An English Pronouncing Dictionary

compilation by Jones

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

Daniel Jones's An English Pronouncing Dictionary, first published in 1917, aimed to represent the pronunciation commonly heard in the speech of educated Southern English individuals. While Jones termed this "Received Pronunciation" (RP), he did not intend to impose it as a standard for all English speakers. The dictionary was revised multiple times throughout Jones's life and served as a significant resource for understanding English pronunciation. This type of specialized dictionary focuses on phonetics, providing a guide to how words are spoken, which is distinct from dictionaries that focus on definitions, etymology, or usage.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

dictionary
Specialized dictionaries
That of Daniel Jones, An English Pronouncing Dictionary, claimed to represent that “most usually heard in everyday speech in the families of Southern English persons whose men-folk have been educated at the great public boarding-schools.” Although he called this the Received Pronunciation (RP), he had no intention of imposing…
Read More
That of Daniel Jones, An English Pronouncing Dictionary, claimed to represent that “most usually heard in everyday speech in the families of Southern English persons whose men-folk have been educated at the great public boarding-schools.” Although he called this the Received Pronunciation (RP), he had no intention of imposing…
Read More