This page teaches controlled sound targets from our reviewed catalogue. It does not claim one universal whole-word IPA transcription: the sounds in a word can vary by speaker and target variety.
A short high-front vowel used in unstressed endings such as happy and city; keep it brief rather than stretching it to /iː/.
Common slip: No universal substitution is claimed; compare the recording with the target-accent reference.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →These synthesized voices are repeatable reference points, not a claim that every British or American speaker uses one identical form.
“happy”
“happy”
Open practice with “happy” already filled in. Automated feedback is an estimate for practice, not a clinical or expert diagnosis.
Real recordings from our search library that contain “happy”.
Public domain
“Adding un- to the word "happy" gives you the word "unhappy," which means not happy.”
General American
From "Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary" (2017). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary”
Open this clip in General American: Adding un- to the word "happy" gives you the word "unhappy," which means not hapCreator video
“happy birthday”
RP
From Pronunciation with Emma (opens in a new tab) — “Common Everyday English Phrases: British Pronunciation” · 386s
Open this clip in RP: happy birthdayPublic domain
“It was a happy time. The Princess Dejah Thoris and I were expecting a child.”
General American
From "'A Princess of Mars,' by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Part Four" (2017). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “'A Princess of Mars,' by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Part Four”
Open this clip in General American: It was a happy time. The Princess Dejah Thoris and I were expecting a child.Creator video
“happy anniversary”
RP
From Pronunciation with Emma (opens in a new tab) — “Common Everyday English Phrases: British Pronunciation” · 388s
Open this clip in RP: happy anniversaryPublic domain
“But in a follow-up post, she said she was happy with her experience in Ohio.”
General American
From "This Miami University Is Not in Florida" (2023). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “This Miami University Is Not in Florida”
Open this clip in General American: But in a follow-up post, she said she was happy with her experience in Ohio.Creator video
“the feeling we can sound happy sad”
RP
From ETJ English (opens in a new tab) — “How to Improve Your English Pronunciation” · 404s
Open this clip in RP: the feeling we can sound happy sadSearch our indexed caption corpus for real-context examples. Coverage varies by word and accent, so the results page may have no matching clip.
Search clips for “Happy”