English (Nonnative) MFA dictionary v3.1.0#

  • Maintainer: Montreal Forced Aligner

  • Language: English

  • Dialect: N/A

  • Phone set: MFA

  • Number of words: 30,696

  • Phones: a aj aw aː b bʲ c cʰ cʷ d dʒ dʲ d̪ e ej eː f fʲ h i iː j k kʰ kʷ l m mʲ m̩ n o ow oː p pʰ pʲ pʷ s t tʃ tʰ tʲ tʷ t̪ u uː v vʲ w z æ ç ð ŋ ɐ ɑ ɑː ɒ ɒː ɔ ɔj ɖ ə əw ɚ ɛ ɛː ɜ ɜː ɝ ɟ ɟʷ ɡ ɡʷ ɪ ɫ ɱ ɲ ɹ ɾ ʃ ʈ ʈʲ ʈʷ ʉ ʉː ʊ ʋ ʎ ʒ ʔ θ

  • License: CC BY 4.0

  • Compatible MFA version: v3.1.0

  • Citation:

@techreport{mfa_english_nonnative_mfa_dictionary_2024,
	author={McAuliffe, Michael and Sonderegger, Morgan},
	title={English (Nonnative) MFA dictionary v3.1.0},
	address={\url{https://mfa-models.readthedocs.io/pronunciation dictionary/English/English (Nonnative) MFA dictionary v3_1_0.html}},
	year={2024},
	month={Jun},
}
image("https://montreal-forced-aligner.readthedocs.io/en/latest/_static/logo_stacked_light.svg")

Installation#

Install from the MFA command line:

mfa model download dictionary english_nonnative_mfa

Or download from the release page.

The dictionary available from the release page and command line installation has pronunciation and silence probabilities estimated as part acoustic model training (see Silence probability format and training pronunciation probabilities for more information. If you would like to use the version of this dictionary without probabilities, please see the [plain dictionary](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MontrealCorpusTools/mfa-models/main/dictionary/english/mfa/English (Nonnative) MFA dictionary v3_1_0.dict).

Intended use#

This dictionary is intended for forced alignment of English transcripts.

This dictionary uses the MFA phone set for English, and was used in training the English MFA acoustic model. Pronunciations can be added on top of the dictionary, as long as no additional phones are introduced.

Performance Factors#

When trying to get better alignment accuracy, adding pronunciations is generally helpful, especially for different styles and dialects. The most impactful improvements will generally be seen when adding reduced variants that involve deleting segments/syllables common in spontaneous speech. Alignment must include all phones specified in the pronunciation of a word, and each phone has a minimum duration (by default 10ms). If a speaker pronounces a multisyllabic word with just a single syllable, it can be hard for MFA to fit all the segments in, so it will lead to alignment errors on adjacent words as well.

Ethical considerations#

Deploying any Speech-to-Text model into any production setting has ethical implications. You should consider these implications before use.

Demographic Bias#

You should assume every machine learning model has demographic bias unless proven otherwise. For pronunciation dictionaries, it is often the case that transcription accuracy and lexicon coverage for the prestige variety modeled in this dictionary compared to other variants. If you are using this dictionary in production, you should acknowledge this as a potential issue.

IPA Charts#

Consonants#

Obstruent symbols to the left of are unvoiced and those to the right are voiced.

Manner

Labial

Labiodental

Dental

Alveolar

Alveopalatal

Retroflex

Palatal

Velar

Glottal

Nasal
Occurrences:
6,025
Examples:
* mile:
[m aj l]
* sum:
[s ɐ m]
* sham:
[ʃ a m]
* name:
[n e m]
Occurrences:
1,142
Examples:
* mini:
[mʲ i ɲ i]
* mills:
[mʲ ɪ l z]
* semi:
[s ɛ mʲ i]
* amino:
[a mʲ iː n o]
Occurrences:
1
Examples:
Occurrences:
3
Examples:
Occurrences:
13,257
Examples:
* nara:
[n ɑː ɹ ə]
* sandy:
[s a n dʲ i]
* inch:
[i n tʃ]
* monte:
[m ɒ n tʲ i]
Occurrences:
2,126
Examples:
* nina:
[ɲ iː n a]
* nitty:
[ɲ i tʲ i]
* linen:
[ʎ i ɲ ɛ n]
* nicks:
[ɲ i k s]
Occurrences:
2,614
Examples:
* yong:
[j ɑ ŋ]
* along:
[a l ɔ ŋ ɡ]
* link:
[ʎ i ŋ k]
* ping:
[p ɪ ŋ]

Stop Plain
Occurrences:
5,497
Examples:
* pick:
[p ɪ k]
* clasp:
[c ʎ æ s p]
* jumps:
[dʒ ɐ m p s]
* caps:
[cʰ æ p s]
Occurrences:
206
Examples:
* speak:
[s pʲ i k]
* bumpy:
[b ɐ m pʲ i]
* speed:
[s pʲ iː d]
* wasps:
[ʋ ɒ s pʲ i ɛ s]
Occurrences:
3
Examples:
Occurrences:
3,764
Examples:
* grabs:
[ɡ ɹ a b z]
* bound:
[b aw n d]
* borax:
[b ɒ ɹ a k s]
* boyd:
[b ɔj d]
Occurrences:
599
Examples:
* biggs:
[bʲ i ɡ z]
* usb:
[j ʉː ɛ s bʲ ɪ]
* beet:
[bʲ iː t]
* pubic:
[pʲ uː bʲ i k]
Occurrences:
532
Examples:
* smith:
[s mʲ i t̪]
* broth:
[b ɹ ɒ t̪]
* frith:
[f ɹ ɪ t̪]
* theo:
[t̪ iː oː]
Occurrences:
133
Examples:
* then:
[d̪ ə n]
* lathe:
[l eː d̪]
* paths:
[p ɑː d̪ s]
* than:
[d̪ a n]
Occurrences:
6,558
Examples:
* notes:
[n əw t s]
* vomit:
[v ɑ mʲ ɪ t]
* mint:
[mʲ i n t]
* adult:
[a d ɐ ɫ t]
Occurrences:
2,046
Examples:
* stena:
[s tʲ iː n ə]
* tnt:
[tʲ iː ɛ n tʲ iː]
* steal:
[s tʲ iː ɫ]
* deity:
[d e i tʲ i]
Occurrences:
37
Examples:
* tweet:
[tʷ iː t]
* twig:
[tʷ ɪ ɡ]
* twist:
[tʷ i s]
Occurrences:
6,108
Examples:
* dummy:
[d ɐ mʲ i]
* finds:
[f aj n d z]
* lied:
[l aj d]
* fond:
[f ɑ n d]
Occurrences:
1,558
Examples:
* dig:
[dʲ i dʒ]
* video:
[v ɪ dʲ i əw]
* bandy:
[b a n dʲ i]
* ideal:
[aj dʲ i a ɹ]
Occurrences:
3,849
Examples:
* pit:
[p ɪ ʈ]
* taffy:
[ʈ a fʲ i]
* tec:
[ʈ ɛ k]
* table:
[ʈ eː b ə ɹ]
Occurrences:
745
Examples:
* putin:
[p ʉː ʈʲ ɪ n]
* piety:
[p aj ɪ ʈʲ i]
* ponte:
[p ɒ n ʈʲ i]
* putty:
[p ə ʈʲ i]
Occurrences:
4
Examples:
Occurrences:
1,423
Examples:
* woody:
[ʋ ʊ ɖ i]
* world:
[ʋ ɜː ɹ ɖ]
* weird:
[ʋ ɪ ə ɖ]
* panda:
[p a n ɖ ə]
Occurrences:
2,035
Examples:
* kids:
[c i ɖ s]
* keras:
[c ɛ ɹ ə z]
* kyoto:
[c j oː ʈ oː]
* pekin:
[p eː c ɪ n]
Occurrences:
139
Examples:
* quint:
[cʷ i n t]
* queer:
[cʷ i a]
* quiz:
[cʷ i z]
* quill:
[cʷ ɪ l]
Occurrences:
499
Examples:
* enugu:
[ɛ ɲ ə ɟ ʉː]
* ugly:
[ɐ ɟ ɹ i]
* gills:
[ɟ ɪ l z]
* grim:
[ɟ ɹ i m]
Occurrences:
29
Examples:
* gwynn:
[ɟʷ ɪ n]
* gwen:
[ɟʷ ɛ n]
Occurrences:
6,831
Examples:
* cards:
[k ɑː ɖ z]
* perks:
[p ɑː k s]
* erich:
[ɛ ɹ ɪ k]
* erik:
[ɛ ɹ ɪ k]
Occurrences:
161
Examples:
* squat:
[s kʷ ɑ t]
* choir:
[kʷ aj a]
* quiet:
[kʷ aj i t]
* quasi:
[kʷ ɑ s i]
Occurrences:
2,457
Examples:
* rug:
[ɹ ɐ ɡ]
* pig:
[p ɪ ɡ]
* goods:
[ɡ ʊ d s]
* gaby:
[ɡ a bʲ i]
Occurrences:
21
Examples:
* guam:
[ɡʷ a m]
* magua:
[m ɑ ɡʷ ɑ]
* guo:
[ɡʷ əw]
* guano:
[ɡʷ a n o]
Occurrences:
3
Examples:
* often:
[ɒ f ʔ ə n]

Aspirated
Occurrences:
281
Examples:
* epoxy:
[ɛ pʰ ɑ k s i]
* plc:
[pʰ iː ɛ ɫ s iː]
* appel:
[a pʰ ɛ ɫ]
* japan:
[dʒ a pʰ a n]
Occurrences:
539
Examples:
* moto:
[m əw tʰ əw]
* atari:
[a tʰ a ɹ i]
* mateo:
[m a tʰ e o]
* cacti:
[cʰ æ k tʰ aj]
Occurrences:
652
Examples:
* kylie:
[cʰ aj ʎ i]
* camel:
[cʰ æ m ə ɫ]
* kyle:
[cʰ aj ɫ]
* camps:
[cʰ æ m p s]
Occurrences:
261
Examples:
* cours:
[kʰ ɒ ɹ z]
* decoy:
[d ɛ kʰ ɔj]
* loco:
[l əw kʰ əw]
* coote:
[kʰ ʉː t]

Affricate
Occurrences:
1,285
Examples:
* chew:
[tʃ i ʊ]
* chola:
[tʃ ow l ə]
* trust:
[tʃ ɹ ɐ s t]
* hitch:
[ç i tʃ]
Occurrences:
1,819
Examples:
* jays:
[dʒ e z]
* kenji:
[c ɛ n dʒ i]
* jury:
[dʒ u ɹ i]
* jeter:
[dʒ i t ɚ]

Sibilant
Occurrences:
13,725
Examples:
* also:
[ɒ ɹ s ow]
* aunts:
[ɑː n t s]
* stiff:
[s tʲ i f]
* small:
[s m ɒ ɫ]
Occurrences:
6,069
Examples:
* bases:
[b e s iː z]
* sells:
[s ɛ l z]
* vines:
[v aj n z]
* forms:
[f ɒ ɹ m z]
Occurrences:
2,725
Examples:
* flash:
[f l a ʃ]
* she's:
[ʃ ɛ z]
* chico:
[ʃ iː k ow]
* vinci:
[v ɪ n ʃ i]
Occurrences:
95
Examples:
* azul:
[a ʒ ɒː l]
* yonge:
[j ɒ n ʒ]

Fricative
Occurrences:
2,851
Examples:
* fires:
[f aj ə z]
* serif:
[s ɛ ɹ a f]
* flag:
[f l a ɡ]
* faces:
[f e s ɛ s]
Occurrences:
753
Examples:
* feces:
[fʲ iː s iː z]
* film:
[fʲ ɪ l m]
* feeds:
[fʲ iː d z]
* fees:
[fʲ iː z]
Occurrences:
2,134
Examples:
* rive:
[ɹ aj v]
* leave:
[ʎ i v]
* vein:
[v e n]
* hove:
[h əw v]
Occurrences:
149
Examples:
* gravy:
[ɡ ɹ e vʲ i]
* dvd:
[dʲ iː vʲ iː dʲ iː]
* vin:
[vʲ ɪ n]
* davey:
[d e vʲ i]
Occurrences:
208
Examples:
* faith:
[f e θ]
* firth:
[f aː θ]
* cathy:
[cʰ æ θ i]
* mirth:
[m aː θ]
Occurrences:
123
Examples:
* those:
[ð əw z]
* oaths:
[əw ð z]
* the:
[ð a]
* dhabi:
[ð a bʲ i]
Occurrences:
372
Examples:
* hero:
[ç ɪ ɹ əw]
* humor:
[ç uː m ɔ]
* whom:
[ç ʉː m]
* hecla:
[ç ɪ k l ə]
Occurrences:
1,325
Examples:
* mahan:
[m ə h ɑː n]
* harms:
[h ɑ ɹ m z]
* rahul:
[ɹ ɑː h ʉː l]
* hai:
[h aj]

Approximant
Occurrences:
309
Examples:
* irwin:
[ɝ w ɪ n]
* away:
[a w e]
* dwell:
[d w ɛ ɫ]
* nowak:
[n əw w a k]
Occurrences:
1,926
Examples:
* wilma:
[ʋ ɪ l m ə]
* woods:
[ʋ ʊ ɖ z]
* walt:
[ʋ ɒː l ʈ]
* one's:
[ʋ ə n s]
Occurrences:
12,188
Examples:
* learn:
[ɹ aː n]
* rank:
[ɹ a ŋ k]
* probe:
[p ɹ əw b]
* fries:
[f ɹ aj s]
Occurrences:
461
Examples:
* used:
[j uː s]
* yoko:
[j əw kʰ əw]
* usual:
[j uː ʃ]
* yun:
[j ɐ n]

Tap
Occurrences:
122
Examples:

Lateral
Occurrences:
6,032
Examples:
* lobos:
[l ow b ow z]
* lays:
[l e z]
* allan:
[a l a n]
* elvis:
[ɛ l ʋ i s]
Occurrences:
2,370
Examples:
* small:
[s m ɒ ɫ]
* able:
[b ə ɫ]
* adult:
[a d ɐ ɫ t]
* label:
[l e b ɛ ɫ]
Occurrences:
2,887
Examples:
* willi:
[w ɪ ʎ i]
* pliny:
[p ʎ i ɲ i]
* lind:
[ʎ i n d]
* lisp:
[ʎ i s p]

Vowels#

Vowel symbols to the left of are unrounded and those to the right are rounded.

Front

Near-Front

Central

Near-Back

Back

Close
Occurrences:
9,754
Examples:
* lacey:
[l eː s i]
* ernie:
[ɝ ɲ i]
* icy:
[aj s i]
* she:
[ʃ i]
Occurrences:
2,195
Examples:
* neo:
[ɲ iː əw]
* seek:
[s iː k]
* suite:
[s ʋ iː ʈ]
* hemel:
[ç iː m ə l]
Occurrences:
418
Examples:
* proof:
[p ɹ ʉ f]
* jewel:
[dʒ ʉ ə ɫ]
* gules:
[ɡ ʉ ɫ z]
* plume:
[p l ʉ m]
Occurrences:
1,065
Examples:
* liu:
[ʎ i ʉː]
* shui:
[ʃ ʉː i]
* situ:
[s ɪ ʈ ʉː]
* poole:
[p ʉː l]
Occurrences:
358
Examples:
* broom:
[b ɹ u m]
* hutu:
[h u tʰ uː]
* jason:
[dʒ e s u n]
* mason:
[m e s u n]
Occurrences:
630
Examples:
* roost:
[ɹ uː s t]
* fruit:
[f ɹ uː]
* uni:
[j uː ɲ iː]
* loot:
[l uː t]
Occurrences:
10,310
Examples:
* poems:
[p oː ɪ m z]
* renee:
[ɹ ɪ ɲ eː]
* tim:
[ʈ ɪ m]
* fiske:
[fʲ ɪ s k]
Occurrences:
854
Examples:
* fully:
[f ʊ ʎ i]
* crook:
[k ɹ ʊ k]
* murad:
[m ʊ ɹ ɑ d]
* puna:
[p ʊ n ɑː]

Close-Mid
Occurrences:
1,753
Examples:
* spade:
[s p e d]
* yale:
[j e ɹ]
* quake:
[kʷ e k]
* mane:
[m e n]
Occurrences:
718
Examples:
* dea:
[dʲ iː iː ej]
* cafes:
[cʰ æ f ej z]
* cates:
[cʰ ej t s]
* mau:
[ɛ m ej j ʉː]
Occurrences:
1,540
Examples:
* caves:
[c eː ʋ s]
* tape:
[ʈ eː p]
* che:
[ʃ eː]
* pekin:
[p eː c ɪ n]
Occurrences:
206
Examples:
* idaho:
[aj d a h o]
* amino:
[a mʲ iː n o]
* odo:
[ɔ d o]
* samoa:
[s a m o a]
Occurrences:
307
Examples:
* julio:
[ç ʉː ʎ i ow]
* hosea:
[h ow z ej ə]
* caddo:
[cʰ æ d ow]
* ufo:
[j ʉ ɛ f ow]
Occurrences:
681
Examples:
* cody:
[k oː ɖ i]
* polo:
[p oː ɹ oː]
* tempo:
[ʈ ɛ m p oː]
* carlo:
[k ɑː l oː]
Occurrences:
14,543
Examples:
* dora:
[d ɒː ɹ ə]
* pulse:
[p ə l s]
* were:
[ʋ ə]
* yea:
[j a ə]
Occurrences:
744
Examples:
* user:
[j ʉ z ɚ]
* ruler:
[ɹ ʉ ɹ ɚ]
* roger:
[ɹ ɑ dʒ ɚ]
* otter:
[ɑ t ɚ]

Open-Mid
Occurrences:
7,688
Examples:
* repel:
[ɹ ɪ p ɛ l]
* rouen:
[ɹ ʉ ɛ n]
* petty:
[p ɛ ʈʲ i]
* sided:
[s aj d ɛ d]
Occurrences:
168
Examples:
* care:
[c ɛː]
* ears:
[ɛː z]
* piero:
[p ɪ ɛː ɹ oː]
* aire:
[ɛː]
Occurrences:
37
Examples:
* turku:
[ʈ ɜ k ʉː]
* blur:
[b l ɜ]
* turvy:
[ʈ ɜ ʋ i]
Occurrences:
477
Examples:
* per:
[p ɜː]
* terms:
[ʈ ɜː m s]
* pearl:
[p ɜː l]
* term:
[ʈ ɜː m]
Occurrences:
290
Examples:
* ursus:
[ɝ s ə s]
* burt:
[b ɝ t]
* serbs:
[s ɝ b z]
* ernst:
[ɝ n s t]
Occurrences:
1,828
Examples:
* bosom:
[b ʊ z ɔ m]
* atom:
[a t ɔ m]
* jacob:
[dʒ e k ɔ b]
* adopt:
[a d ɔ p t]
Occurrences:
792
Examples:
* canis:
[cʰ æ ɲ ɪ s]
* cram:
[c ɹ æ m]
* cathy:
[cʰ æ θ i]
* chand:
[tʃ æ n d]
Occurrences:
2,051
Examples:
* adult:
[a d ɐ ɫ t]
* until:
[ɐ n tʲ i ɹ]
* crust:
[k ɹ ɐ s t]

Open
Occurrences:
9,042
Examples:
* slats:
[s l a t s]
* aloud:
[a l aw d]
* fiat:
[f aj a t]
* nang:
[n a ŋ]
Occurrences:
527
Examples:
* merv:
[m aː v]
* serf:
[s aː f]
* bert:
[b aː t]
* nerd:
[n aː d]
Occurrences:
1,877
Examples:
* lott:
[l ɑ t]
* hahn:
[h ɑ n]
* rohan:
[ɹ əw h ɑ n]
* jon:
[dʒ ɑ n]
Occurrences:
832
Examples:
* kami:
[k ɑː mʲ i]
* card:
[k ɑː ɖ]
* parc:
[p ɑː k]
* ari:
[ɑː ɹ i]
Occurrences:
3,222
Examples:
* wanda:
[ʋ ɒ n ɖ ə]
* molde:
[m ɒ ɫ d]
* wolof:
[ʋ ɒ l ɒ f]
* raw:
[ɹ ɒ]
Occurrences:
1,097
Examples:
* wall:
[ʋ ɒː ɹ]
* paul:
[p ɒː ɹ]
* draws:
[d ɹ ɒː s]
* flaws:
[f l ɒː z]

Diphthongs#

  • aj

  • aw

  • ej

  • ow

  • ɔj

  • əw

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