International Phonetic Script

International Phonetic Script (IPS): a mnemonic, ligature-based system for unambiguous pronunciation

IPS is a phonetic meta-script designed to pronounce words across languages without ambiguity, while staying intuitive and easy to memorize. It borrows the consonant–vowel ligature logic of South Asian scripts (consonant + vowel as a unit), adds simple, memorable linkages (like [th] for “thermometer”), [the] for the and avoids cryptic symbols. The goal is universal coverage with strong mnemonic hooks, so learners can reliably say any word the way it’s meant to be said.

The vowels (examples in British English)

a aa (a : alma, almirah) (aa : arm)

e ee (e : eh!) (ee : early, earth)

é éé (é : elephant, elevator)

è èè (è : alpha, Arabic)

i ii (i : indigo, electricity) (ii : easy)

u uu (u : Ursula) (uu : Uber)

o oo (o : october, octagon)

° (the pi(ng)° / po(ng)° nasal ringing sound )

The consonants with the vowels (samples in British English - where not specified-)

a A ( )

b B (b : beta, beetroot)

c C (phonetically not used : either be s or k)

d D (d : delta, door)

[th(e)] [TH(E)] ([th(e) : the) ([TH(E)] : Dhamma)

e E ( )

f F (f : farm, family)

g G (g : gamma, game)

[gñ] [GÑ]

h H (h : home, hotel)

i I ( )

j J (j : joke, just)

[jz] [JZ] or [j§] [J§] (the French jardin sound, or the English s in measure, treasure...)

(link : link § to a decorative item in a jardin/ garden or a trea§ure.)

k K (k : kangaroo, kilo)

l L (l : lima, live)

m M (m : metric, metro)

n N (n : november, nature)

ny NY or ñ Ñ (the siñor & siñorita)

o O ( ) 

[au] [AU] (the daughter / dough sound)

[eu] [EU] (the French bleu , fleur sound)

[ue] [UE] (the french deu or German schön)

p P (p : papa, pascal)

q Q (phonetically equivalent to [kw])

[kw] [KW] ([kw] : question, queen) 

r R (r : retro, red)

[Rr] (the French/Arabic Uvular r : garçon)

s S (s : simple, singular)

[sh] [SH] ([sh] : shinto, shower)

t T (t : tango, tangible)

[th] [TH] or  θ Θ (the thermometer sound)

(link : remember θ as the thermometer bulb)

u U ( )

v V (v : violet, violence)

w W (w : water, window)

x X (x : x-ray, Xavier)

y Y (y : young, yo-yo)

z Z (z : Zulu, zebra)

[Notes: 

1 : Phonetically q is very much identical to [kw] thus q Q are currently not used in ips

2 : in some languages for phonetic purposes v and w could be used identically.

]

Under IPS, sounds/ phonetics  are produced via using consonants, wovels or a combination of above.

A sound that ends sharply is denoted by an apostrophe ' and a silent letter via within brackets  ().

Examples:

A1. Thermometer :

[th].e.r'.mo.mee.te.(r')

[θ]e.r'.mo.mee.te.(r')

[θ]er'momeete

A2. Jardin (French : garden):

[jy]a.r'.d[èn]'

[j§]a.r'.d[èn]'

[jy]ar'd[èn]'

[j§]ar'd[èn]'

Note : The j followed by the § in [j§] should link to a jardin (garden). Under IPS both [jy] and [j§] are reserved for the French j in jardin.

A3. Water :

w[au].te.r'

w[au]ter'

A4. Planet earth : 

p'.lè.ne.t' ee.[th]' 

p'.lè.ne.t' ee.[θ]'

p'.lè.ne.t' ee.(r')[θ]'

p'lènet' ee(r')[θ]'

A5. Bread dough 

bré.d' d[au]

A6. Door :

d[au]

A7. Daas Boot (German: the boat):

Daa.s' Buu.T'

Daas' BuuT'

A8. Flughafen (German: airport):

[fl]uu.gaa.fe.n'

[fl]uugaafen'

A9. Examination

é.xè.mi.néé.[sh]e.n'

éxèminéé[sh]en'

A10. Shanghai

[sh]è°.haa.i' (° for the ringing )

[sh][èn]°.haa.i'

B1. Dharma

[TH(E)]a.r'.me

[TH(E)]ar'me

Note : the letter sequence of T, H, E should generate a link to the English word / sound of THE.

B2. Deu ( French : two)

[th(e)].[ue]

[th(e)][ue]

Note : the letter sequence of t, h, e should generate a link to the English word / sound of the.

B3. Shcön (German : beautiful)

sh.[ue][ue].n'

(Or sh.oo.n' )

B4. Zebra

zii.[br]a

zii.[br]a

(Observe how the two consonants b and r have been joined to form [br] )

B5. Leisure

lé.[j§]e.r'

lé.[jz]e.r'

Core principles

• Ligature logic: Consonants combine with vowels into pronounceable units; consonant clusters can be conjoined (e.g., [br] in zii.[br]a for “zebra”).
• Mnemonic associations: Symbols are chosen for instant recall (e.g., [th] or θ for English “th” in “thermometer”; [th(e)] to represent the English the ;  [Rr] for French/Arabic uvular / lower throat r).
• Length by doubling: Long vowels are written by doubling (e.g., aa, ii, uu).
• Apostrophe as abrupt stop: ' marks a sharp cutoff, glottal stop, palatalization, or tense articulation (e.g., Portuguese méé.s' vs. méé.se; Arabic Ku.[Rr'].aa.n')
• Nasal vowels: Any vowel may be nasalized via a clear marker (e.g., [an], [en], [in], [on], [un]), mirroring French / Portuguese spelling and enhancing memorability.
• Affricates and clusters: Affricates are explicit (e.g., [ts], [ch]), and clusters are conjoinable (e.g., [dr] in “drama”).
• Aspirates and tense consonants: Simple mappings for aspirates (ph - P, kh  K, bh  B, gh  G). Note that in IPS rules all aspirates and tense consonants need to be in upper case. Thus under IPS ph P, kh K, bh B, gh G etc...
• tense consonants (doubling with apostrophe, e.g., Korean p'pa.l' == [p'p]a.l').
• Front rounded vowels (non-cryptic): Instead of opaque symbols, IPS uses [eu] for the rounded “eu” sound (e.g., French fl[eu].r').
• Tone-ready: Tone markers (e.g., macron, acute, caron, grave) can be layered when needed (Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese), without altering base mnemonics.

Vowels

Short/long pairs (e.g., a/aa, i/ii, u/uu, o/oo, e/ee, é/éé, è/èè) plus a “ping/pong” vowel ° for nasal ringing. 

Nasalized counterparts are formed by adding [n]-markers (e.g. [an], [en], [én], [èn], [in], [on], [un], [aan], [iin] etc).

Consonants

• Base set: b, c, d,[th(e)], f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t,[th], v, w, x, y, z (with uppercase mapping for aspirates like ph == P, kh == K).
• Specials and mnemonics: [sh],   [ts], [ch], [jz], (French/Chinese medial), ñ (palatal nasal), [Rr] (uvular r), and explicit cluster conjoining (e.g., [br], [dr] etc).
• Apostrophe: adds abruptness, glottal closure, palatalization, or tense quality (e.g., t' soft/abrupt, p'pa.l' fortis).

How the apostrophe unifies articulation

• Glottal stop: English “uh‑oh” → o'.o'; Arabic “Qur’ān” → Ku.[Rr'].aa.n'; 
• Sharp syllable endings: Portuguese “meias” vs. “mesa” → méé.s' vs. méé.se.
• Palatalization/softening: Russian bï.t' (быть).
• Tense consonants: Korean p'pa.l', t'ta.l', k'k[ae], s'sa.l'.

Examples across languages

• English: “cat” → kè.t'; “zebra” → zii.[br]aa.
• French: “fleur de saison” → fl[eu].r' de zé.z[on]'; “vin” → v[èn]'.
• German: “schön” → [sh][eu].[eu].n' (using [eu] to convey the rounded front quality).
• Arabic: “Qur’ān” → Ku.[Rr'].aa.n'.
• Portuguese: “meias” → méé.s'; “mesa” → méé.se.
• Japanese: “tsunami” → [ts]u.naa.mi; “chotto” → [ch]o.t'.to.
• Russian: “мир” (peace) → mii.r'; “сыр” (cheese) → sii.r'.
• Thai/Mandarin: tone-capable via pitch marks layered onto vowels (e.g., maˉ, maˊ, maˇ, maˋ), without changing base mnemonics.

Why IPS is easier to learn

• Associative symbols: Every unit has a familiar cue (e.g., [th], [eu], [on]), avoiding opaque glyphs.
• Uniform rules: Length by doubling; nasalization by [n]-markers; abruptness by apostrophe.
• Cross-language consistency: One apostrophe convention covers glottal stops, palatalization, tense consonants, and clipped endings.
• Script-agnostic: Works alongside existing orthographies and is readable without special fonts.

Roadmap and extensions

• Tones: Standardize tone diacritics (high, rising, dipping, falling) for Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese.
• Retroflex set: Optional series for South Asian contrasts (ṭ, ḍ, ṇ, ṣ) if needed for finer distinctions.
• Coverage audits: Continue stress-testing with edge cases (Slavic clusters, Arabic emphatics, African prenasalized stops) using IPS’s cluster and apostrophe rules.

IPS aims to be the “pronunciation bridge” across cultures: precise enough to be unambiguous, yet friendly enough to be learned quickly. By privileging mnemonic linkages and ligature logic, it turns phonetics from a cryptic code into an intuitive, memorable system.

---

IPS Vowel Inventory

The IPS vowel system is built on easily typable short/long pairs, plus specific mnemonics for nasalization and front-rounded quality.

IPS Symbol(s)	Phonetic Quality	Principle and Mnemonic
a, aa, i, ii, u, uu, o, oo, e, ee, é, éé, è, èè	Short and Long Vowel Pairs	Length by Doubling: Simple doubling for long vowels (e.g., aa).
°	Ringing  Quality	The “ping/pong” vowel for ding (ringing) sounds.
[an], [en], [in], [on], [un] [an], [in], [un], [on], [én], [èn]	Nasalized Vowels	Nasal Marker: Formed by adding [n]-markers, mirroring French/Portuguese spelling.
[eu] [au]	Front Rounded Vowels	Replaces opaque symbols for the rounded “eu” and au sounds. e.g. French Fleur : fl[eu].r' or English (dough) d[au].

---

IPS Consonant Inventory

The system uses the standard Latin base set, augmented with easy-to-recall mnemonics for specialized sounds and clusters.

IPS Symbol(s)	Sound/Articulation	Principle and Mnemonic
b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z	Base Consonants	Base Set:  Standard Latin alphabet used for common sounds.
[sh], [ch], [ts], ñ	Specific Fricatives, Affricates, and Nasals	Explicit and Mnemonic:  Clear letter combinations for distinct sounds (e.g., [sh], [ts], ñ for palatal nasal).
[Rr]	Uvular R	Double-R Mnemonic: Designates the deep, guttural R (French, Arabic) using an intuitive double letter.
P, K, B, G etc.)	Aspirated Consonants	Simple Mapping: Use of 'h' or uppercase mapping for aspirates.
' (Apostrophe)	Glottal Stop, Palatalization, Tense Consonants, Sharp Endings	Unifying Articulation: A single marker for abruptness, closure, or tense quality (e.g., o'.o' for "uh-oh").

---

IPS Examples Across International Languages

The IPS notation system is designed to provide unambiguous pronunciation for global languages:

• English: “cat” → kè.t'; “zebra” → zii.[br]a.
• French: “fleur de saison” → [fl][eu].[Rr]' de zé.z[on]'; “vin” → v[èn]'. (Note the use of [Rr] for the uvular R)
• German: “schön” → [sh]eu.eu.n' (using [eu] to convey the rounded front quality).
• Arabic: “Qur’ān” → Ku.[Rr]'.aa.n'. (Note the use of [Rr] for the uvular R and ' for the glottal stop).
• Portuguese: “meias” (stockings) vs. “mesa” (table) → méé.s' vs. méé.se. (Apostrophe marks the sharp syllable end).
• Japanese: “tsunami” → [ts]u.naa.mi; “chotto” → [ch]o.t'.to. (Explicit affricates and a tense stop marker).
• Russian: “мир” (peace) → mii.r' (soft/palatalized); “сыр” (cheese) → si.r'.
• Tone-Capable: Tones can be layered onto vowels when needed for languages like Mandarin, Thai, or Vietnamese (e.g., maˉ, maˊ, maˇ, maˋ).

Examples of south Asian [mB]

Language/script	Word (gloss)	Native script form	IPS
Devanagari (Hindi/Marathi)	ambā (mango)	अंबा	a[mB]a
Gujarati	ambā (mango)	અંબા	aa[mB]a
Sinhala	amba (mango)	අඹ	a[mB]e
Telugu	ambā	అంబా	a[mB]a
Tamil	ambu	அம்பு	a[mB][eu]
Kannada	amba (name/poetic)	ಅಂಬ	a[mB]e

Notes:

• Conjunct logic: In Brahmic scripts, “mb” is typically written as a conjunct of the nasal base letter + the stop (e.g., म्+ब → म्ब). Tamil and Sinhala use distinct orthographic conventions but still represent the “mb” cluster.
• IPS convention: Represent the cluster as [mB] inside the syllable (e.g., ambā → a[mB]e), preserving a compact, cross-script notation.

IPS applied to Hangul.

Word	Meaning	Hangul (romanized)	Full IPS	Conversational shortcut
빵	bread	ppang	[pP]aa°	Paa°
쌀	rice	ssal	[sS]aa.l'	Saa.l'
딸기	strawberry	ttalgi	[tT]aa l gi	Taa.l'.gi
꼬마	little child	kkoma	[kK]o.ma	Ko.ma
짜다	salty	jjada	[jJ]a.da	Ja.da

Notes:

• ° marker: for final ㅇ nasal resonance (e.g., 빵).
• Tense markers: initial doubles kept in full IPS ([pP], [sS], [tT], [kK], [jJ]); shortcuts drop the doubling when meaning stays clear.

Word	Meaning	Pinyin	IPS equivalent	Everyday cue
中国	China	Zhōngguó	[jz]o° guo	[jz] like French j in jardin or s in measure, leisure
人	person	rén	[r]en.n'	[r] like English “red”
你	you	nǐ	[ni]	[n] like “knee”
我	I, me	wǒ	[wo]	[w] like “water”
他	he	tā	[ta]	[t] like “top”
她	she	tā	[ta]	[t] like “top”
吃	eat	chī	[ch]i	[ch] like “cheese”
茶	tea	chá	[ch]a	[ch] like “charm”
字	character	zì	[tz]i	[tz] like “cats”
子	child	zǐ	[ts]i	[ts] like “tsunami”
四	four	sì	[s]i	[s] like “see”
七	seven	qī	[kw]i	[kw] like Q in “Qween or Queue”
西	west	xī	[sh]i	[sh] like in “she”
书	book	shū	[sh]u	[sh] like “shine”
日	day/sun	rì	[r]i	[r] like “red”
中	middle	zhōng	[jz]o° or [j§]o°	[jz],[j§] like French j in jardin or s in treasure, measure
长	long	cháng	[ch]a°	[ch] like “charm”
京	capital	jīng	[j]i°	[j] like “jeep”
小	small	xiǎo	[sh]i.ao	[sh] like “she”
大	big	dà	[da]	[d] like “door”
上海	Shanghai	Shànghǎi	[sh]a(ng)° haa.i' or [sh]a° haa.i'	[sh] like “shine”
广东	Guangdong	Guǎngdōng	[gu]a(ng)° do° or [gu]a° do°	[gu] like “good”
北京	Beijing	Běijīng	bei [j]i°	[j] like “jeep”
你好	Hello	Nǐ hǎo	[ni] hao	[h] like “how”
再见	Goodbye	Zàijiàn	[tz]ai jian.n'	[tz] like “cats”

Word/Phrase	Meaning	Pinyin	IPS equivalent	Everyday cue
中国	China	Zhōngguó	[jz]o° guo or  [j§]o° guo	[jz], [j§] like French j in jardin or s in measure
人	person	rén	[r]en.n'	[r] like English “red”
你	you	nǐ	[ni]	[n] like “knee”
我	I, me	wǒ	[wo]	[w] like “water”
他	he	tā	[th]a	[th] thermometer t (aspirated)
她	she	tā	[th]a	[th] thermometer t (aspirated)
吃	eat	chī	[ch]i	[ch] like “cheese”
茶	tea	chá	[ch]a	[ch] like “charm”
字	character	zì	[tz]i	[tz] like “cats”
子	child	zǐ	[ts]i	[ts] like “tsunami”
四	four	sì	[s]i	[s] like “see”
七	seven	qī	[q]i	[q] like “Qin dynasty”
西	west	xī	[zs]i / [sh]i	[zs] halfway “zee” → “she” (often drifts to [sh])
书	book	shū	[sh]u	[sh] like “shoe”
日	day/sun	rì	[r]i	[r] like “red”
中	middle	zhōng	[jz]o°	[jz] like French j in jardin
长	long	cháng	[ch]a°	[ch] like “charm”
京	capital	jīng	[j]i°	[j] like “jeep”
小	small	xiǎo	[zs]iao	[zs] halfway “zee” → “she”
大	big	dà	t[a] / [th(e)]a	Academic: t (temple t), Practical drift: [th(e)]a
上海	Shanghai	Shànghǎi	[sh]ang° ha.i'	[sh] like “shoe”
广东	Guangdong	Guǎngdōng	g[ua]° to° / g[ua]° [th(e)]o°	Academic: to° (stop t), Practical drift: [th(e)]o°
北京	Beijing	Běijīng	bei [j]i°	[j] like “jeep”
你好	Hello	Nǐ hǎo	[ni] hao	[h] like “how”
再见	Goodbye	Zàijiàn	[tz]ai jian.n'	[tz] like “cats”

© Ly De Sandaru