

Match each of the following words featuring non-standard orthographic spellings to the exact International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol representing its primary monophthong (pure vowel) sound.

  • sieve/ɪ/
  • suite/iː/
  • leopard (stressed syllable)/e/
  • womb/uː/

Answer

'sieve' matches /ɪ/, 'suite' matches /iː/, 'leopard (stressed syllable)' matches /e/, and 'womb' matches /uː/.
Each target word contains a specific monophthong that corresponds to its correct IPA representation despite deceptive orthography: 'sieve' contains /ɪ/, 'suite' contains /iː/, 'leopard' contains /e/, and 'womb' contains /uː/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic realization of 'sieve'
Phonetic transcription is /sɪv/. The vowel spelling 'ie' corresponds to the short lax monophthong /ɪ/.
English orthography deceptive spelling pattern where 'ie' sounds like short /ɪ/ rather than long /iː/.
2
Analyze the phonetic realization of 'suite'
Phonetic transcription is /swiːt/. The vowel pattern 'ui' corresponds to the long tense monophthong /iː/.
The word is a homophone of 'sweet' and takes the long monophthong /iː/.
3
Analyze the phonetic realization of 'leopard'
Phonetic transcription of the stressed syllable is /ˈlep-/. The vowel digraph 'eo' corresponds to the short monophthong /e/.
The letter combination 'eo' in this word is pronounced as short /e/, identical to the vowel sound in 'bed'.
4
Analyze the phonetic realization of 'womb'
Phonetic transcription is /wuːm/. The single letter 'o' corresponds to the long close back monophthong /uː/.
The spelling 'o' followed by 'mb' yields the long rounded vowel /uː/, similar to 'tomb' and 'room'.

Key Concept

Identifying Monophthongs (Pure Vowels) in Irregular English Orthography
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Topics

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)

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