A diphthong is a gliding vowel — your mouth starts at one vowel position and glides smoothly to another. English has 8 diphthongs.
Key fact: Unlike monophthongs (pure vowels), diphthongs involve movement of the tongue and lips during the sound. The first element is usually longer and stronger.
/eɪ/
face
closing
/aɪ/
price
closing
/ɔɪ/
choice
closing
/aʊ/
mouth
closing
/əʊ/
goat
closing
/ɪə/
near
centring
/eə/
square
centring
/ʊə/
cure
centring
👆 Click any card to hear the sound
Articulation
How to Produce Diphthongs
Each diphthong has a starting and ending point. Glide smoothly — don't stop in the middle!
/eɪ/ — "face", "day", "rain"
Start mid-front, glide to high-front
/aɪ/ — "price", "fly", "time"
Start low-central, glide to high-front
/ɔɪ/ — "choice", "boy", "coin"
Start mid-back rounded, glide to high-front
/aʊ/ — "mouth", "now", "house"
Start low-central, glide to high-back
/əʊ/ — "goat", "home", "know"
Start mid-central, glide to high-back
Sentence Practice
Diphthongs in Sentences
Diphthongs are highlighted in green. Listen, then repeat the whole sentence.
The price of the day trip was too high.
I know the boy from my home town.
She came to the square and found a coin.
The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.
Fast Speech
Diphthongs in Natural Speed
In connected speech, diphthongs can be reduced. Listen at normal speed and try to identify each diphthong.
Normal speed
"What time are you going home today?"
Normal speed
"I found out the price had gone down."
Challenge
"The boy joined the choir on a rainy day."
Challenge: How many diphthongs can you find in the last sentence? (Answer: boy /ɔɪ/, joined /ɔɪ/, choir /aɪə/, rainy /eɪ/, day /eɪ/)
