The IPA is used by linguists and speech therapists to transcribe and analyze speech, and it is also used in dictionaries and textbooks to indicate the pronunciation of words.

The three main types of IPA symbols are consonants, vowels, and glides. Consonants are sounds that are produced by blocking the airflow in the vocal tract, while vowels are sounds that are produced by allowing the airflow to flow freely through the vocal tract. Glides are sounds that are produced by moving from one vowel to another.

There are around 200 IPA symbols, which are used to represent the sounds of all the world's languages.

The IPA symbol [p] represents the sound /p/, which is a voiceless bilabial plosive.

The IPA symbol [i] represents the sound /i/, which is a close front unrounded vowel.

The IPA symbol [m] represents the sound /m/, which is a voiced bilabial nasal.

The IPA symbol [f] represents the sound /f/, which is a voiceless labiodental fricative.

The IPA symbol [s] represents the sound /s/, which is a voiceless alveolar fricative.

The IPA symbol [k] represents the sound /k/, which is a voiceless velar plosive.

The IPA symbol [l] represents the sound /l/, which is a voiced alveolar lateral approximant.

The IPA symbol [r] represents the sound /r/, which is a voiced alveolar trill.

The IPA symbol [j] represents the sound /j/, which is a voiced palatal approximant.

The IPA symbol [w] represents the sound /w/, which is a voiced labio-velar approximant.

The IPA symbol [h] represents the sound /h/, which is a voiceless glottal fricative.

The IPA symbol [ʔ] represents the sound /ʔ/, which is a glottal stop.