A calm warm study with an armchair, open books and a small recording booth with a microphone, a teenager listening closely to sounds with headphones

PhonemeForge

English has 26 letters and about 44 sounds. This is the sound system itself — described the way a linguist would: where in your mouth each sound is made, how the air gets out, and whether your voice buzzes.

Three questions describe any consonant

  • Voicing — do your vocal folds buzz? Put a hand on your throat for "zzz" and then "sss".
  • Place — where the air is shaped: both lips, lip and teeth, tongue and teeth, the ridge behind your teeth, further back.
  • Manner — how the air gets out: blocked and released (stop), squeezed (fricative), through the nose (nasal).

Rounds mix practice with a few "why is it like this?" questions. Every answer is worked out from the sound chart, nothing is timed, and nothing leaves your device.

📋 The full chart of 44 sounds →

📜 Why English spelling drifted away from its sounds →

🌏 Heritage track: Vietnamese, Hindi and Spanish sound systems →

🗂️ Three speakers, three sound puzzles →

What next? Pick a door

Chosen from what this app is about. What you open is remembered on this device only.