Definition & Meaning of "International Phonetic Alphabet"

What is "IPA"?

IPA stands for the International Phonetic Alphabet, a standardized system for representing the sounds of spoken language. It provides a set of symbols that correspond to each distinct sound, or phoneme, found in languages worldwide. The IPA allows linguists, language teachers, and learners to accurately transcribe and pronounce words from any language without ambiguity. For example, the word "cat" is represented in IPA as /kæt/, clearly indicating the sounds involved. Understanding the IPA is essential for studying phonetics and phonology, as it facilitates precise communication about pronunciation across different languages and dialects.