Why are Phonetics Important?

The sounds of English and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/sid/sidhome.htm

Key
AmE = American English (General American), AuE = Australian English, BrE = British English (RP), CaE = Canadian English, IrE = Irish English, NZE = New Zealand English, SAE = South African English, ScE = Scottish English, WeE = Welsh English
Source: http://www.soundcomparisons.com

also take a look at: http://www.antimoon.com/how/pronunc-soundsipa.htm