A pronunciation poem (bài thơ phát âm)

Of tough, and bough, and cough, and dough

Others may stumble, but not you

On hiccough, thorough, drought, and through.

And cork, and work, and card, and ward

And font, and front, and word, and sword

Well done! And now if you wish, perhaps

To learn of less familiar traps.

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard, and sounds like bird.

And dead: it’s said like bed, not bead–

For goodness sakes don’t call it deed.

Watch out for meat, and great, and threat,

They rhyme with suite, and straight, and debt.

A moth is not a moth in mother,

Nor both in bother, broth in brother..

And here is not a match for there,

And dear, and fear, for bear, and pear.

And then there’s dose, and rose, and lose–

Just look them up–and goose and choose,

And do, and go, then thwart, and cart.

Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive!

I’d mastered it when I was five

əv tʌf ənd baʊ ənd kɔf ənd doʊ

ˈʌðərz meɪ ˈstʌmbəl, bət nɑt ju

ɑn ˈhɪkəp, ˈθɜroʊ, draʊt, ənd θru.

ənd kɔrk ənd wɜrk ənd kɑrd ənd wɔrd

ənd fɑnt ənd frʌnt ənd wɜrd ənd sɔrd

wɛl dʌn! ənd naʊ ɪf jʊ wɪʃ, pərˈhæps

tə lɜrn əv lɛs fəˈmɪljər træps.

bɪˈwɛr əv hɜrd, ə ˈdrɛdfəl wɜrd

ðæt lʊks laɪk bɪrd ənd saʊndz laɪk bɜrd.

ənd dɛd: ɪts sɛd laɪk bɛd, nɑt bid–

fər ˈgʊdnəs seɪks doʊnt kɔl ɪt did.

wɑʧ aʊt fər mit ənd greɪt ənd θrɛt,

ðeɪ raɪm wɪð swit ənd streɪt ənd dɛt.

ə mɔθ əz nɑt ə mɔθ ɪn ˈmʌðər,

nɔr boʊθ ɪn ˈbɑðər, brɔθ ɪn ˈbrʌðər.

ənd hir ɪz nɑt ə mæʧ fər ðɛr,

ənd dɪr ənd fɪr fər bɛr ənd pɛr.

ənd ðɛn ðərz doʊs ənd roʊz ənd luz–

ʤəst lʊk ðəm ʌp-ænd gus ənd ʧuz,

ənd dʊ ənd goʊ, ðɛn θwɔrt ənd kɑrt.

kʌm, kʌm, aɪv ˈhɑrdli meɪd ə stɑrt!

ə ˈdrɛdfəl ˈlæŋgwəʤ? mæn əˈlaɪv!

aɪd ˈmæstərd ɪt wɛn aɪ wəz faɪv.