sound b t d g v th (as in “think”) th (as in “those”) z sh ch j n ng l r h consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together) /i/ “vowel ee” as in “eat” /ɪ/ “vowel ɪ” as in “it” /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 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 f at the ends of words can sound like s or f at the start or 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 s at the start of words can sound like s or be left off the ends of words can sound like ch at the start or ends of words can sound like sh at the start or ends of words can sound like ch or zh at the ends of words can be left off the ends of words can sound like n or have an extra k sound at the ends of words can be left off the ends of words can be rolled at the start of words can sound like “uh” in the middle or at the ends of words can be left off at the start 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 ɪ can sound like vowel ee or vowel eh can sound like vowel ay or vowel ee can sound like vowel ah or vowel eh can sound like vowel o or vowel schwa (uh) can sound like vowel oo can sound like vowel o or vowel ah can be pronounced like the written letter rather than the American “uh” sound | Example robe sounds like rope boat sounds like bow code sounds like coat made sounds like may pig sounds like pick leave sounds like leaf thing sounds like sing or fing with sounds like wiss or whiff those sounds like dose or zose breathe sounds like breeth or breeze zip sounds like sip buzz sounds like bus or buh shop sounds like chop wish sounds like which cheese sounds like she's rich sounds like rish ridge sounds like rich or rizh moon sounds like moo thing sounds like thin or think goal sounds like go bird sounds like bud paper sounds like papuh have sounds like ave lived sounds like live, want sounds like wan words sounds like word eat sounds like it it sounds like eat wind sounds like wend get sounds like gate bed sounds like bead cat sounds like cot bat sounds like bet not sounds like note or nut look sounds like Luke now sounds like no or nah banana sounds like “bah-nah-nah” rather than “buh-nah-nuh” |
Welcome to online practice. If your native language is French, the table below lists pronunciation issues you are likely to face when speaking American English. You will have your own individual variation, but the sounds listed here encompass the majority of patterns French speakers usually bring to speaking English. You can use your individual assessment and training plan to determine the priority targets for you. Subscribe to the full site for audio and video recordings to practice these and other sounds and patterns to improve your American English pronunciation. (Don't have an assessment? You can purchase one in the store or consider 1:1 accent training.)
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New to this page? You may want to start here. The American R can be a challenging sound for non-native speakers, even those who speak other English dialects. In some accents, the r sound is rolled or trilled. In others, it sounds more like vowel schwa, or the sound "uh." Did you know that the "r" sound is different depending on where it falls in the word? You may have no trouble saying the "r" in red or really, but struggle with the "r" sounds in bird or forever.
Whatever your difficulty, this may be a sound that needs practice at the phoneme and syllable level. Rather than trying to start by saying words with r, practice the sound by itself and in nonsense syllables. You might find the trouble is not with making this sound, but rather with breaking the habits of your old pronunciation in words. Use the recordings below to try the sound, syllables, and words in a new way. |
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