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Usage

Each field specifies part of a sound pattern that the program will search for in the specified lexicon. You can limit the words in the list to ones with a specific number of syllables or to ones with a minimum and/or maximum number syllables. The results of the search are returned in a text file which contains the written forms of the matching words, one per line.

The IPA and/or Arpabet forms of the words can optionally be added to the list as well. These pronunciations will follow the written forms of the words on the same line. If both IPA and Arpabet are added, the IPA transcription will appear first after the written form.

Using the Include: field allows you to enter multiple sounds for a portion of the search pattern. The Exclude: field will match any sounds except the ones entered in the text box. The sounds listed in either of these boxes should be separated by commas.

Please note that non-rhotic forms of vowels cannot immediately be followed by an /R/ within the same syllable. For example, searching for an /EH/ followed by an /R/ will return words such as "very", in which the /EH/ and /R/ are in separate syllables, but not words such as "fair" in which they are in the same syllable and form a diphthong.

Search Fields

  • Pre-pattern boundary: specify whether the pattern should be at the start of a word or syllable.
  • Preceding context: a sound that must come before the main sound being searched for.
  • Sound to search for: the primary sound to search for. Must always be included in a search.
  • Following context: a sound that should follow the primary sound.
  • Post-pattern boundary: specify whether the pattern should to be at the end of a word or syllable.
  • Allow patterns to cross syllable boundaries?: specify whether the entire pattern must be contained in a single syllable.

Additional options

  • Check the box to the left of Add IPA to the output file to add the IPA transcription of each word after its written form.
  • Uncheck the box to the left of Display primary stress markers in IPA to remove the stress marks from the syllables with primary stress from the IPA transcriptions. (Only available if IPA is being added.)
  • Uncheck the box to the left of Display secondary stress markers in IPA to remove the stress marks from the syllables with secondary stress from the IPA transcriptions. (Only available if IPA is being added.)
  • To limit the results to words with a specific number of syllables, check the box to the left of Limit results to words with exactly syllables. Then enter the number of syllables (from 1-9) as the number.
  • To limit the results to words with at least a minimum number of syllables, check the box to the left of Limit results to words with at least syllables. Then enter the minimum number of syllables (from 1-9) as the number.
  • To limit the results to words with at most a maximum number of syllables, check the box to the left of Limit results to words with at most syllables. Then enter the maximum number of syllables (from 1-9) as the number.
  • Both a minimum and maximum limit for the number of syllables can be set for a single search but the minimum and maximum limit cannot be combined with a specific number of syllables.
  • By default the search results are limited to the 100 most common words based on their frequency of occurrence in the Google N-Grams Corpus and are ordered by how common the words are.
  • Uncheck the box to the left of Limit result to the 100 most common words to get all words that match the search criteria.
  • To limit the result list to a different number of words, enter a different number in the digit box to the left of most common words and leave the checkbox checked.
  • Check the box to the left of Sort words alphabetically to have the result list sorted in alphabetical order instead of by its frequency of occurrence.

Examples

  • To find words that start with a nasal sound followed an AE or AA in the same syllable:
    • Set Pre-pattern boundary to Word-start.
    • Set Preceding context to Nasal.
    • Set Sound to search for to Include: and then enter "AE, AA" in the text box.
    • Set Allow patterns to cross syllable boundaries? to No.
  • To find words that contain intervocalic voiceless stops:
    • Set Preceding context to Vowel.
    • Set Sound to search for to Voiceless-stop. (Alternatively, you can set Sound to search for to Include: and then enter "P, T, K".)
    • Set Following context to Vowel.
  • To find words which are at least 2 syllables long and contain a medial affricate:
    • Set Pre-pattern boundary to NOT_Word-start.
    • Sound to search for to Affricate
    • Set Post-pattern boundary to NOT_Word-end
    • Check the box next to Limit results to words with at least 1 syllables (1-9) and replace the 1 with a 2.

Sound category descriptions:

  • Vowel : Any vowel including R-vowels
  • Stressed Vowel : Any vowel which has a primary stress
  • Unstressed Vowel : Any vowel which does not have a primary stress (including ones with secondary stress)
  • Consonant : Any consonant (stops, liquids, glides, fricatives and affricates).
  • R-colored-vowel : Vowels that are followed an R sound in the same syllable, including ER
  • Vowel-no-R : Vowels that are not followed by an R sound
  • Nasal : n, m and ŋ
  • Liquid : l or ɹ
  • Glide : j or w
  • Sonorant : A vowel, nasal, liquid or glide
  • Sonorant-consonant : A nasal, liquid or glide (but not a vowel)
  • Stop : Any voiced or voiceless stop
  • Voiced-stop : b d, g or ʔ
  • Voiceless-stop : p t or k
  • Fricative : Any voiced or voiceless fricative
  • Affricate : tʃ or dʒ
  • Voiced-fricative : v, ð, z, or ʒ
  • Voiceless-fricative : f, θ, s, ʃ or h
  • Stop-or-flap : Any voiced or voiceless stop or a flap(ɾ). Note that flap(ɾ) is not used in the CMU dictionary.
  • Syllable-boundary : Specify that a syllable break must occur in the middle of the sound sequence.

Individual Arpabet sounds:

Arpabet IPA Dictionary style phonics
IY /i/ [ē] as in "beat" (IY)
IH /ɪ/ [ĭ] as in "hit" (IH)
EH /ɛ/ [ĕ] as in "pet" (EH)
AE /æ/ [ă] as in "hat" (AE)
AH /ʌ/ [ʌ] as in "cup" (AH)
UW /u/ [Ū] as in "shoe" (UW)
UH /ʊ/ [Ŭ] as in "could" (UH)
AO /ɔ/ [ô] as in "ball" (AO)
AA /ɑ/ [ä] as in "father" (AA)
EY /eɪ/ [ā] as in "made" (EY)
AY /aɪ/ [ī] as in "tight" (AY)
OY /ɔɪ/ [oi] as in "voice" (OY)
OW /oʊ/ [ō] as in "go" (OW)
AW /ɑʊ/ [ow] as in "cow" (AW)
ER /ɝ/ [ər] as in "heard" (ER)
IH R /ɪɚ/ [ear] as in "beer" (IH R)
EH R /ɛɚ/ [air] as in "bare" (EH R)
UH R /ʊɚ/ [oor] as in "cure" (UH R)
AO R /ɔɚ/ [oar] as in "door" (AO R)
AA R /ɑɚ/ [ar] as in "car" (AA R)
AX /ə/ [ə] as in "about" (AX)
AXR /ɚ/ [ər] as in "another" (AXR)
P /p/ [p] as in "pan" (P)
B /b/ [b] as in "bat" (B)
T /t/ [t] as in "tag" (T)
D /d/ [d] as in "dog" (D)
K /k/ [k] as in "kite" (K)
G /ɡ/ [ɡ] as in "game" (G)
CH /tʃ/ [ch] as in "chair" (CH)
JH /dʒ/ [dg] as in "judge" (JH)
F /f/ [f] as in "fan" (F)
V /v/ [v] as in "van" (V)
TH /θ/ [th] as in "thin" (TH)
DH /ð/ [th] as in "these" (DH)
S /s/ [s] as in "some" (S)
Z /z/ [z] as in "zoo" (Z)
SH /ʃ/ [sh] as in "ship" (SH)
ZH /ʒ/ [zh] as in "rouge" (ZH)
HH /h/ [h] as in "hand" (HH)
M /m/ [m] as in "move" (M)
N /n/ [n] as in "nose" (N)
NG /ŋ/ [ng] as in "sing" (NG)
L /l/ [l] as in "late" (L)
R /ɹ/ [r] as in "red" (R)
DX /ɾ/ [t] as in "matter" (DX)
Y /j/ [y] as in "yellow" (Y)
W /w/ [w] as in "will" (W)