Phoneme: IPA Chart & Trainer

The IPA reference chart that fits in your pocket. Free chart, one-time unlock for pronunciation drills. No subscription. No account required.

Phoneme is a fast, legible IPA reference and pronunciation trainer built for EFL and ESL teachers — and anyone who wants to understand English sounds.

REFERENCE — ALWAYS FREE • Complete chart of 38 English phonemes (24 consonants, 14 vowels and diphthongs) • Tap any IPA symbol to hear it spoken and read the articulation cue • Keyword examples for every sound (e.g. ə → "schwa", ʃ → "shoe") • Designed around the International Phonetic Alphabet standard • Works offline — no account, no internet required

The free Reference tab is always accessible. No paywall, no timer, no nudge.

TRAIN — ONE-TIME UNLOCK ($4.99) Unlock permanent access to all drill modes:

• Minimal-pair drills — contrast similar sounds side by side (ship vs. sheep, bit vs. beat). The classic exercise for ear training. • Hear-and-choose — listen to a phoneme and tap the correct IPA symbol. Builds auditory discrimination. • Identify-the-symbol — see the IPA glyph and match it to the spoken keyword. Reinforces symbol literacy. • Printable IPA charts and minimal-pair contrast handouts for classroom use — export as PDF for your students. • Session progress tracking — streaks and accuracy history so you can see which sounds need more work.

One payment. No subscription. Yours permanently.

BUILT FOR EFL CLASSROOMS Phoneme was designed with CELTA and DELTA teachers in mind. Every screen is optimised for quick reference during a lesson — pull up the chart, tap a sound, hand the phone to a student. The IPA chart layout follows standard teaching conventions.

The drill modes cover the exercises that appear most frequently in phonemic awareness curricula: minimal pairs for contrastive analysis, listening discrimination, and symbol recognition. If you teach pronunciation, these are the exercises your students need.

DESIGN Phoneme uses a retro Mac OS 8 window aesthetic — beveled chrome, sandy beige background, crisp IPA glyphs in Accent Orange on a white content area. It looks different because it is different: a reference tool that takes its visual identity seriously.

PRIVACY No account required. The IPA Reference works entirely offline. Optional sign-in (magic link or Google) is available to sync your Train Unlock across devices. We use anonymous product analytics to improve the app — we do not sell your data, we do not track you across other apps, and we do not show ads. See our privacy policy at phoneme.app/privacy.