Vowel sounds are those produced with no obstruction to the airflow by the tongue, lips or teeth. When making a single vowel sound your tongue and lips stay in the same position for the duration of that sound. For example: /a:/ arm /ɑːm/ As we saw in the previous lesson, Standard British English has 12 […]
What is a consonant?
Have you ever wondered: what exactly is a consonant sound? How is it different from a vowel? Here is the answer: Consonant sounds are those produced after the airflow has been obstructed as it leaves the mouth. The obstruction can be made by the tongue, lips or teeth. For example: /t/ tea /tiː/ As we […]
The 25 consonant sounds
Standard British English has 25 consonant sounds: /b/, /d/, /f/, /g/, /h/, /k/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, /t/, /tʃ/, /θ/, /ð/, /v/, /w/, /j/, /z/, light L and dark L. Like with the diphthongs and vowel sounds, the fastest way to learn those symbols is to associate them in your […]
The 8 diphthongs
Standard British English has 8 diphthongs: /aɪ/, /aʊ/, /eə/, /eɪ/, /ɪə/, /ɔɪ/, /əʊ/, /ʊə/. Like with the vowel sounds, the fastest way to learn those symbols is to associate them in your head with the sample words I’ve chosen for you. Play each sound a couple of times, and then flip the flashcard to see […]
The 12 single vowel sounds
Standard British English, the accent I teach in my courses, has 12 single vowel sounds: /æ/, /a:/, /e/, /ɜ:/, /ɪ/, /i:/, /ɒ/, /ɔ:/, /ʊ/, /u:/, /ʌ/, /ə/. Those sounds are also known as: pure vowels or monophthongs. The fastest way to learn those symbols is to associate them in your head with the sample words […]
3 tips to learn the alphabet fast
These 3 tips will help you become familiar with the phonetic alphabet fast: 1. One symbol > one sound > one sample word Every symbol in the phonetic alphabet represents a unique sound. To make it easy for you to remember the 45 symbols and their sounds, I’ve associated each symbol with an easy-to-remember sample […]
What will this alphabet do for you?
You only need to do one English pronunciation lesson to realise that knowing the phonetic alphabet is going to make your life a lot easier. In fact, NOT knowing the phonetic alphabet is going to make English pronunciation really hard to learn. I can think of three reasons why you’ll love the phonetic alphabet: In […]
Symbols, sounds & letters
“Why should I waste my time learning those strange symbols instead of focusing on speaking?” That’s what came to my mind when I bought my first English pronunciation course and saw the phonetic alphabet. After a couple of pages, I understood why. English has 26 written letters and 45 sounds. Which means that, to get […]
The phonetic alphabet chart
In this course, I’m going to show you how the phonetic alphabet will help you improve your English accent fast. First, let’s see what the alphabet looks like. (Note: to download this chart, press the Materials tab above.) For an overview of those symbols, sounds & letters press the button below.
How to produce the /æ/
This is what the /æ/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /æ/ hat /hæt/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? (Note: if you’re not familiar with those symbols, you can learn […]
Spellings – /æ/
In this topic I show you the most common spelling for the /æ/ sound. To help you remember it, I also bring you some everyday words with that spelling. Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? The most common spelling Figuring out when a word has an /æ/ can sometimes […]
Mistakes to avoid – /æ/
Below are the three main mistakes you’re likely to be making with the /æ/ sound: Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? Mistakes to avoid with /æ/ Mistake 1: Producing a sound between /ʌ/ and /æ/. Unfortunately the vowel sound you’re producing doesn’t exist in English, so native speakers will […]
Unexpected words – /æ/
Here I bring you some words with an /æ/ that is often mispronounced. Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? Nine words with an unexpected /æ/ Instructions: press Play to hear the words on the flashcards, and say them out loud along with the recordings. To see the phonetic transcriptions, […]
Speaking drill – /æ/
In this topic I bring you a speaking drill to help you improve your English pronunciation fast. Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? Speaking drill with ten flashcards Instructions: say the first word out loud BEFORE turning the flashcard over. Then click the red arrow to see its phonetic […]
How to produce the /a:/
This is what the /a:/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /a:/ arm /ɑ:m/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /a:/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /e/
This is what the /e/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /e/ egg /eɡ/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /e/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /ɜ:/
This is what the /ɜ:/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /ɜ:/ girl /ɡɜ:l/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /ɜ:/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /ɪ/
This is what the /ɪ/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /ɪ/ ship /ʃɪp/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /ɪ/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /i:/
This is what the /i:/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /i:/ sheep /ʃi:p/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /i:/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /ɔ:/
This is what the /ɔ:/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /ɔ:/ saw /sɔ:/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /ɔ:/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
How to produce the /ɒ/
This is what the /ɒ/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word. /ɒ/ hot /hɒt/ Do you want to have a quick look at the phonetic alphabet? How do you produce the /ɒ/ sound? In this topic I’m […]
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