The TaraOno Alphabet
100 letters. 97% of human speech. Zero ambiguity.
Every letter represents exactly one sound. Click any letter to hear it, see how to pronounce it, and understand where it fits in the universal phonetic system.
Vowels Tongue position creates different sounds
Ī
Long I
see
High Front
I
Short I
bit
High Front
E
Mid E
bed
Mid Front
Ä
Front A
cat
Low Front
Ə
Schwa
sofa
Central
Ū
Long U
boot
High Back
U
Short U
put
High Back
Ō
Long O
go
Mid Back
O
Short O
cot
Low Back
A
Open A
father
Low Central
Stops (Plosives) Block air, then release
P
Voiceless P
pat
Bilabial
B
Voiced B
bat
Bilabial
T
Voiceless T
top
Alveolar
D
Voiced D
dog
Alveolar
K
Voiceless K
cat
Velar
G
Voiced G
go
Velar
Q
Glottal Stop
uh-oh
Glottal
Fricatives Create friction with air
F
Voiceless F
fine
Labiodental
V
Voiced V
vine
Labiodental
Þ
Voiceless TH
thin
Dental
Đ
Voiced TH
this
Dental
S
Voiceless S
see
Alveolar
Z
Voiced Z
zoo
Alveolar
ϸ
Voiceless SH
ship
Postalveolar
Ʒ
Voiced ZH
measure
Postalveolar
H
Glottal H
hat
Glottal
Nasals Air through nose
M
Bilabial M
man
Bilabial
N
Alveolar N
net
Alveolar
Ŋ
Velar NG
sing
Velar
Ñ
Palatal N
niño
Palatal
Approximants & Liquids Tongue approaches but doesn't touch
L
Lateral L
let
Lateral
R
Approximant R
red
Alveolar
W
Glide W
we
Labio-velar
Y
Glide Y
yes
Palatal
Affricates Stop + fricative combo
C
Voiceless CH
church
Postalveolar
J
Voiced J
judge
Postalveolar
ẞ
Alveolar TS
Zeit (Ger.)
Alveolar
X
Cluster X
box
Cluster
Advanced Sounds Tones, clicks, retroflexes, and rare phonemes
Ɵ
High Tone
mā (Mandarin)
Tone
ǀ
Dental Click
"Tsk tsk"
Click
ʈ
Retroflex T
Hindi ṭ
Retroflex