This pronunciation guide employs the following key to vowel sounds and consonant combinations. (Although there is considerable variation in current practice, this key follows the most common phonetic symbols used in guides prepared by the press associations and broadcasting networks.)
a is like the a in hat
ay is like the a in fate
ah is like the a in arm
e is like the e in met
ee is like the ea in heat
i is like the i in sit
eye is like the i in ice
o is like the o in not
oh is like the o in hoe
oo is like the oo in shoot
oo is like the oo in foot
uh is like the u in cup
u is like the u in use
er is like the er in farmer
k is like the c in cat
j is like the g in edge
g is like the g in gun
ow is like the ow in cow
oy is like the oy in boy
aw is like the aw in saw
air is like the air in hair
Consonants not listed have their usual sounds. Accented syllables are spelled in capital letters.