What does the English alphabet sound like? How to help your child learn English letters: three difficulties

When you start learning English, the first thing you encounter is English alphabet (alphabet |ˈalfəbɛt |). Writing English letters is not something completely new even at the very initial stage of learning, because any modern person daily encounters English letters on a computer and telephone keyboard. Yes, and English words are found at every step: in advertising, on the labels of various products, in shop windows.

But while the letters seem familiar, pronouncing them correctly in English is sometimes difficult, even for those who speak English tolerably well. Everyone is familiar with the situation when you need to spell an English word - for example, to dictate an email address or a website name. This is where the wonderful names begin - i - “like a stick with a dot”, s - “like a dollar”, q - “where is the Russian th”.

English alphabet with Russian pronunciation, transcription and voice acting

The English alphabet with Russian pronunciation is only for the very beginners. In the future, when you get acquainted with the rules of reading English and learn new words, you will need to study transcription. It is used in all dictionaries, and if you know it, it will once and for all remove the problem of the correct pronunciation of new words for you. We advise at this stage to compare the transcription icons in square brackets with the Russian equivalent. Perhaps, in these short examples, you will remember some of the ratios of English and Russian sounds.

Below is a table showing the English alphabet with transcription and Russian pronunciation.

← Move the table to the left to view it in full

English alphabet cards

Very effective cards of the English alphabet in its study. Bright and large letters will be easier to remember. See for yourself:

Features of some letters of the English alphabet.

In the English alphabet 26 letters: 20 consonants and 6 vowels.

The vowels are A, E, I, O, U, Y.

There are a few letters in the English language that we want to pay special attention to because they have certain features that need to be taken into account when learning the alphabet.

• The letter Y in English can be read as a vowel and as a consonant. For example, in the word “yes” it is a consonant sound [j] (th), and in the word “many” it is a vowel sound [i] (and).
• Consonants in words, as a rule, convey only one sound. The letter X is an exception. It is transmitted immediately by two sounds - [ ks ] (ks).
• The letter Z in the alphabet is read differently in the British and American versions (as you probably already noticed in the table). The British version is (zed), the American version is (zi).
• The pronunciation of the letter R is also different. British version - (a), American version - (ar).

To make sure that you pronounce English letters correctly, we recommend that you not only look at them and read (using transcription or the Russian version), but also listen. To do this, we advise you to find and listen to ABC-song. This song is usually used when teaching children the alphabet, but it can also be useful for adults. ABC-song is very popular in teaching, it exists in various variations. If you sing it with the announcer several times, you can not only check the correct pronunciation of the letters, but also easily remember the alphabet along with the melody.

A few words about spelling

So, we learned the alphabet of the English language. We know how English letters are pronounced individually. But turning to the rules of reading, you will immediately see that many letters in different combinations are read in a completely different way. A reasonable question arises - as the cat Matroskin would say - what is the use of memorizing the alphabet? In fact, there are practical benefits.

The point here is not the ability to tell the alphabet from beginning to end, but the ability to easily spell any English word. This skill is necessary when you need to write down English names under dictation. If you need English for work, this skill can be very useful, since English names, even if they sound the same, can be spelled in several ways. For example, Ashley or Ashlee, Mila and Milla, not to mention surnames. Therefore, for the British and Americans themselves, it is considered absolutely natural to ask to spell the name if you need to write it down (spell it) - hence the word spelling, which you can see in various tutorials.

Online exercises for learning the alphabet

Choose the letter that goes

Write the letter that starts the word.

Write the letter that ends the word.

Decipher the code and write down the secret message in letters. The number corresponds to the order of the letter in the alphabet.

Well, the final, interactive exercise "Dictation", you can follow this link.

You can apply the knowledge gained in practice with the help of. With the help of unique exercises, even at the most basic level, you can master not only reading, but also writing English words, as well as learn the basic grammar rules and continue learning further.

Greetings, my dear readers.

Today we continue to talk about how to learn how to read correctly, so the topic of today's article is the transcription of English letters.

We have already got acquainted with the concept and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.

I have a clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes, so that you can immediately put the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with studied sounds and their translation.

What else can be found on the blog:

1. with letters and transcription (you can study them online, download, print and work with them);
2. for children I have a complete .

Let `s start?

Features of English transcription:

• it is always enclosed in square brackets. I can't say exactly where it came from, but I think it's just worth taking it for granted;
• to understand where the stress is, the transcription uses the sign [‘] before the stressed syllable;
• It is important to remember that transcription is about the sound, not the spelling of words. Sometimes the spelling can be 90% different from what we pronounce;
• to show that the sound is long - we use a colon.

In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!

Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:

But you know what is the most interesting thing about English?

If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!

That's why I prepared for you

Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:

I know this table looks huge now. Surely you think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I'll tell you this: at a certain point, when you have enough, you won't even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a completely unfamiliar word, you can read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.

How to memorize combinations of letters?

1. Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
2. Read. Pay attention to letter combinations when or just texts.
3. Don't get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then go directly to English. Learn as you go!
4. Buy paper or download a good e-book in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you need it - an adult - do not hesitate to take books for children - it is there that everything is chewed in detail and not without interest.
5. Take the course « English from scratch» . This will make your path easier.

That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. I give even more such materials in the blog mailing list - subscribe and receive a portion of usefulness regularly.

Foreign languages ​​are good not only because they allow you to expand your social circle to foreigners. They perfectly stimulate memory and make the brain constantly work. According to scientists, those who constantly memorize new information retain their sharpness of mind longer in old age and old age, which undoubtedly affects the quality of life in retirement. You can study the same language for many years until it becomes closer to your native language. But, one way or another, first you have to get acquainted with its basics. How to learn the English alphabet for children and adults, we will consider in this article.

Before you start chewing on the granite of science, you should come up with a good motivation for yourself. Unlike an educational institution at home, no one will force you to do anything and scold you for unfinished homework. With a poor level of discipline, it is difficult to achieve anything. You can argue with friends or relatives that you will learn English, you can reward yourself with your favorite things after each completed stage of classes: ice cream, playing a console, and so on.

Pay attention to the conditions without which it is almost impossible to learn the entire English alphabet:

1. It is not enough to memorize only the letters: say them out loud to learn the correct pronunciation. Learning it right away is much easier than relearning after a few months.
2. Use all available materials, including audio recordings, videos, text information. With the world by thread, you will collect all the necessary data for the correct pronunciation, understanding of letters and the correct spelling.
3. If you constantly learn English letters in the order indicated in the alphabet, you should change tactics. Start studying them backwards, randomly, and in other ways. This will make it easy to remember everything important.
4. If you have started exercising, do not be distracted by TV or third-party sites on the Internet. Put your phone down and remove all annoying things. It is best to practice in a separate room where there are no animals, smells of delicious food and noise.
5. Work on yourself every day. If you are tired of learning the same letters, take a small children's book in English. You will not understand what is written there, but you can determine the name of this or that letter. This is a great exercise for beginners.

What is the English alphabet?

There is American and British English in the world. In them you can find some differences in translation, less often in pronunciation, however, the letters in different alphabets are exactly the same. Before you are placed all the letters characteristic of the English alphabet. Among them are 20 consonants and 6 vowels, that is, a total of 26 opposite 33 letters of the Russian language.

English tutors with many years of experience recommend dividing all letters into three large groups and learning them in three stages. Here's what it looks like in practice:

1. First of all, we learn 6 vowels: Aa, Her, Ii, Oo, Uu, Yy. In order to understand how this or that letter is correctly pronounced, there is a transcription and spelling of the phoneme in Russian. Vowels tend to change their sound depending on the type of syllable, the presence of stress, and so on, but you are meant to study this a little later.
2. The second group of letters will include those that are similar in spelling to letters from the Russian alphabet. So it will be easier for you to remember them and speed up the study of the English alphabet. The subgroup includes: Bb, Cc, Dd, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Ss, Tt, Xx. Some of them can be pronounced in Russian and the sound will be clear, some are simply written familiarly.
3. This group includes those letters whose sound and spelling are unfamiliar to people who are native Russian speakers: Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Qq, Rr, Vv, Ww, Zz.

At first, you need to get a notebook and write down each letter from the group under study in several lines, both in capital and in simple case. When writing, you should dictate the name of the letter aloud. It may look a little ridiculous from the outside, but the exercise is very effective. It involves three main types of memory: auditory, visual and motor.

How to Learn the English Alphabet: Exercises for All Ages

When you try to remember new information, "porridge" appears in your head. These letters are not associated with anything, you cannot understand why they are needed and for what. The unordered data that you have to deal with in the beginning is always tricky, but if you're willing to spend a little time learning English or its basics, you're sure to succeed.

Repetition is the mother of learning

One of the main rules for memorizing information is to constantly repeat and use it in practice. It is not necessary to take the exam immediately after the material has been studied. Yes, you will pass everything, but nothing will remain in your head an hour after testing. As soon as you have finished studying one of the groups of letters, take a break from the language for 15-20 minutes. You can walk the dog, wash the dishes, do exercises - anything, but don't think about English words and letters.

After the time has passed, take a blank sheet of paper and, from memory, without looking at textbooks and cheat sheets, write down all the letters from the group with foreign and Russian transcriptions. If you get it right the first time, that's great. Repeat the exercise after a couple of hours, in the morning of the next day and a week later. In the absence of errors, you can be sure that all the material studied was deposited in the memory for more than one year. If you cannot remember one or more letters, write a few more lines with it and repeat the indicated exercise again.

squares

The exercise is suitable for those who do not know how to quickly learn the English alphabet without significant loss of time and great effort. You need to take 7 A4 landscape sheets and cut each into four parts. On one side of each resulting leaflet, one of the letters of the alphabet is written in large print. If you cannot remember the correct pronunciation, you can add the transcription in Russian below in slightly smaller letters. These squares, or rather rectangles, are hung throughout the house from your desktop to the toilet. No matter how curious it looks, you should hang the most difficult letter for you there.

If you walk back and forth past any information for a week, it automatically settles in your head. To fix the alphabet, you can make tablets with words you know. Examples such as book (book), table (table), clock (clock), room (room), door (door) are known to many. By hanging them on the appropriate objects and furnishings, you will not only fix the letters of the alphabet, but also firmly remember the easiest words of the language.

The second option for using squares is suitable for the final check: sheets of paper with letters are laid out on the table face down. Naturally, they should not be transparent so that you cannot see what is written on the front of the card. You choose any of the 26 letters and write it in words on a blank sheet of paper, after which you assign the Russian and English transcription. This continues until the letters run out. All cards are stacked on top of each other so that you do not get confused when checking. In this task, the result must be 100%. Otherwise, you will not be able to read foreign words correctly and will have a huge learning gap that will prevent further development.

Educational games for children and schoolchildren

If adults learn languages ​​for self-development, when going on vacation to another country or for the sake of career growth, then they understand the goal they are moving towards. How can children learn the English alphabet if they only have fun and games on their minds? The answer lies in the question: the game form allows you to give the baby a lot of knowledge in such a way that he does not even suspect about it. Nevertheless, the information remains in memory and can serve well when entering a kindergarten, school or a thematic circle.

Words of the English language are often found in everyday life: they are called brands of clothes, drinks, cars, they are used in computer and board games, and they are also tightly included in colloquial Russian. Having an understanding of the second language, the child will not get confused in letters and name words incorrectly, development will occur much faster.

"Spell the word" or "Spell the word"

1. The game has a host (an adult or a teenager who knows basic English), as well as 2 players. The number of participants is not limited, so the entertainment is suitable for kindergartens and educational groups.
2. As an inventory, you will need a text in English. Complexity doesn't matter. The text can be placed in a book, newspaper, or written in block letters by hand on a board or whatman paper.
3. Each of the players in turn must read one letter in the text, starting with the first. You can’t skip letters and look for acquaintances - everything is read in a row. If a player makes a mistake or cannot name a letter, he is out of the game. The last one left is the winner. Of course, he should be rewarded for his diligence, and the losers should be sent to study the letters that “flew out” of memory.

"What's missing?"

1. Required: presenter and players from 2 to 7 people, large opaque cards with all the letters of the English alphabet.
2. The leader takes cards from the table in the amount of 5-6 pieces and shows them to the players. After 10-15 seconds of viewing, the children turn away, and the host removes 1-2 cards and shuffles the rest.
3. Children turn around and, looking at the remains, name which letters are missing.

There are no winners or losers here, but the exercise will help the group remember all the letters better.

There are a great many such games and you can come up with the same number on your own: reading the alphabet at speed, reproducing letters in a letter, writing a transcription or pronunciation of a letter hanging on a stand, and so on. The main thing in the process of the game is interest. When a child is passionate about something, there is a high probability that he will begin to devote more time to the process even when he is alone.

To help the baby, you can buy him not only Russian, but also the English alphabet. Install a light toy with English accompaniment: the simple word “play” is clear to everyone from the first time, but, knowing it, the child already knows a sixth of the entire alphabet and a third of vowels. If you yourself have long wanted to learn a foreign language, but you never took it up, then the baby will help you - learn together. It is logical that you will perceive, understand and remember data faster, but you should not rush. Otherwise, you will quickly forget everything.

What else will help with the study?

There are many ways to learn the alphabet of another language. You can print out the table attached above and read it in your spare time, you can sign up for online courses, or just watch the video to help you remember everything you need. For quick learning, there are easy ones - they learn in 10 minutes, but their minus is the lack of a visual representation of the letters. As an exit: sing and hold a table in front of you.

After mastering the alphabet, you should move on to learning the correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants in phrases, then you can begin to memorize the simplest words that are often used in everyday life. So you can master the basic level of English, from which you can develop further.

The study of any language begins with the development of letters, sounds and pronunciation features. Without this, learning to read and write becomes impossible.

The modern English alphabet consists of 26 letters: 6 vowels and 20 consonants.

If you are an adult, then memorizing the alphabet will not be as difficult for you as it is for a child. If you are working with a child, start learning the alphabet from the sounds that each letter gives, and only then enter the sound designation - the letter!

Learn the vowels. There are only 6 of them, so this task will not be difficult.

In English transcription, the sign [:] - colon, denotes the longitude of the sound, i.e. you have to pronounce it long.

Consonants are easier to remember when broken down into logical groups:

Consonants similar in appearance and pronunciation to Russian letters:

Consonants that look like Russian, but are pronounced or spelled differently:

Consonants that are not in Russian:

It is better to learn the English alphabet in blocks, writing and naming each letter as much as you need. So you simultaneously use three types of memory: auditory, visual and motor (motor). After memorizing the letters, you can perform exercises to consolidate the material covered and self-test.

Exercises

Write the letters on the piece of paper from memory, saying each letter aloud. If you don't remember the name or have difficulty "reproducing" the next letter, you can use the hint. Select the "difficult" letter for yourself, and continue working on the exercise. After writing the entire English alphabet, write out separately all the underlined letters in one row. Repeat them. Write a few more rows of these letters randomly, calling them out loud. If you are sure that the "difficult" letters no longer cause difficulties, do the exercises again.

Write the letters of the alphabet (26) on small squares. Lay the squares face down. Take each square in turn, calling the letter out loud. Set aside the letters you have named incorrectly or the letters you have forgotten. After working on all the squares, take all the letters set aside and do the same exercise with only these letters. Repeat the exercise several times, postponing only those letters that are not remembered.

Ask someone to point to a letter in the text, and you name it. Or ask to name any letter, and you will name its neighbors, etc.

The memorization work can be built as follows:

Learn the material and set aside.

Repeat in 15 minutes.

Repeat again in an hour.

Repeat the next day.

Repeat in a week.

In this case, the memorized material will be deposited in memory forever!

English alphabet games

If it is possible to attract 2-3 people, then you can diversify the study of the alphabet with games:

"Spell the word"

Any English text is taken. Players take turns saying the letters in order, starting with the first word in the text. The one who called incorrectly is out of the game. The last one left in the game wins.

"What is missing?"

The facilitator chooses from 26 cards with five to ten letters, depending on the age of the participants. Players memorize letters. After everyone has turned away, the leader removes one or two letters. Players must remember which letters are missing.

"Who is faster?"

Each player is dealt the same number of cards. The task of the players is to quickly arrange the cards in alphabetical order.

"Find a couple"

The participants in the game are given cards with capital letters. Each card has a lowercase letter written on the back. The task of each player is to remember and write down a lowercase letter in 3 minutes. The one with the most letters wins.

"Continue"

One of the players begins to speak the alphabet from the beginning, the leader stops at any letter. Players must continue as quickly as possible from where the previous player was left off.

"Remember Five"

Each player is given a letter face down. On command, the players turn over the card. Players need to write the next 5 letters of the alphabet as quickly as possible. The one who completed the task raises his hand.

Songs

Songs are a great way to memorize the letters of the alphabet. The melody for them can be found on the Internet.

Lyrics

ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOP QRST UVW QRST UVW XYZ

Oh well you see

Now I know the ABC!

There is another version of this song, the last two lines of which are as follows:

Now I know the ABC

Next time won't you sing with me!

Currently, English textbooks give two pronunciations for the letter Rr: [ɑː] and [ɑːr]. In the second version, the second sound is an overtone, that is, it is not pronounced in its pure form, but muffled. Both options are correct.

In English transcription, you can find several ways to write the same sound. This is due to a gradual change in the spelling of certain sounds, more often in order to simplify, for example: [ɛ] - [e] Both sounds are pronounced [e] with an overtone [e].

Further actions

After learning the English alphabet, it is advisable to learn the sounds that each letter can convey. In English, one letter can convey several sounds, depending on the type of syllable and combination with other letters (see tables).

Then you should move on to mastering the rules of reading (from simple to complex) and practice reading individual words, and then texts. Feel free to read texts from elementary school textbooks, because they are designed in such a way as to illustrate the basic rules of reading in specific vocabulary.