English pronunciation can be tricky indeed—but there are numerous ways to practice and numerous resources to help guide you. Many of the resources are free, online, and right at your fingertips and specialize in those learning the language pronunciation for the first time with English as a second language.
ESL pronunciation can be even more confusing when the English words have the same letters as another language but an entirely different way to combine them and an entirely different sound. One glaring example is with French, where the word for dog is chien. “Chien” is pronounced with a soft beginning sound, a diphthong vowel sound in the middle and only a
hint of a nasal n at the end. French speakers would therefore say something like “shee-yehn.”
hint of a nasal n at the end. French speakers would therefore say something like “shee-yehn.”
Switch that same word, chien, to an English pronunciation and it ends up with a harder initial sound, like in chuck, and a prominent final n. This would give you something like “chi-enn.”
There are also many words that have the same vowel pronunciation but use different combinations of vowels to produce those sounds. A few examples of those include reign, in which the “ei” sounds like “ay,” plane, where the “a” sounds like “ay,” and maim, where the “ai” sounds like “ay.” Yes, English pronunciation can be complicated.
But do not fret. Learning English pronunciation can be achieved through a lot of practice and a lot of listening.
If possible, get recordings of books and read along while you look at the text. Mark any words that give you trouble as you move along. Listen to newscasts, radio broadcasts and TV to grasp more of the sounds.
If possible, get recordings of books and read along while you look at the text. Mark any words that give you trouble as you move along. Listen to newscasts, radio broadcasts and TV to grasp more of the sounds.
Myriad websites offer different types of lessons some that include written, oral and listening drills. Flashcards are another good way to learn English pronunciation, as long as you practice with someone who pronounces things correctly.
Once you get used to the general rules, you’ll be able to pronounce words you’ve never heard before—unless they fall into the pronunciation exceptions.
In that case, you’ll want more flashcards.
Note: Even though you know the vocabulary and the endless grammar rules, you still find it difficult to pronounce English words correctly, this struggle with language can make communicating with native English speakers a frustrating experience for both you and them
Accent Reduction and English Pronunciation
A
Nation Station Examination Relation
Pat Cat Rat Flat Mat
Call Mall Small Tall Fall
Far Car
War Wardrobe
1. The rain in Spain stays mainly in plain.
2. Waiter, wait at the station for the nation.
3. I have no relaxation, no information, no examination, no exaggeration and even no relation
4. I say, hey! The ray of dismay came late to stay and play in the tray with clay but pray to delay it as you may.
5. They came late, waited at the gate to take a train to main lane in the rain.
6. I played all the day, today but if you may stay at the station to wait for the train with waiter in the waiting room.
7. She came to say sorry to the waiters
8. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, are working days but Saturday and Sunday is a holiday.
B
Book Bat But Bamboo
Bribe Bird Balcony
Bubble Bluff Brown
C
Come Cat Cut Couple
Computer Coconut Cucumber
Cry Cook Contain Curtain
Place Trace Face Race
1. Can you come to cut the cake in the camp of my cousin?
2. Come on! Catch the cat to catch the mouse.
3. I can’t cross the canal with coins and camera, carefully.
4. Call Carl, Carl’s cousin and Carl’s companions.
5. Cut the coffee cake cousin in the car of Canadian Capital’s Councilor
6. Captain, Call the cat to carry the kittens in the corner of the café.
7. Can you com to the café to collect cream cold coffee with coffee cake?
8. Come count the coins then cut the cake in the camp of captain’s curious cousin
9. Customer calls coincidentally, to communication carefully, calmly and continuously.
10. Coins, cameras, cases and containers can come behind the colorful curtain
CH
Change Chalk Charge
Chocolate Chamber China
Chine Challenge Cheat
Chemistry Chemical
1. China with Charles changes the choice of chocolate.
2. Challenge the champion to choose the Chinese Chargers.
3. China chooses charcoal to charge the charger in Chinese Chancellor’s Chamber.
D
Dead Dog Design Decorate
Decide Drive Destroy Delay
Digital Duration Direction Day
E
Electronic Elephant Escape
Envelope Echo Electricity
Enable Equal Equality
F G
H I J
H I J
Fan Fun For
Gang Gun Ghost Grand
House Honest Hour Host
Islam Ink Intel Insect
Jack Jet Just Journalist
K
King Kind Kilo Kashmir
Karachi Kabul Kurd Kilometer
Know Knowledge Knight
1. Kind king kills the kind kangaroo keepers.
2. Kindly, come with the key book and key notes.
3. Kin can’t kill the kind king at one kilometer from the kingdom of the kind king.
L M
N O
N O
Lion Loyal Library Low
Most Must Music Miss
No Not Nest Name
Orange Onion Oops! Oil
1. Oh no! Go slowly, because the oil is low.
2. No, I know no magic to flow the water slowly.
3. Slow, slow, slow, something is below.
4. You know, no? But, I know what is below the window.
P
Pakistan Play Police Put
Personal People Pupil Pot
Principal Place Pin Pink
1. People play Ping-Pong in the porch of their palace.
2. Please put pen, pencil and packet in your personal purse.
3. Paul and prince purchase a pistol to prove their power to the poor people.
4. Pick-pocket picks the pocket of a person whose purse is full of pennies.
5. Pink panther picks a packet from the post office in public to please the post man and people.
6. Police put the people in prison to prevent the people from the people.
7. People feel the patient’s pain in the park with the patient’s pals.
8. Please, be punctual, polite, prosperous and pious person.
Q R
S
S
Question Quality Quit Quarter
Rabbit Race Range Rest
Suggestion Stage Say Sorry
1. Unqualified Quack Questions the Quality of Quilt Quietly.
2. Queue of Qualified doctors quits the Questions.
3. Equality of quality queues up the quantity quietly.
T
Total Titanic Trust Tolerate
Toy Tonic Train Test
Touch Taste Table Tub
1. Tell tom and ted to take a ticket from the ticket-window.
2. Me too, will come at two to two. (01:58)
3. Train with transformers turns turtle on the top of the Tower of Tobacco Company.
4. I will try to take the train of two to two (1:58) at the train station
5. Today, ten trains will turn to Taiwan at 2:00
6. Tom tries to take the training from the talk trainers in Tokyo
7. The trained trainers train the talent of new trainers to transform the fate of the trainers in Tibet.
TH
Thin Think Nothing Thank
There The Therefore Then
Tooth Truth Forth North
1. I think thin smith can thank you for telling the truth.
2. Thin people of north and south think of the toothache.
3. Then, their think tank thought to do nothing in north and south themselves.
U V W
X
X
Union Use United Unit
Volcano Various Very Vast
Work Waste West When
X-Ray Xenophobe
Y Z
Yellow Young Yell Yes
Cry Fry My Buy
Zebra Zest Zoo Zurich
That’s All Folks!