一、单词的音形关系
任何一个单词都是音与形的结合，掌握单词的音形关系是记单词的关键。单词的音是指英语48个音素，单词的形是指英语26个字母及字母结合。单词的音形关系比较复杂，是一种非对称关系，即一个形可以对应多个音，一个音也可以对应多个音，还有的形与音不对应，即字母或字母组合在单词中不发音。
二、影响音形关系的要素
单词的音形关系虽然复杂，但音形之间的关系还是有一定的规律可循的。影响单词音形关系的要素包括音节类型，音节的重读与否和音节内相邻之间的音素相互影响。
1.音节与重读的影响
比如元音字母A 可读[ei ]： favourite ['feivərit] face [feis] plane [plein] potato [pə'teitəu] skate [skeit] make [meik] lake [leik] take [teik] save [seiv] station ['steiʃən] safe [seif] 在这些单词中的字母A都是处于重读开音节中。元音字母A也可读[æ]hamburger ['hæmbə:gə] math [mæθ] rabbit ['ræbit] bank [bæŋk] accident ['æksidənt] happen ['hæpən] exam [ig'zæm]在这些单词中的字母A都是处于重读闭音节中。
2. 相邻之间的音素相互影响
同样以字母A为例，元音字母A还可读[ɔ] washroom ['wɔʃrum] watch [wɔtʃ] wash [wɔʃ] was [wɔz] Washington ['wɔʃiŋtən] 在这些单词的共同特点就是字母A跟在W后，再如class [klɑ:s] ask [ɑ:sk] past [pɑ:st] basket ['bɑ:skit] glass [glɑ:s] pass [pɑ:s]，在这些单词的共同特点就是字母A位于摩擦音[s]前。再如爆破音位于鼻音前后不发音，know [nəʊ] climb [klaɪm] sign [saɪn]。
三、字母组合的音形关系
单词中的音形关系还可以体现在字母组合上，即两个或两个以上字母组合在一起对应一个音素，英语单词中常见字母组合的音形关系有：
以元音字母双组合为例，其组合读音如下：
1.AI组合
① AI组合读[ei]afraid [ə'freid] wait [weit] rain [reɪn] painting['peintiŋ] railway ['reilwei] main[mein] train[trein] raise[reiz] pain[pein] explain [ɪk'spleɪn] email ['i:meil] aid [eid] daily ['deɪlɪ] sailing [ˈseɪlɪŋ] explain [ɪk'spleɪn] tail[teil] fail [feil] straight [streɪt]
②AI组合在非重读音节中读[ə/i]:certainly ['sə:tənli] mountain ['mauntin] Britain ['britən] captain ['kæptin]
③AI组合读[e]again [ə'gen] against[ə'genst]
2.OA 组合
OA 组合读[əu]:coat [kəut] boat[bəut] coast [kəʊst] coach[kəutʃ] road[rəud] coal [kəul] throat[θrəut]
3. EE组合读[i:]
meet [mi:t] see [si:] three [θri:] green [gri:n] beef [bi:f] between [bi'twi:n] sweet [[swi:t] cheese [tʃi:z] teeth [ti:θ] sleep [sli:p] screen [skri:n] sweep [swi:p] street[stri:t] knee [niː]feel [fiːl] agree [ə'gri:] feed [fi:d] deep [di:p] degree [di'gri:] keep [ki:p] queen [kwi:n] seem [si:m] succeed [səkˈsi:d]
4.EA组合读音
①EA组合读[i:]:please [pli:z] teacher ['ti:tʃə] bean [bi:n] tea [ti:] eat [i:t] meat [mi:t] leaf [li:f] leave [li:v] clean [kli:n] speak [spi:k] mean [mi:n] team [tiːm] beach [biːtʃ] cheap [tʃiːp] easy ['iːzɪ] east [iːst] real [riːl] beat [bi:t] peace [pi:s] increase ['inkri:s] jeans [dʒi:nz] reach [ri:tʃ] dream [dri:m] treat [tri:t] deal [diːl]
②EA组合读[e]:weather ['weðə] healthy ['helθi] wealth [welθ]bread [bred] breakfast ['brekfəst] ready ['redi] sweater ['swetə] heavy ['hevɪ] head [hed] already [ɔ:l'redi] heaven ['hevn]pleasure ['pleʒə] treasure ['treʒə] instead [ɪnˈsted] deaf [def]
③EA组合读[iə]:idea [ai'diə] theatre ['θiətə] really ['riəli] area ['εəriə] realize[ˈrɪəlaɪz]
④EA组合读[ei]: break [breik] great [greit]
5. IE组合
①IE组合读[i:/i]:thief [θi:f] piece [pi:s] believe [bɪ'liːv] field ['fi:ld] achieve [əˈtʃi:v] movie ['mu:vi] cookie ['kʊkɪ]
②IE组合读[ai/e]:tie [tai] die [dai] pie [pai] lie[lai] friend [frend]
6.EI组合
①EI组合读[ei]:eight [eit] eighty ['eiti] weight [weɪt] weigh [weɪ] neighbour [ˈneɪbə] seize[seiz]
②EI组合读[i:/i]:deceive [dɪˈsi:v] conceive [kənˈsi:v] perceive [pəˈsi:v] receive [rɪˈsi:v] neither ['ni:ðə]foreign ['fɒrɪn]
7.OO 组合
① oo组合读[u:]:too [tu:] afternoon ['ɑ:ftə:'nu:n] cool [ku:l] school [sku:l] room [ru:m] food [fu:d] noodle ['nu:dl tooth [tu:θ] zoo [zu:] bamboo [bæm'bu:] choose [tʃu:z] soon [su:n] moon [muːn] food [fu:d] pool [pu:l] smooth [smu:ð] spoon [spu:n]
②OO组合读[u]：good [gud] book [buk] look [luk] cook [kuk] foot [fut] cookie ['kukɪ] wood [wud] wool [wul]
③OO组合读[ʌ]:flood [flʌd] blood [blʌd]
8、OI组合
OI组合读[ɔi]:toilet ['tɔilit] join [dʒɔin] point [pɔint] noisy ['nɒɪzɪ] voice [vɒɪs] choice [tʃɔis] coin [kɔɪn] avoid [ə'vɔɪd] oi l[ɔɪl] boil [bɔɪl]soil [sɔil]
9.OU组合
① OU组合读[au]:about [ə'baut] playground ['pleigraund] house [haus] mouse [maus] thousand ['θauzənd] out [aʊt] around [ə'raʊnd] shout [ʃaʊt] without [wi'ðaʊt] mouth [maʊθ] south [sauθ] sound [saʊnd] pronounce [prəu'nauns] aloud [ə'laud] mountain [`mauntin] cloud [klaud] proud [praʊd] count [kaʊnt] pound [paʊnd] trouers [ˈtraʊzəz]
② OU组合读[ʌ]:cousin ['kʌzən] country ['kʌntri] young [jʌŋ] touch[tʌtʃ] enough [i'nʌf] trouble ['trʌbl] encourage [ɪn'kʌrɪdʒ] couple ['kʌpl] southern [] courage ['kʌrɪdʒ] double [ˈdʌbl]
③OU组合读[u:/u]:you [ju:] soup [su:p] through [θru:] group [gru:p] could [kud] should [ʃud]
10.AU组合
①AU组合读[ɔ:/ ɔ]:August [ɔː'gʌst] autumn ['ɔ:təm] cause [kɔ:z] daughter ['dɔ:tə] taught [tɔ:t] astronaut [ˈæstrənɔ:t] because [bi'kɔz] Australia [ɔ'streiljə] sausage ['sɒsɪdʒ]
②AU组合读[ɑ:]:aunt [ɑ:nt] laugh [lɑ:f]