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Difficulty: MediumMonophthongs (Pure Vowels)

Match each target word on the left to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol representing its primary monophthong (pure vowel) sound on the right.

  • swan/ɒ/
  • dearth/ɜ:/
  • pretty/ɪ/
  • flute/u:/

Answer

The correct matches pair each word with its corresponding IPA monophthong symbol: 'swan' matches /ɒ/, 'dearth' matches /ɜ:/, 'pretty' matches /ɪ/, and 'flute' matches /u:/.
Each word is matched strictly to its Received Pronunciation monophthong sound: 'swan' contains /ɒ/, 'dearth' contains /ɜ:/, 'pretty' contains /ɪ/, and 'flute' contains /u:/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the stressed vowel sound in 'swan'.
The letter 'a' in 'swan' produces the short open back rounded vowel /ɒ/.
Following 'w', the letter 'a' often realizes as /ɒ/ rather than /æ/.
2
Determine the stressed vowel sound in 'dearth'.
The spelling 'ear' followed by a consonant in 'dearth' produces the long central vowel /ɜ:/.
The vowel sound is identical to the vowel sound in 'earth' or 'birth'.
3
Determine the stressed vowel sound in 'pretty'.
The letter 'e' in the first syllable of 'pretty' is pronounced /ɪ/.
Despite the 'e' spelling, standard English phonology realizes this syllable as /prɪ/.
4
Determine the stressed vowel sound in 'flute'.
The vowel in 'flute' is the long close back rounded vowel /u:/.
The orthographic pattern 'u_e' in 'flute' creates a pure long /u:/ sound without an intervening glide.

Key Concept

Phonetic identification of pure English monophthongs across standard and non-standard orthographic patterns.
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Topics

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)

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