How to read pronunciation spellings

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Does anyone know of a good website that explains how to read the pronunciation spellings given in dictionaries? For example, they do strange things with the letter "e" and I'm not sure what those mean in terms of how to pronounce the letter.
Thanks in advance.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Does anyone know of a good website that explains how to read thepronunciation spellings given in dictionaries? For example, they do strange things withthe letter "e" and I'm not sure what those mean in terms of how to pronouncethe letter. Thanks in advance.[/nq]
I think every (or at least all those that I am aware of) dictionary has its own idea of how to indicate pronunciation. Usually, it takes its own original language (Websters. . . US English) and compares a sound with a common word in that dialect or language and then creates a symbol to represent the sound.)
M-W Online, for example, has a chart depicting its symbols and the common sounds it intends the user to understand, accessible via a link beneath the definitions. I think the printed versions probably do the same.

"Main Entry: et cet·era
Pronunciation: same
Etymology: Latin
and others especially of the same kind : and so forth

For More Information on "et+cetera" go to Britannica.com

Get the Top 10 Search Results for "et+cetera"
Pronunciation Symbols (this is the link)
\&\ as a and u in abut
\&\ as e in kitten
\&r\as ur/er in further
\a\ as a in ash
\A\ as a in ace
\ä\ as o in mop
\au\ as ou in out
\ch\ as ch in chin
\e\ as e in bet
\E\ as ea in easy
\g\ as g in go
\i\ as i in hit
\I\ as i in ice
\j\ as j in job
\(ng)\ as ng in sing
\O\ as o in go
\o\ as aw in law
\oi\ as oy in boy
\th\ as th in thin
\th\ as th in the
\ü\ as oo in loot
\u\ as oo in foot
\y\ as y in yet
\zh\ as si in vision
For more information see the Guide To Pronunciation. " (another link)

Notice the & online to depict variations on the schwa sound. (you have to look online, because one is a superscript. I wouldn't hear a difference between the "uh" sound in kitten and but, though others might, while the "&r" for "further" is not so much a schwa as a form of the "u" in foot. Discussions of regional differences sure do add to the interest and the arguments in our English usage newsgroups.
There is an International Phonetic Alphabet that some people feel is more uniform. You could Google on that, couldn't you?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Does anyone know of a good website that explains how to read the pronunciation spellings given in dictionaries? For example, ... letter "e" and I'm not sure what those mean in terms of how to pronounce the letter. Thanks in advance.[/nq]
Some dictionaries have a few lines at the bottom of every page. Others have a page devoted to the system they use.

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How to read pronunciation spellings

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