Vowel Set of American English

The vowel set of American English can be described with the following key words. To the left of the key word, we place the symbol that is used here; the symbols to the right of the key word can be found in other publications. The following list contains what are commonly described as monophthongal vowels, which are mostly flanked between obstruents:

Although these vowels are commonly described as ‘simple’, we have to mention that /i/ and /u/ are slightly diphthongized (hence the symbols /ij/, /iy/, and /uw/, respectively, in some books and manuals), and /e/ and /o/ are even more diphthongized (hence the symbols /ej/, /ey/, /eɪ/, and /oʊ/, /ow/, respectively, in some books and manuals).