This site uses two systems for name pronunciations: basic, which is a rough guide, and IPA, which is more exact. IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) pronunciations can be identified by the /slashes/ surrounding them.
As of yet, most names do not have IPA pronunciations. The pronunciations listed at a name's entry can be clicked for more details. User-submitted names may or may not adhere to these standards.
Dashes are used to separate syllables. Stressed syllables are written in CAPITALS.
| B | as in bed |
| CH | as in cheek (tsh) |
| D | as in dam |
| DH | as in then |
| F | as in fake |
| G | as in give |
| GH | as in Scottish laghail |
| H | as in hen |
| J | as in jump (dzh) |
| K | as in cat |
| KH | as in Scottish loch |
| L | as in lamp |
| M | as in maze |
| N | as in not |
| NG | as in fling, sink |
| P | as in pain |
| R | as in right * |
| S | as in side |
| SH | as in shine |
| T | as in top |
| TH | as in thin |
| V | as in very |
| W | as in water |
| Y | as in yeti |
| Z | as in zebra |
| ZH | as in azure, vision |
| A | as in bat, can |
| AH | as in pot, con ** |
| AW | as in bought, sawn ** |
| AY | as in bait, cane |
| E, EH | as in bet, care |
| EE | as in beet, keen |
| I | as in bit, kin |
| IE | as in bite, kind |
| O | as in boat, cone |
| OI | as in boy, coin |
| OO | as in boot, soon |
| OW | as in bout, gown |
| U | as in but, sun |
| UI | as in Dutch huis |
| UU | as in French feu |
| UW | as in put, took |
| UY | as in French rue |
| ə | as in about |
| : | preceding vowel is long (drawn out) |
| ‘ | guttural fricative |
| ’ | glottal stop |
| H | preceding consonant is aspirated |
| N | preceding vowel is nasalized |
| T | epenthetic t |
| Y | preceding sound is palatalized |
| ə | following consonant is syllabic |
* R is used to represent several different r-like sounds. For further clarification the following may be used: guttural RH (as in French riche); trilled RR (as in Spanish rojo); or tapped Ṙ (as in Spanish caro).
** Many English speakers pronounce AH and AW the same
These pronunciations are surrounded by /slashes/. Periods are used to separate syllables. Stressed syllables are preceded by a ˈ symbol.
| b | voiced bilabial stop |
| ɓ | voiced bilabial implosive |
| c | voiceless palatal stop |
| ç | voiceless palatal fricative |
| ɕ | voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative |
| d | voiced alveolar stop |
| ɖ | voiced retroflex plosive |
| ɗ | voiced alveolar implosive |
| ð | voiced dental fricative |
| f | voiceless labiodental fricative |
| g | voiced velar plosive |
| ɡ | voiced velar plosive |
| ɢ | voiced uvular plosive |
| ɠ | voiced velar implosive |
| ɣ | voiced velar fricative |
| h | voiceless glottal fricative |
| ħ | voiceless pharyngeal fricative |
| ɦ | voiced glottal fricative |
| ɧ | voiceless multiple-place fricative |
| j | voiced palatal approximant |
| ʝ | voiced palatal fricative |
| ɟ | voiced palatal plosive |
| ʄ | voiced palatal implosive |
| k | voiceless velar stop |
| l | alveolar lateral approximant |
| ɫ | velarized alveolar lateral approximant |
| ɬ | voiceless alveolar lateral fricative |
| ɭ | retroflex lateral approximant |
| ɮ | voiced alveolar lateral fricative |
| ʎ | palatal lateral approximant |
| m | bilabial nasal |
| ɱ | labiodental nasal |
| n | alveolar nasal |
| ɴ | uvular nasal |
| ɲ | palatal nasal |
| ɳ | retroflex nasal |
| ŋ | voiced velar nasal |
| p | voiceless bilabial stop |
| ɸ | voiceless bilabial fricative |
| q | voiceless uvular stop |
| r | alveolar trill |
| ʀ | uvular trill |
| ɹ | alveolar approximant |
| ɺ | alveolar lateral flap |
| ɻ | retroflex approximant |
| ɽ | retroflex flap |
| ɾ | alveolar tap |
| ʁ | voiced uvular fricative |
| s | voiceless alveolar sibilant |
| ʂ | voiceless retroflex fricative |
| ʃ | voiceless postalveolar fricative |
| t | voiceless alveolar stop |
| ʈ | voiceless retroflex plosive |
| ɥ | labial-palatal approximant |
| ɰ | velar approximant |
| v | voiced labiodental fricative |
| ʋ | labiodental approximant |
| w | voiced labio-velar approximant |
| ʍ | voiceless labiovelar approximant |
| x | voiceless velar fricative |
| z | voiced alveolar sibilant |
| ʐ | voiced retroflex fricative |
| ʑ | voiced alveolo-palatal fricative |
| ʒ | voiced postalveolar fricative |
| ʔ | glottal stop |
| ʕ | voiced pharyngeal fricative |
| β | voiced bilabial fricative |
| θ | voiceless dental fricative |
| χ | voiceless uvular fricative |
| a | open front unrounded vowel |
| æ | raised open front unrounded vowel |
| ɐ | near-open central vowel |
| ɑ | open back unrounded vowel |
| ɒ | open back rounded vowel |
| e | close-mid front unrounded vowel |
| ə | mid central vowel |
| ᵊ | mid central vowel |
| ɛ | open-mid front unrounded vowel |
| ɘ | close-mid central unrounded vowel |
| ɚ | rhotacized mid central vowel |
| ɜ | open-mid central unrounded vowel |
| ɝ | rhotacized open-mid central unrounded vowel |
| ɞ | open-mid central rounded vowel |
| ɤ | close-mid back unrounded vowel |
| i | close front unrounded vowel |
| ɪ | near-close near-front unrounded vowel |
| ɨ | close central unrounded vowel |
| o | close-mid back rounded vowel |
| œ | front open-mid rounded vowel |
| ɶ | open front rounded vowel |
| ø | front close-mid rounded vowel |
| ɔ | open-mid back rounded vowel |
| ɵ | close-mid central rounded vowel |
| u | close back rounded vowel |
| ʉ | close central rounded vowel |
| ɯ | close back unrounded vowel |
| ʊ | near-close near-back vowel |
| ʌ | open-mid back unrounded vowel |
| y | close front rounded vowel |
| ʏ | near-close near-front rounded vowel |
| ᵻ | near-close central unrounded vowel |
| . | syllable break |
| ' | primary stress |
| ‿ | linking (absence of a break) |
| ˌ | secondary stress |
| | | minor (foot) break |
| ː | length mark |
| ˑ | half-length mark |
| ˥ | extra high tone |
| ˦ | high tone |
| ˧ | mid tone |
| ˨ | low tone |
| ˩ | extra low tone |
| ˪ | yin departing tone |
| ˫ | yang departing tone |
| ◌᷄᷄ | macron-acute tone |
| ◌᷅ | grave-macron tone |
| ◌᷆ | macron-grave tone |
| ◌᷇ | acute-macron tone |
| ¹ | Swedish tone 1 |
| ² | Swedish tone 2 |
| ˠ | velarized |
| ʰ | aspirated |
| ʱ | breathy-voice-aspirated |
| ʲ | palatalized |
| ò | low tone |
| ó | high tone |
| ô | falling tone |
| õ | nasalized |
| ō | mid tone |
| ŏ | extra-short |
| o̊ | voiceless (use if character has descender) |
| ő | extra high tone |
| ǒ | rising tone |
| ȍ | extra low tone |
| o̚ | not audibly released |
| o̜ | less rounded |
| o̝ | raised |
| o̞ | lowered |
| o̟ | advanced |
| o̠ | retracted |
| ọ | alveolar |
| o̥ | voiceless |
| o̩ | syllabic |
| o̪ | dental |
| o̯ | non-syllabic |
| o̰ | creaky voiced |
| o̱ | retracted |
| o̴ | velarized or pharyngealized |
| o̺ | apical |
| o̻ | laminal |
| o̽ | mid-centralized |
| o͍ | labial spreading |
| ʷ | labialized |
| ˀ | glottal stop |
| ʼ | ejective |
| ˤ | pharyngealized mark |
| ᵝ | compressed rounding |