Your Ultimate English Pronunciation Guide

When you seek better English pronunciation, an important step is learning how not to pronounce words or letter combinations. Here’s an overview of the five most common mistakes English-learners make in their English pronunciation.

• Pronouncing everything exactly how it’s spelled:

This is a very common issue that English learners face, and it’s easy to see why. Because words should be pronounced how they’re spelled, right? But as most people can probably attest to, language isn’t always quite that simple.

Take for example the word “flow.” The last two letters, ow, don’t take on their normal pronunciation sounds (which would sound like someone saying “Ow!” after stepping on something sharp), and instead make the sound of a long “o.” 

Learning to avoid odd cases like this will take a combination of memory, practice, and studying English-language rules. 

• Confusing the different “th” sounds:

Another common mistake English learners make is confusing the harsher and softer “th” sounds. 

For example, “that” and “there” both possess the harsher “th” sound. On the other hand, the words “through” and “thought” have a softer sound. 

Try saying this sentence with the correct “th” pronunciations (harsher ones are bolded, and softer ones are italicized):

“What’s that over there?” Albert thought.

• Not including the last syllable of words:

The last part of a word is just as important as the rest of it, so it’s important to include the pronunciation of the last syllable. Failing to do so is common in words that end in “-ed” or “-s,” as these are short syllables and are placed at the end. But not including these syllables can result in seemingly poor grammar or spelling, even if you know these aspects of the language! 

For example, you may know that “makes” is the present-tense version of the word “make.” You may spell it appropriately on paper and know what it means when reading, but if you don’t actually make an effort to pronounce the “-s” at the end while speaking, people will think your grammar is poor! 

It can be hard to break the habit of dropping the last syllable, but with a little effort and lots of practice, you can avoid this issue in the future.

• Not stressing sounds correctly:

This mistake is similar to the one above, though it can happen during any part of the word. Failing to stress sounds properly while speaking can hinder your fluency and even change the way that people interpret what you’re saying.

For instance, putting too much emphasis on certain sounds can make you sound angry or rushed, while not putting enough emphasis on other sounds can make you hard to understand. 

Again, effort and practice can help you overcome these issues.

• Speaking too fast:

Speaking too fast can make all the other mistakes harder to avoid, and is something even native English-speakers struggle with sometimes. Whether you tend to speak quickly to try and sound more fluent or because you’re nervous and want the sentence to end, it’s important to try and slow down.

By speaking more slowly, you’re not only making yourself easier to understand but you’re also allowing yourself to be more cautious about what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. You can stop mistakes before they happen or more easily go back and correct yourself if you’ve made a mistake in your English pronunciation.

Vowels can be considered the cornerstone of the English writing system. Nearly every word requires at least one vowel to be formed and pronounced correctly. Let’s quickly go over some of the most common vowel sounds and examples of how they’re used.

But first, a quick note: 

Just in case you haven’t learned this yet or need to brush up, we’ll be discussing short and long vowel sounds below. A short vowel sound is basically when the vowel is not long. A long vowel sound is when the vowel is pronounced by saying the name of the letter (for example, in the word “grape” and “fight” the bolded vowels are long).

Now, let’s take a look at the English vowels’ pronunciation.

1- Individual Vowel Sounds

• A 

The letter “A” has both a short sound (like in “apple”) and a long sound (like in “ape”).

It can also sound like a short “o,” usually when followed by “u.” For example, in the word “auto.”

• E

The letter “E” has both a short sound (like in “hello”) and a long sound (like in “ear”).

It can also sound like a short “o,” like it does in the first letter of “entree.” As for the two “ee”s at the end, we’ll cover this in the next section.

• I

The letter “I” has both a short sound (like in “in” and a long sound (like in “irate”).

• O

The letter “O” has both a short sound (like in octopus) and a long sound (like in orange).

• U 

The letter “U” has both a short sound (like in “under”) and a long sound (like in ukelele).

2- Vowel Combinations

Above we discussed single vowel sounds, or how vowels are pronounced when they’re by themselves in a word. Now, we’ll go over some vowel combinations. You’ll notice that some of these can have multiple pronunciations depending on which letters are around it.

You can even say the following example English pronunciation sentences out loud for American English pronunciation practice! 

1.) aa (baa)

Pronunciation: Short “o” sound.

Example sentence: Sheep say “baa.”

2.) ae (archaeologist or bae)

Note the difference: In the first word, “ae” makes the long “e” sound. In the second word, it makes the long “a” sound.

Example sentence 1:Harold studied to become an archaeologist.

Example sentence 2: Anne called Thomas “bae” the other day.

3.) ai (hair)

Pronunciation: Like the long “a” sound, but a little softer.

Example sentence: Samuel’s hair is a beautiful golden color.

4.) ao (chaos)

Pronunciation: In this case, you say the “a” part first with its long sound, immediately followed by the short “o” sound. This one can be tricky, but we know you’ll get the hang of it with enough practice!

Example sentence: When the internet went down, the neighborhood found itself in chaos.

5.) au (audio)

Pronunciation: Short “o”sound.

Example sentence: She couldn’t figure out how to fix the audio on her computer.

6.) ea (eat)

Pronunciation: Long “e” sound.

Example sentence: What time do you want to eat dinner?

7.) ee (feel)

This double vowel has two common pronunciations, outlined below.

Pronunciation 1: Long “e” sound.

Example sentence 1: Linda didn’t know what to feel after failing the exam.

Pronunciation 2: Long “a” sound.

Example sentence 2: Riley’s mouth watered as the waiter brought out the entree.

8.) ei (weird)

Pronunciation: Long “e” sound.

Example sentence: Everyone thought it was really weird when Ellen left the party early.

9.) eo (theology)

Pronunciation: This is another tricky one like “ao.” This one is pronounced by first saying the “e” with its long sound, immediately followed by the “o” with its short sound.

Example sentence: Harold wasn’t satisfied with his archaeology career, so he quit and studied theology.

By the way, if you noticed the “aeo” in Harold’s first career choice, worry not. We’ll go over how to pronounce this, as well as a couple of other triple vowel combinations, in the next section.

10.) eu (euro)

Pronunciation: In the word above, this vowel combination is pronounced sort of like the “y” sound. (Imagine saying “yuro.”)

Example sentence: Reynold only had euros on him, so he couldn’t purchase the shirt he wanted on vacation.

11.) ia (Maria orMariah)

Note the difference: In the first word, the “i” in ia makes a long “e” sound, and the “a” makes a short “u” sound. In the second word, because the vowel combination is followed by an “h,” the “i” makes a long “i” sound and the “a” maintains its short “u” sound.

Example sentence 1: Maria didn’t feel well, so she left school early.

Example sentence 2: Mariah sat alone at lunch because her friend Maria was gone.

12.) ie (carries)

Pronunciation: Long “e” sound.

Example sentence: Elisa carries a lot of responsibility, having three kids.

13.) io (Mario)

Pronunciation: Another tricky one. First pronounce the “i” with a long “e” sound, and then the “o” with a long “o” sound.

Example sentence: Mario built a really cool airplane model yesterday.

14.) oa (boat)

Pronunciation: Long “o” sound.

Example sentence: After building an airplane model, he wanted to make a boat next.

15.) oe (toe)

Pronunciation: Long “o”sound.

Example sentence: Carmen had to keep from shouting after stubbing her toe on the table leg.

16.) oi (oink)

Pronunciation: This really is its own sound, and is most often used in onomatopoeia (such as “oink,” the sound a pig makes). It’s also used in the word “poignant” with the same sound. It’s pronounced a lot like “oy.”

Example sentence: Pigs say “oink.”

17.) oo (boo or book)

Note the difference: In the first word, “oo” makes the traditional “oo” sound (like when something interesting happens, and you say “ooh that’s cool.”). In the second word, because it ends with a “k,” the “oo” makes a softer sound that’s almost like a short “u” sound.

Example sentence 1: “Boo!” she shouted from behind the door as her brother walked in.

Example sentence 2: Cassidy’s favorite book went missing after the garage sale.

18.) ou (out or dough)

Note the difference: In the first word, “ou” makes the sound that sounds like “ow.” In the second word, it makes the long “o” sound (keep in mind that this is true in most cases where the “ou” is followed by the letters “gh”). 

Example sentence 1: Susan ran out of milk, so she had to buy some more.

Example sentence 2: She came back home, only to realize she needed ingredients to make dough too!

19.) ua (nuance)

Pronunciation: This one can be tricky. The “u” makes the “oo” sound, while the “a” makes the short “o” sound.

Example sentence: There are lots of nuances when it comes to the English language; good thing you have EnglishClass101.com to help!

20.) ue (due or duet)

Note the difference: In the first word, the “ue” simply makes the “oo” sound (as in “boo”). In the second word, you start by pronouncing the “u” with the same “oo” sound, then pronounce the “e” part with its short “e” sound.

Example sentence 1: Cassidy borrowed her favorite book from the library, but forgot when it was due!

Example sentence 2: Stan thought the duet on stage was lovely.

21.) ui (suite or built or quilt)

Note the difference: In the first word, “ui” sounds exactly like the word “we.” In the second word, it makes a short “i” sound (imagine replacing the “ui” with just an “i” in the word when pronouncing it). In the third word, it sounds more like the beginning of the word “win.” Note that it’s only after the letter “q” that “ui” makes this “wi-” sound.

This vowel combination can be difficult to master, considering its multiple possible sounds in a word. This makes practice essential. 

Example sentence 1: Mark told me you were having a hard time getting into your suite at the hotel!

Example sentence 2: Jan couldn’t believe that John built the house himself.

Example sentence 3: Anne Marie really loves the quilt her grandmother made for her.

22.) uo (duo)

Pronunciation: Here, you pronounce the “u” with the “oo” sound (as in “boo”), and then pronounce the “o” with its long “o” sound.

Example sentence: Don’t you think Natalie and Chad make a great duo?

3- Note on Triple Vowel Combinations

There are also many instances when you’ll find three vowels all put together in a word, but we won’t go too much into that in this article. But as promised, here are a few which are particularly worth mentioning:

• aeo (as in “archaeology” or “caeoma“)

• Triple vowel sequences are rarely pretty or simple, and this is no exception. In the first word, “aeo” is pronounced as though the “a” wasn’t there; it simply makes the “eo” sound, with a short “o.” In the second word (which, by the way, you won’t be hearing in your everyday conversations!), “aeo” is pronounced again like the “a” is missing. But here, the “o” in the “eo” sound is long. 

• This is one you’ll find often in the English language as a suffix. In the first word, the “i” is pronounced with its long “i” sound, followed by the “ou” which sounds like a short “u” sound (as in “us”). In the second word, the “i” is pronounced with a long “e” sound, followed by the “ou” which again sounds like a short “u” sound.

• This one trips up even native English speakers sometimes, especially when it comes to spelling. In the first word, the “e” is pronounced with its long “e” sound, followed by the “au” which is simply pronounced as a long “u.” In the second word, the entire “eau” is pronounced as a long “o.” (I know, it’s terrible!)

You’ll come across many triple-vowel words as you encounter more and more English in daily life. If you have difficulty with these, really, there’s no reason to worry. Just about everyone does. Keep up the practice, though, and you can conquer!

There are many more consonant letters in the English alphabet than there are vowels. Be sure to take a look at our English alphabet page if you haven’t yet, in order to brush up on all the letters. 

In this section, we’ll go over how to pronounce each individual letter (as well as what to do when you encounter double consonants). Be sure to click on the link for each letterin order to get a more in-depth explanation of the pronunciation process and to hear it pronounced. Let’s get to it! 

1- Single Consonants

• B: The letter “B” is pronounced by pressing your lips together, and making the “buh” sound as you release them.

• C: The letter “C” has two pronunciations, based on what letters are around it. It can make both the “K” sound and the “S” sound. For example, in the words “care” and “buck” it makes the “K” sound. In the words “silence” and “cerebral,” however, it makes the “S” sound. 

One thing to keep in mind is that the letter “C” will always make a “K” sound if followed by the letter “K,” as in the words “buck,” “luck,” “back,” and “pick.”

• D: The letter “D” is pronounced by holding your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth, while letting its sides touch your cheeks. The sound happens when your breath aspirates upon release.

• F: The letter “F” is pronounced by putting your top teeth gently onto your lip and breathing out through your mouth. 

• G: The letter “G” can have two basic pronunciations, one the “guh” sound, and the other a “J” sound, depending on the letters that are around it. The “guh” sound is largely produced in the throat, by holding your tongue to the roof of your mouth near the back and then releasing as you aspirate. The “J” sound is pronounced just as the “J” is.

• H: The letter “H” may be one of the easiest consonant sounds to produce, though errors such as overemphasizing it are common. Essentially, you make this sound by “constricting” the very back of your tongue as you breathe out (like a very soft sigh).

• J: The letter “J” is pronounced by holding your tongue to the lower ridge of your teeth, both the tip and the sides, pursing your lips, and then releasing air with friction.

• K: The letter “K” is sounded when you move your tongue to the roof of your mouth and aspirate.

• L: The letter “L” can be pronounced either lightly, or stronger. It’s pronounced by holding your tongue to the ridge of your teeth, and letting air pass through.

• M: The letter “M” is pronounced by putting your lips together to prevent air from getting out, then voicing the “mm” sound. 

• N: The letter “N” is pronounced somewhat similarly to the letter “M,” though instead of putting your lips together, the air is kept from getting out by using your tongue. Voice the “nn” sound while holding your tongue to the upper ridge of your teeth and letting the sides of your tongue block the air.

• P: The letter “P” is pronounced by briefly putting your lips together, and then letting the air escape as you aspirate.

• Q: The letter “Q” is one of the more difficult letters to pronounce. It’s pronounced almost like the letter “K”, but with a “W” sound often following.

• R: There are two ways to make this sound, described in detail on the linked page. Essentially, both methods involve curling the tongue without letting it touch the roof of your mouth, and then voicing the “rr” sound.

• S: The letter “S” is pronounced by holding your tongue near your tooth ridge and then letting air pass through. It’s softer than the “Z” sound.

• T: The letter “T” is pronounced by pressing your tongue against your upper tooth ridge, letting the sides touch the upper teeth, and then releasing the tip as you breathe out.

• V: The letter “V” is pronounced similarly to the “F” sound, except it is voiced (not unvoiced as the F is). Therefore it’s a harsher sound.

• W: The letter “W” is pronounced by mostly closing your mouth, leaving your lips as a small circle, and breathing out quickly, making a sound very similar to the “oo” sound we mentioned earlier. 

• X: The letter “X” is another tricky letter to pronounce and can be pronounced multiple ways. The two most common are “gz” and “hz”, depending on the word. The letter’s link has a page that goes into more detail on this.

• Y: The letter “Y” is pronounced similarly to the long “E” sound, though you need to ensure that your tongue is closer to your tooth ridge while pronouncing it.

• Z: The letter “Z” is the voiced version of the letter “S.” It’s pronounced the same way, but is actually vocalized.

2- Doubled Consonant Examples

Oftentimes, you’ll encounter words that have the same consonant twice in a row. This usually indicates a change in syllables. The sound itself is only produced once, though there should be slight emphasis at the changing of the syllable. Here are some examples:

Rubber: Think of this word as being divided into two parts (rub + ber). You only pronounce the “B” sound one time, but pronounce it in two parts: begin the sound at “rub,” and end it at “ber.”

Follow: Do the same thing with the word “follow.” Divide it into two parts (fol + low), and then begin the L pronunciation at the end of “fol” and end it at the beginning of “low.”

You can do this for just about any double consonant. There are some exceptions, but we won’t go too much into that. This can be tricky at first, but over time and with practice, you can master it!

In order to have the pronunciation of an English speaker, practice is imperative. Here are a few tips on how to improve your English pronunciation skills, and ideas for English pronunciation exercises. 

1.) Visualize the word before saying: Some words are just difficult to pronounce, whether due to their length or odd pronunciation rules. Sometimes, the most helpful thing is to visualize what the word looks like on paper before you try pronouncing it, especially if you tend to be better at reading and writing English than you are at speaking it. This will help you know which letter (or letters) come(s) next so that you’re better prepared to actually say it.

2.) Watch yourself say the word: It can also be helpful to watch yourself say a word that you’re having a hard time with. You can practice words while standing in front of a mirror or even record a video of yourself saying it, so that you can actually see how your mouth and face move as you speak. This way, you can better memorize the movements and see where you might be making a mistake so you can more effectively fix it.

3.) Watch shows/movies in English: By watching television shows or movies in English, you can quickly familiarize yourself with the pronunciation of multiple words. Once you become used to hearing these words, they’ll become easier to pronounce yourself. When it comes to English pronunciation, YouTube is another good source of listening and watching material.

4.) Record yourself speaking and listen to the recording: If you’re having a hard time with a certain word or sound, you can record yourself trying to say it and compare it to how it sounds when someone else says it. This way, like tuning an instrument, you can slowly correct your pronunciation against that example.

5.) Drills: No one wants to hear this, but doing drills and exercises to strengthen your English pronunciation is the best way to ensure you master it! This may not be as fun as watching movies, but it definitely has its place in the learning process. 

By doing these things regularly, you should be able to speak English with good pronunciation easily! 

Another great thing about these tips? Many of them will also allow you to improve your pronunciation in English grammar-wise, by providing you with more context. This, in turn, will make your pronunciation in English sentences even stronger.

Some words in English don’t like to play nice when it comes to pronunciation. Here are five of the hardest words to pronounce in English, and tips for how to conquer them! (Consider these pronunciation in English vocabulary words!)

1.) Breakfast:

“Breakfast” is a difficult word to pronounce, largely because it’s not pronounced like it’s spelled. 

In order to better pronounce it, omit the “ea” sound after “Br” and pretend there’s only an “e” there (pronounced “eh”). Then, pretend the “a” in fast is an “i” and pronounce that part of the word like “fist.”

Essentially, pronounce it as follows: (Brek-fist).

2.) Negotiation:

“Negotiation” is difficult to pronounce because it has lots of syllables and letters.

In order to better pronounce it, break it into parts: Ne (pronounced “neh”) + Go + Ti (pronounced “shi”) + Ation (like in “nation”).

Essentially, pronounce it as follows: (Neh-go-shi-ation).

3.) Miscellaneous:

This crazy-looking word also has lots of syllables and letters, and is definitely one of the harder words to spell, let alone pronounce.

In order to better pronounce it, break it into parts: Mis + Cel (pronounced like “sell”) + Lan (pronounced with a long “a” sound like in “grape”) + Eous (pronounced like the similar “ious.”).

Essentially, pronounce it as follows: (Mis-sell-lane-ious).

4.) Begrime:

“Begrime” is a little odd-looking and is oddly spelled. Further, it’s not used very often. 

In order to better pronounce it, break it into two parts: Be + Grime. The first part isn’t pronounced like it’s spelled. Rather, it has almost a “buh” sound.

5.)Unfortunately:

“Unfortunately” is a long word with lots of different sounds. 

In order to better pronounce it, break it into parts: Un + Fortun (pronounced like the word “fortune”) + Ately (pronounced as if there’s an “i” in place of the “a” at the beginning, and the “e” is missing).

Essentially, pronounce it as follows: (Un-fortune-itly).

We’re nearly done, and have covered the basics of English pronunciation. But there’s still one more topic to cover: the fact that there are various English accents and pronunciations. 

In this article, we’ve gone over American English pronunciation, but British English and Australian English do differ from this, and from each other. Pronunciation varies widely across these different English accents.

Further, even within the United States, people from different sections of it tend to pronounce certain words or sounds differently from each other (e.g. New York accent vs. Texas accent). 

So while we’ve gone over the basic American pronunciations, keep in mind that these are not the only way to pronounce words and sounds. You’re likely to come across someone speaking English in an accent different than the ones we went over, and so they may be harder to understand at first. 

It’ll take a lot of exposure and experience to get used to the various accents, and you’re definitely not expected to master them all. Start small, keep practicing, and see where your English-learning takes you!

Proper pronunciation is important, very important. Some say it’s even more important than getting the grammar perfectly correct! Why would this be?

1) Good Understanding 

If communicating with native speakers matters to you when learning English, you need to be understood when you talk, and you need to be able to understand the native speakers. After all, without understanding, the purpose of language is null and void! In order to be understood, you need to be able to speak the language in a way that is familiar to native speakers, or at least recognizable by them. 

When learning to speak a new language, you will learn that the more you progress the more intricate it becomes! For instance, almost every language has vocabulary that may look the same in writing, but because the words are pronounced differently, they have very different meanings. This means that you may say a word in English, and because of a slight change in pronunciation, the meaning of the word changes completely. Understandably, this can make for pretty embarrassing situations! At worst, your mispronounced English will sound garbled to a native speaker. 

Knowing the nuances of how a word or letter is pronounced will also help you to understand spoken English better.

No worries if this feels hard; you’re learning, and with our help at EnglishClass101, you will not have a problem with mispronunciation if you follow our advice and examples carefully.

2) Good Communication 

Not pronouncing English or any other language correctly can lead to a lot of frustration because you’re unable to express what you mean, and you will not be understood correctly. Even if you have total knowledge of English grammar, and can write it like a native, not knowing how to speak it properly will only make for very frustrating communication all around.

3) A Good Impression 

Even if you’re only a beginner, it is possible to speak any language correctly. This way, you are bound to make a good impression on native speakers, and when you’re more fluent, you will be likely to garner a lot more respect than a fumbling newbie speaker who doesn’t care much for correct pronunciation. 

People often have a lot of patience for someone who learns to speak a new language, but native speakers are more likely to address you and engage with you in conversation if you work hard on your accent. This is simply because you’ll be able to understand one another! So, proficiency in pronunciation can mean the difference between having none or plenty of English speaking friends. It will also serve you well in the workplace, and make you popular with your English speaking managers and employers or employees.

Learning to speak English properly is also a sign of respect for not only the language, but also the native speakers and their customs. 

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

EnglishClass101 has plenty of resources to help you with your English pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native English speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce English vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our EnglishClass101 dictionary!

Use the English dictionary provided by EnglishClass101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to listen often to English music and recorded books, and watch plenty of English movies and/or TV shows in English. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice… 

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native English speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in English! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your English teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native English speakers, consider investing in EnglishClass101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native English teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking English and get feedback from your English teacher.

We applaud you for making it to the end of this article! Pronunciation is like the mathematics of speech—it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. So your determination to learn English definitely shows through! Keep up the good work and continue practicing, and you’ll be on your way to beautiful English pronunciation before you know it! 

EnglishClass101.com is here for you on every step of your English-learning journey. Explore our website to take advantage of free vocabulary lists, insightful blog posts, and even an online community to discuss lessons with fellow English students. You can even download our MyTeacher app for a one-on-one teaching experience with your own personal English teacher! 

In the meantime, practice, study, and practice some more. The time and effort you put into this will make the frustration more than worth it. You got this.😄

And before you go, tell us: What did you learn about English pronunciation? We look forward to hearing from you!