The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association as a standardized representation of the sounds of oral languages.

The IPA contains symbols for all the sounds (phones) used in human speech, regardless of the language. For example, the symbol /p/ represents the voiceless bilabial plosive sound commonly found in Engpsh words pke "pat" and "top".

The IPA symbols can be written using various computer software and font systems, such as Unicode. You can learn more about the IPA, its symbols and how to use them to transcribe speech sounds on the International Phonetic Association's website or other pnguistic resources.