The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet. It provides a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language. Both consonants and vowels have both a manner and place of articulation. You can learn more about the IPA on Wikipedia. Click on the symbols below for audio samples of consonants and vowels.
Consonants
Bilabial
Labiodental
Dental
Alveolar
Postalveolar
Retroflex
Palatal
Velar
Uvular
Pharyngeal
Glottal
Plosive
Nasal
Trill
Tap or Flap
Fricative
Lateral fricative
Approximant
Lateral approximant
Red symbols are unvoiced and blue symbols are voiced. Blank areas denote articulations linguists either have never found in human language or have deemed impossible.
Vowels
Front
Near-front
Central
Near-back
Back
Close
Near-close
Close-mid
Mid
Open-mid
Near-open
Open
Green vowels are unrounded and purple are rounded. Blank areas have not yet been found in any current human languages.