# IPA in the SDMB

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipa-in-the-sdmb/762291>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 9, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipa-in-the-sdmb/762291 "2016-08-09T23:55:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 63

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipa-in-the-sdmb/762291/63 "2016-08-15T16:07:05Z")

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IPA is totally messed up. An incredible hodgepodge of symbols that make no sense whatsoever. While a “universal” alphabet is desirable, the way the IPA has gone about it is unbelievably bad.

Avoid it around “normal” people. I.e., nearly everyone.

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