sound

b

t

d


g

v


th (as in “think”)


th (as in “those”)


z


j



n


ng



l


r




consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)


/ɪ/ "vowel ɪ"
as in "it"

/e/ "vowel ay" as in "ate"

/ɛ/ "vowel eh" as in "get"

/æ/ "vowel a" as in "at"

/a/ "vowel ah" as in "hot"

/ʊ/ "vowel U"
as in "wood"

/au/ "diphthong ow" as in "now"

/ʌ,ə/ "vowel schwa" as in "but"

error pattern

can sound like p or v at the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words

can sound like t or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k at the ends of words

can sound like b at the start of words
can sound like f or b at the ends of words

can sound like s at the start of words
can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like d or z at the start of words
can sound like voiceless th or z at the  ends of words

can sound like j at the start of words
can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like zh at the start of words
can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words

can have an extra g sound at the ends of words
can sound like n at the ends of words

can sound like r or d at the start of words
can be left off the ends of words

can sound like l or be rolled at the start of words
can sound like vowel U or vowel schwa in the middle or at the ends of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above at the ends of words
can have r/l confusion at the start of words




can sound like vowel ee


can sound like vowel eh


can sound like vowel ay


can sound like vowel ah


can sound like vowel o


can sound like vowel oo


can sound like vowel ah or vowel o



can be pronounced like the written letter rather than the American “uh” sound

Example

robe sounds like rope or rove

boat sounds like bow

code sounds like coat
made sounds like may

pig sounds like pick

very sounds like berry
leave sounds like leaf or leeb

thing sounds like sing
with sounds like wiss

those sounds like dose or zose
breathe sounds like breeth or breeze

zero sounds like jero
buzz sounds like bus

just sounds like zhust
ridge sounds like rich or rizh


thin sounds like thing
moon sounds like moo

thing sounds like thingg
sung sounds like sun


life sounds like rife or dife
goal sounds like go

read sounds like lead
bird sounds like bud
paper sounds like papuh


lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan
words sounds like word
fresh sounds like flesh
bliss sounds like briss



it sounds like eat


wait sounds like wet


get sounds like gate


cat sounds like cot


not sounds like note


look sounds like Luke


how sounds like hah or ho



banana sounds like “bah-nah-nah” rather than “buh-nah-nuh”

sound

b

t

d


g


v


th (as in “think”)


th (as in “those”)



z


j

n


ng


l

r



consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)


vowels

error pattern

can sound like p at the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words

can sound like t or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k or be left off the ends of words

can sound like w at the start of words
can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like f or t at the start of words
can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can sound like f or voiceless th at the  ends of words

can sound like s at start or ends of words

can sound like ch at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words

can sound like n or nK be left of the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words

can sound like w at the start of words
  can sound like “uh” in the middle or at the ends of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above at the ends of words
can have r/l confusion at the start of words

to learn more about the Cantonese accent, including vowels, purchase a subscription

Example

robe sounds like rope

boat sounds like bow

code sounds like coat,
made sounds like may

pig sounds like pick
big sounds like bih

why sounds like vie
leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like fing or ting
with sounds like whiff

those sounds like dose
breathe sounds like brief or breeth

zip sounds like sip
buzz sounds like bus

ridge sounds like rich

thin sounds like thing
moon sounds like moo

thing sounds like thin or think
sung sounds like suh

goal sounds like go

red sounds like wed
bird sounds like bud
paper sounds like papuh

lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word
blow sounds like bro
class sounds like crass

sound

b


t


d


g

v

th (as in “think”)


th (as in “those”)




z


j


n


ng


r


consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)


vowels

error pattern

can sound like p or be left off the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words


can sound like t or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k at the ends of words

can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like s at the start of words
can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like d or z at the start of words
can sound like voiceless th or z at the  ends of words

can sound like j at the start of words
can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words

can sound like n or be left of the ends of words

 can sound like “uh” in the middle or at the ends of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above at the ends of words
can have r/l confusion at the start of words

to learn more about Mandarin accent, including vowels, purchase a subscription

Example

robe sounds like rope
tube sounds like too

boat sounds like bow


code sounds like coat,
made sounds like may

pig sounds like pick

leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like sing
with sounds like wiss

those sounds like dose or zose
breathe sounds like breeth or breeze

zero sounds like jero
buzz sounds like bus

ridge sounds like rich or rizh


thin sounds like thing
moon sounds like moo

thing sounds like thin
sung sounds like suh

bird sounds like bud
paper sounds like papuh

lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word
pleasant sounds like present
class sounds like crass

sound

p

t

b

d

g

v

th (as in “think”)


th (as in “those”)



z

j



ng

r



consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)

error pattern

can sound like b at the start of words

can sound like d at the start of words

can sound like p at the ends of words

can sound like t at the ends of words

can sound like k at the ends of words

can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like s at the start of words
can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can sound like voiceless th or z at the  ends of words

can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like zh at the start of words
can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words

 has an extra g or k sound

can be rolled at the start of words, can sound like “uh” or be rolled at the ends of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above

Example

pig sounds like big

two sounds like do

robe sounds like rope

code sounds like coat,

pig sounds like pick

leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like sing
with sounds like wiss

those sounds like dose
breathe sounds like breeth or breeze

buzz sounds like bus

job sounds like zhob
ridge sounds like rich or rizh


thing sounds like think

paper sounds like papuh



lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word

sound

p

t


b

d


g

v

th (as in “think”)

th (as in “those”)

s


z

ch


j


n


ng

l

r


h

consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)

error pattern

can sound like b at the start of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can be left off the ends of words

can sound like p at the ends of words

can sound like t at the ends of words, or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k at the ends of words

can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like s or t at the start of words
can sound like f, t or s at the ends of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can sound like voiceless th at the  ends of words

can have an extra “eh” sound in the start of words, can sound like z at the ends of words

can sound like s at the ends of words

can sound like sh at the start or ends of words


can sound like ch at the start of words
can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words


sounds like n or has an extra g or k sound

can be left off the ends of words

can be rolled at the start of words, can sound like “uh” at the ends of words

can be missing at the start of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above

Example

pig sounds like big

two sounds like do
light sounds like lie

robe sounds like rope

code sounds like coat,
or we’d sounds like we

pig sounds like pick

leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like sing or ting
with sounds like wiff, wit or wih

those sounds like dose
breathe sounds like breeth

school sounds like eh-school, miss sounds like miz

buzz sounds like bus

cheese sounds like she’s
which sounds like wish

job sounds like chob
ridge sounds like rich or rizh

thin sounds like thing or thih


thing sounds like thin or think

ball sounds like baw

paper sounds like papuh


hello sounds like ello

lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word