The International Phonetic Alphabet, commonly known as IPA, is a standardized system of phonetic notation that represents the sounds of spoken languages. It consists of a set of symbols, each of which represents a particular sound or phoneme. Some possible synonyms for the International Phonetic Alphabet include the phonetic alphabet, the phonetic transcription system, and the sound symbol system. Other related terms might include phonetics, phonology, and linguistic notation. No matter what you call it, the IPA is an essential tool for anyone studying or working with language, and understanding its symbols is key to accurately representing the sounds of different languages and dialects.