International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Vowels
(Applied to French Repertoire)
IPA Vowel
Symbol
ɑ
æ
e
ɛ
i
o
ɔ
u
English Word
Example
ball
bat
bait*
bet
beet
boat**
awe
boot
IPA of
Word
[bɑl]
[bæt]
[beɪt]
[bɛt]
[bit]
[boʊt]
[ɔ]
[but]
*In English the closed e [e] is always sung as part of the diphthong [eɪ] as in the word “bait” [beɪt]. That makes
it challenging for native English speakers to authentically sing foreign language words with the [e] sound. The
key is to keep the jaw from “chewing” the vowel.
**In English when appearing in a stressed syllable, the closed “o” [o] is always sung as part of the diphthong
[oʊ] as in the word “boat” [boʊt]. It does stand alone when appearing in an unstressed syllable, as in the word
“obey” [obeɪ]. As with the [e] vowel above, in order to refrain from creating a diphthong when singing in a
foreign language, care must be taken not to allow the jaw to move. Sometimes writing an “h” after the “o”
helps remind the singer to maintain the vowel integrity.
Vowels can be described as open or closed. Closed vowels are brighter and more focused, while open vowels
are slightly more relaxed.
Closed
Open
i bee, deed
ɪ bit, it
e gate, late
ɛ bet, get
u boot, food
ʊ book, hook
o note, probe
ɔ bawl, awe
ø deux
œ peuple
French Vowels not found in English:
y
lips form [u], say [i]
œ
lips form [ɔ], say [ɛ]; use for French schwa
ø
lips form [o], say [e]
ã/ɔ̃/œ̃ French nasal [a], [ɔ], [œ]
ɛ̃
French nasal [æ]
Notes for French application:
1) French closed vowels are VERY closed and their open vowels are closer to English closed vowels.
2) “K” is dry, very close to “G”.
3) “H” is silent.
4) “R” is front flipped in sung French.
5) “I” is always closed [i].
6) “U” in French is [y] (lips shape “oo” and say “ee”).
7) “J” in French is “zh” as in genre.
8) “S” is “s”, not “z” unless it’s between two vowels.
Created for the Reston Chorale
By AmyAyre
©2015