One letter, several sounds
hot · go · do
The same “o” makes /ɑ/, /oʊ/, and /u/ in a common North American accent.
The written letter does not tell you which mouth shape or sound to make. A reader has to know the word to choose among them.
A visual alphabet for speech sounds
See how a sound is made.
The Anatomic Phonetic Alphabet gives each sound a shape related to the position of the mouth or tongue. Small marks show whether the voice vibrates and whether the air stops.
An early public draft. The symbols and their uses are still being refined.
S
Z
T
D
Why another alphabet?
A sound should be easier to see.
Ordinary spelling tells us how a word is written, not reliably how to make its sounds. Phonetic notation fixes much of that mismatch, but the letterform itself rarely explains what the mouth, tongue, voice, and airflow are doing.
IPA tells you; its shapes rarely show you
/s/ → /z/ /t/ → /d/
The International Phonetic Alphabet accurately distinguishes these sounds and organizes stops, fricatives, trills, and voicing in its chart. Yet the shapes of /s/ and /z/ do not use one recurring visual mark to show the change in voicing. Readers learn the symbols or consult the chart.
Featural ideas have a history
Hangul’s basic consonants draw on the shapes of speech organs, while its original vowel forms come from sky, earth, and human. Bell’s Visible Speech also sought to depict articulation. They show the value of the idea; this project asks how far a compact, consistent mouth-based visual grammar can take it.
One visual rule, carried across sounds
The main line suggests the mouth or tongue shape. Recurring marks distinguish voicing and an air stop; this draft also proposes a wavy contour for frication and a distinct mark for a roll. The aim is for a glyph to represent the same articulated sound across languages, rather than inherit a language’s spelling habits.
Why test it? Visible articulation may offer another route into pronunciation for deaf and hard of hearing learners who want it. That benefit, and the system’s reach across accents and languages, need to be tested with the people who would use it.
Background: International Phonetic Association chart · Hangul consonant design · Hangul vowel design · Visible Speech history
The basic idea
Read the shape and its marks
The drawing is a side view. The back of the mouth is on the left and the teeth are on the right. Cursive normally starts with the sound mark, then follows the mouth shape in one continuous line. H is the exception: draw the top of the mouth C, the throat circle, then the bottom of the C. Regular and cursive share the same sound shape.
Mouth and tongue
The highlighted tongue rises toward the palate behind the upper teeth, narrowing the air path for /ʃ/. The Sh glyph reduces that raised contour to a line you can write.
Two small marks
Voicing
A small circle low at the back of the mouth marks a sound made without vocal fold vibration, as in Sh /ʃ/.
Air stop
A dot in print or a pointed tip in cursive marks a brief stop in airflow, as in T /t/. When there is a circle, the cursive tip reaches its center.
A wave shows friction in the Dutch G proposal. Three short strokes show repeated tongue contact in the Spanish rolled R proposal.
See the pattern
Change one feature, change the sound
These even-stroke redraws keep the relationships in the current alphabet. The complete regular and cursive set appears below.
S and Zvoicing
/s/
/z/
The same basic profile. The circle marks /s/ as unvoiced.
T and Dstop + voicing
/t/
/d/
Both stop the air, shown by a dot on the left. The circle marks /t/ as unvoiced.
P and Blips + voicing
/p/
/b/
Both use a lip closure, shown by the outline. The dot marks the stop; the circle marks /p/ as unvoiced.
The full alphabet includes more consonants and vowels. English word examples are pronunciation aids; their spelling is not the notation.
Complete sound guide
Read every glyph.
The sounds are grouped by shared mouth and tongue shapes. Each card shows regular and cursive even-stroke redraws, what the shape suggests, how its marks work, and words that make the sound easier to hear.
How to draw the cursive forms. Open “Show cursive steps” on a glyph. The numbered colors follow each writing action, from entry to exit, without lifting the pen.
Four guide lines make three equal spaces. Reading upward from the baseline: the first measures the punctuation, shorter letters reach the second, and taller letters reach the third. The glyph drawings are scaled to test this layout.
Front tongue: T, D, S, Z
These four share a tongue shape near the ridge behind the upper teeth. The stop and voicing marks distinguish them.
T /t/
- Hear it in
- tea · cat
- Shape
- The front of the tongue reaches the ridge behind the upper teeth and briefly seals the airflow.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Air stop3. Tongue upstroke4. Tongue downstroke
D /d/
- Hear it in
- dog · bed
- Shape
- The front of the tongue reaches the ridge behind the upper teeth and briefly seals the airflow.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and air stop2. Tongue upstroke3. Tongue downstroke
S /s/
- Hear it in
- sun · miss
- Shape
- The tongue rises toward the upper teeth, leaving a narrow channel for a sustained hiss.
- Marks
- Circle: no vocal fold vibration. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Tongue upstroke3. Tongue downstroke
Z /z/
- Hear it in
- zoo · buzz
- Shape
- The tongue rises toward the upper teeth, leaving a narrow channel for a sustained buzz.
- Marks
- No circle: the voice vibrates. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and upstroke2. Downstroke and exit
Hushing shapes: Ch, J, Sh, Zh
A related curved tongue contour makes the hush. Ch and J add a brief air stop before the release.
Ch /tʃ/
- Hear it in
- chair · watch
- Shape
- The tongue curves upward toward the back of the mouth, briefly closes the airflow, then releases into a hush.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: the air stops first.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Air stop3. Tongue upstroke4. Curved downstroke
J /dʒ/
- Hear it in
- jump · bridge
- Shape
- The tongue curves upward farther back, briefly closes the airflow, then releases into a voiced hush.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: the air stops first.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and air stop2. Tongue upstroke3. Curved downstroke
Sh /ʃ/
- Hear it in
- ship · wish
- Shape
- The tongue curves upward toward the back of the mouth, shaping a broad hushing channel.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Tongue upstroke3. Curved downstroke
Zh /ʒ/
- Hear it in
- measure · vision
- Shape
- The tongue curves upward farther back, shaping a broad hushing channel for voiced air.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and upstroke2. Curved downstroke
Back tongue: K, G, Dutch G
The tall shared contour shows the back of the tongue rising toward the soft palate. The voicing circle and stop mark sit under the left edge of its cap. On Dutch G, a separate wave sits above the cap in print; cursive carries it through the top contour.
K /k/
- Hear it in
- cat · back
- Shape
- The broad upper contour shows the back of the tongue raised toward the soft palate for a closure.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Air stop3. Back-tongue rise and cap4. Downstroke and exit
G /g/
- Hear it in
- go · bag
- Shape
- The back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate and briefly closes the airflow.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and air stop2. Back-tongue rise and cap3. Downstroke and exit
G (Dutch) fricative
- Hear it in
- Graag · dag
- Shape
- The back of the tongue narrows against the soft palate or farther back, so air rubs through rather than stopping completely.
- Marks
- Wave above the shape in print, or through its top in cursive: frication. Circle: this proposed form is unvoiced. No stop dot: air continues; Dutch pronunciation varies by region.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Back-tongue upstroke3. Fricative wave4. Curved downstroke
L and R contours
These show two different tongue shapes. The Spanish rolled R proposal adds a repeated-contact mark to the R contour.
L /l/
- Hear it in
- lip · feel
- Shape
- The tongue tip lifts toward the ridge behind the upper teeth; air can pass around its sides.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with continuous airflow.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and tongue rise2. Return and exit
R /r/
- Hear it in
- red · rain
- Shape
- The short R contour represents a tongue gesture; the front curve does not prescribe a lip shape. Cursive keeps the same contour and adds only entry and exit strokes.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with continuous airflow.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and tongue rise2. Curve and exit
R (Spanish) rolled /r/
- Hear it in
- Rojo · arroz
- Shape
- The tongue tip reaches the ridge behind the upper teeth and makes repeated brief contacts during the roll.
- Marks
- Three curved downstrokes in regular and three connected loops in cursive suggest repeated tongue contact during a roll. This mark differs from the fricative wave.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and first contact2. Second contact3. Third contact4. R contour and exit
Lips: M, B, P
The rounded outline shows the lips together. M keeps air moving through the nose; B and P stop it in the mouth.
M /m/
- Hear it in
- map · hum
- Shape
- The closed rounded outline suggests closed lips while the sound hums through the nose.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced; air continues through the nose.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and bottom2. Right side3. Top4. Left side5. Bottom and exit
B /b/
- Hear it in
- bat · cab
- Shape
- The rounded outline shows the lips coming together to seal the mouth.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and air stop2. Bottom3. Right side4. Top5. Left side6. Bottom and exit
P /p/
- Hear it in
- pin · cup
- Shape
- The rounded outline shows the lips coming together to seal the mouth. In cursive, write the small unvoiced circle, turn into the pointed stop, then trace the large lip shape.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. Dot in print, pointed tip in cursive: air stops before release.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and circle2. Air stop3. Bottom4. Right side5. Top6. Left side7. Bottom and exit
The two colors beside each other show where the pen retraces a line.
Open vowel shapes
Compare the amount of mouth opening and the rounded front shape in Ah, O, and a.
Ah /ɑ/
- Hear it in
- Hot · Body
- Shape
- The large open curve suggests an open jaw and a tongue farther back.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
O /oʊ/
- Hear it in
- Go · Phone
- Shape
- The mouth opening leads to a round shape at the front, suggesting rounded lips.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and top of C2. Return to bottom of C3. Front lip up4. Inner lip down and exit
The two colors beside each other show where the pen retraces a line.
a /æ/
- Hear it in
- Apple · Happy
- Shape
- The wide opening suggests a lowered jaw and a low front tongue position. The lips pull back toward a smile, revealing the teeth.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
Front and central vowel shapes
The openings and tongue contours move through e, the two i sounds, and U.
e /ɛ/
- Hear it in
- Egg · Yes
- Shape
- The mouth opens moderately, and the front tongue is raised. The lips pull back toward a smile, revealing the teeth.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
i /ɪ/
- Hear it in
- It · Fish
- Shape
- The front of the tongue rises, but its contour stays relatively low and relaxed. The lips pull back toward a smile, revealing the teeth.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
i /i/
- Hear it in
- Eat · Happy
- Shape
- The tongue contour rises high toward the front of the mouth for a close vowel. The lips pull back toward a smile, revealing the teeth.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
U /ʌ/
- Hear it in
- Bus · Money
- Shape
- The small open curve suggests a mid-central mouth position.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to top of C2. Back of C and exit
Rounded lips and glide
The rounded mouth shape links W and oo; W has the smaller right-hand opening. Ü also shows rounded lips.
ü /u/
- Hear it in
- Boot · Fruit
- Shape
- The upper curve follows the raised back of the tongue toward the rounded lips. In cursive, the pen rises into that curve, circles the right-hand opening, returns along the inner tongue contour, and curls into the lower exit.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry to rounded opening2. Loop and exit
w /w/
- Hear it in
- We · Go (rounded glide)
- Shape
- The regular form shows the rounded mouth with a smaller opening at the right. Cursive rises to the upper tip, retraces the shared upper curve, follows the C around the mouth, circles the smaller opening, and exits to the right. That small opening shows the tighter lip rounding of /w/ in we.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with continuous airflow.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and top arc2. Back and bottom arc3. Small lip loop and exit
oo /ʊ/
- Hear it in
- Book · Woman
- Shape
- The regular form traces the rounded mouth outline without entry or exit strokes. Cursive rises to the upper tip, retraces the shared upper curve, follows the C around the back and bottom of the mouth, then loops up through the larger right-hand opening and exits along the baseline. That opening suggests the rounded lips of /ʊ/ in book.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced, with an open airflow path.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and top arc2. Back and bottom arc3. Lip loop and exit
H, N, and Ng
H shows an open breath path. N and Ng close the mouth at different tongue positions while air continues through the nose.
H /h/
- Hear it in
- hat · ahead
- Shape
- The open C outlines the mouth and throat. The small circle sits low inside it, at the back of the throat.
- Marks
- Circle at the throat: unvoiced. No dot: air keeps flowing. In cursive, draw the top of the C, the circle, then the bottom of the C.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and top of C2. Throat circle3. Bottom of C and exit
N /n/
- Hear it in
- net · sun
- Shape
- The tongue rises to the ridge behind the upper teeth while air escapes through the nose.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced; nasal airflow continues.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and tongue rise2. Return and exit
Ng /ŋ/
- Hear it in
- sing · long
- Shape
- The back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate while air escapes through the nose.
- Marks
- No circle or dot: voiced; nasal airflow continues.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and back-tongue cap2. Tongue contour and exit
At the teeth: Th, V, F
The upright line represents the teeth. For both Th sounds, the tongue extends past them; V and F bring the lower lip to the upper teeth.
Th /ð/
- Hear it in
- This · Smooth
- Shape
- The tongue extends past the front teeth, leaving a narrow gap for air to flow.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and tooth upstroke2. Tongue past the tooth3. Front tongue curve4. Bottom line and exit
Th /θ/
- Hear it in
- Thanks · Both
- Shape
- The tongue extends past the front teeth, leaving a narrow gap for air to flow.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and throat circle2. Tooth upstroke3. Tongue past the tooth4. Front tongue curve5. Final downstroke and exit
V /v/
- Hear it in
- Very · Love
- Shape
- The upper teeth meet the lower lip, leaving a narrow path for air.
- Marks
- No circle: voiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and tooth rise2. Return down the tooth3. Lip arch and exit
The two colors beside each other show where the pen retraces a line.
F /f/
- Hear it in
- Friend · Safe
- Shape
- The tooth stroke meets the curved lower lip, making a narrow path for air.
- Marks
- Circle: unvoiced. No dot: air keeps flowing.
Show cursive steps
1. Entry and throat circle2. Rise into the tooth3. Return down the tooth4. Lip arch and exit
The two colors beside each other show where the pen retraces a line.
These explanations accompany the current glyph set. Examples are pronunciation aids, and accents vary. Dutch G and Spanish rolled R remain proposals under review.
Where this could go
A tool to test with real readers
The next step is to see whether the system is easier to learn and use across different situations.
Learning pronunciation
Can a visible mouth shape help someone understand a sound they haven't heard or made before?
Speech and accessibility
Could the notation help deaf and hard of hearing people in contexts they choose? That should be designed and tested with them.
Across languages
Could one consistent notation help compare sounds across languages? The current examples start with English sounds.
Digital tools
Cleaner vector symbols can support a font, keyboard, lessons, and interactive examples.