Diphthong Vowel Sounds

Diphthong vowel sounds move from one position to another in the same sound. 

British (GB) English has 7 diphthong sounds, you can hear them and see the positions by using the chart below:

Now we are going to try the diphthongs with some example words:  

NOTE: The first position in the diphthong is stronger than the 2nd.

The last diphthong /ʊə/ is becoming less common in younger speakers, who replace it with monophthongs such as /ɔː/.

Now we have tried the 7 diphthong sounds – let’s practise them. Select ‘Diphthong Activities’ below: