Ipa Keyboard Online
Type in Ipa Online using the virtual keyboard below and then copy it to your clipboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IPA?
The IPA, or International Phonetic Alphabet, is a standardized system of symbols used to represent the sounds of any spoken language. It's used by linguists, speech therapists, and language learners to accurately transcribe pronunciation.
Why are there so many symbols?
Human languages have a vast range of sounds, many of which don't exist in English. The IPA provides a unique symbol for every distinct sound (or 'phoneme'), allowing for precise transcription across all languages.
How do I find the symbol for a specific sound?
The keyboard is organized by the way sounds are produced. The top rows contain consonants, arranged by place and manner of articulation. The lower rows contain vowels, arranged by the position of the tongue in the mouth.
What is the 'schwa' (ə) sound?
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English! It's the weak, unstressed 'uh' sound you hear in words like 'about' (əˈbaʊt) or the 'a' in 'sofa' (ˈsoʊfə).
What do the symbols 'θ' and 'ð' represent?
These represent the 'th' sounds in English. 'θ' is the voiceless sound in 'thin', and 'ð' is the voiced sound in 'this'.
What's the difference between /slashes/ and [brackets] in IPA?
Slashes (e.g., /pɪn/) are used for 'broad' or phonemic transcription, representing the basic sound units of a language. Brackets (e.g., [pʰɪn]) are for 'narrow' transcription, which includes finer details of pronunciation, like aspiration.
How do I use the diacritics like 'ˈ' or 'ː'?
These are modifier symbols. 'ˈ' (primary stress) goes before the stressed syllable. 'ː' (length mark) goes after a vowel to show it's long. Our Diacritics keyboard has more of these.
Can I use phonetic typing for IPA?
Phonetic typing is not ideal for IPA because many symbols don't have a direct English letter equivalent. It's best to use the virtual keyboard to click the precise symbols you need.
Why would I need to type in IPA?
It's essential for language students who want to perfect their pronunciation, for actors learning a new accent, for singers, and for anyone studying linguistics or speech sciences.
What does the 'ʔ' symbol mean?
That's a 'glottal stop'. It's the sound in the middle of 'uh-oh'. In some English accents, it replaces the 't' sound in words like 'butter'.
Is this a complete IPA chart?
This keyboard includes the most common IPA symbols used for transcribing English and other major world languages. The full official IPA chart contains even more symbols for very specific sounds.
How do I know which symbol to use?
Learning IPA is like learning a new alphabet. You'll need to consult a pronunciation guide or IPA chart for the specific language you're transcribing to know which symbols correspond to which sounds.
Can I copy and paste these symbols into my documents?
Yes! All these symbols are standard Unicode characters and can be copied and pasted into word processors, presentations, and websites.
What is the symbol 'ʃ'?
That's the 'esh' symbol. It represents the 'sh' sound in words like 'ship' or 'sheen'.
Why is 'ɡ' on the keyboard instead of 'g'?
The official IPA symbol for the voiced velar plosive (the 'g' in 'go') is the single-storey 'ɡ'. The double-storey 'g' that we commonly type is often used as a variant, but 'ɡ' is the official standard.