🖥️Praat Phonetic Encoding (Backslash Trigraphs)

Praat's "phonetic encoding" is different in kind from the other systems in this hub. It is not a transcription standard and not a rival alphabet — it is the input and rendering convention of the Praat program, the dominant free phonetics software, written by Paul Boersma and David Weenink at the University of Amsterdam. The right way to describe it is simply: this is how you type IPA into Praat.¹²

Backslash trigraphs

To draw IPA symbols in Praat's Picture window or its TextGrid editor, you either type the Unicode symbols directly (if your system has an input method for them) or use backslash trigraphs — a backslash plus a two-character code — provided you have the Charis and/or Doulos SIL fonts installed. Praat then renders each trigraph as the corresponding IPA glyph.²

The mnemonic behind the second letter

The trigraphs are not arbitrary. The manual documents a mnemonic system: the first letter is the most similar ordinary alphabet letter, and the second letter encodes the modification — t = turned, c = capital or curled, s = script, - = barred, l = with a leg, i = inverted, j = left tail. An f marks the "phonetic" serifed Greek-like forms (ɸ, β, ɣ); retroflexes take a period in the second slot; and a few common symbols keep their traditional spellings (ŋ, ð, ʃ, ʒ). Once you see the pattern, most trigraphs are guessable. The full inventory is split across three manual pages — consonants, vowels, and diacritics.²

What it is used for

Praat TextGrids are the de facto interchange format for phonetic annotation in phonetics labs — which is exactly where prosodic systems like ToBI get annotated too. Modern Praat happily accepts direct Unicode IPA, so the trigraphs are no longer strictly necessary for typing; they remain useful in plain-ASCII scripting and formula contexts, and for portability. Importantly, a saved TextGrid stores Unicode text, not the trigraphs — the trigraphs are an input aid, not a storage format.²

How to cite Praat

The community-standard self-citation, following the program's own convention, is: Boersma, Paul & Weenink, David. Praat: doing phonetics by computer [Computer program]. Version x.x.xx, retrieved <date> from https://www.praat.org — with the version number and retrieval date filled in by you.¹

Errors to avoid

• Describing Praat notation as a rival phonetic alphabet — it is a program input/rendering convention layered over the IPA.²
• Expecting trigraphs to render without the Charis/Doulos SIL fonts installed.²
• Treating the trigraphs as a fixed interchange encoding — TextGrids store Unicode; the trigraphs are just a way to type.²

Learn more

• Praat manual — Phonetic symbols — The authoritative trigraph tables (consonants, vowels, diacritics) and the mnemonic system.
• Praat home page — The program itself, from Boersma & Weenink, University of Amsterdam.
• ToBI — our companion guide — Prosodic annotation that is done inside Praat TextGrids.
• The IPA — our companion guide — The alphabet the Praat trigraphs actually render.