English text to IPA phonetic transcription

An online tool that turns English text into phonetic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet. It resolves a word’s reading from its context, marks stress, splits words into syllables and shows weak forms — the way function words really sound in connected speech. British and American, four output layouts, and a printable handout.

How to transcribe English text into IPA

1
Paste your text

Type or paste any English text — one word or a whole page.

2
Choose the variant

British or American, with syllables, with weak forms, or in ARPABET.

3
Read, listen, print

Click a word to hear it, copy the transcription line, or send the page to the printer.

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Check how every word in your text is actually read

Your phonetic transcription will appear here.

Click a word to hear it
Dotted underline — estimated from spelling, not found in the dictionary · Blue transcription — reduced form the word takes in running speech · Dashed underline — two readings — click to switch

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Features

Readings from context
Weak forms of connected speech
British and American
Stress and syllables
Four output layouts
Printable handout

What you can do

  • Transcribe single words or whole texts at once
  • Get heteronyms right: "a record" and "to record" are read differently
  • See the weak forms: of becomes /əv/, and becomes /ən/, to becomes /tə/
  • Switch between British and American pronunciation
  • Show the text and its transcription side by side or line by line
  • Print a ready-made classroom handout

Why the transcription is accurate

The base is the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary — about 126,000 hand-checked English words — so ordinary vocabulary is transcribed from the dictionary rather than guessed. Two things work on top of it that tools usually skip. The first is heteronym resolution from the neighbouring words: an article before the word gives the noun "a ˈrecord", the particle to gives the verb "to reˈcord", and when the context is silent the word is marked and you can switch the reading yourself. The second is positional weak forms: a function word reduces inside the phrase but keeps its strong form at the end and before a pause, and the tool tells those positions apart. Rare words and names outside the dictionary are estimated from spelling rules and carry a dotted underline.

Frequently asked questions

Which English accent is used?

Both. The UK/US switch changes the whole transcription: British is non-rhotic with /ɑː/, /əʊ/ and length marks, American follows General American as recorded in CMUdict. A single-word lookup shows both at once.

What do the ˈ and ˌ marks mean?

ˈ goes before the syllable with primary stress, ˌ before a syllable with secondary stress. Both sit at the start of the syllable, as IPA convention requires.

What are weak forms, and why turn them on?

In connected speech function words reduce: of sounds like /əv/, not /ɒv/. Tick "Weak forms" and the text is transcribed the way it is spoken, not as a row of dictionary entries.

Why does one word have two readings?

It is a heteronym: record, present, read, live and close are read differently depending on part of speech. The tool picks a reading from the surrounding words and marks the word — click it to see and choose the other one.

Why is a word underlined with dots?

That word is not in the pronouncing dictionary, so its transcription comes from English spelling rules and may be approximate — worth double-checking.

Can I print the transcription for a lesson?

Yes. The Print / PDF button outputs only the text and its transcription, without the interface — a ready handout. The line-by-line layout works best on paper.

Who is this tool for?

Learners checking pronunciation, teachers preparing materials, linguistics students, and singers and actors working from an English script.

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