Why does pronunciation – and English pronunciation – make us feel anxious? Why do we feel more vulnerable when we speak, compared to when we write, for example? My story of “pronunciation shame” This is a story of my experience as an Italian learner. The company where I worked was designing an Italian course for… Read More

Two fun ways to improve your English pronunciation are poetry and singing. They work because you improve your pronunciation while you’re doing something else. Both these methods will help you train your voice in different ways, and will help you become more aware of the sounds of English. How Poetry Helps Your Pronunciation Poetry is… Read More

A consonant cluster is a group of consonants without a vowel in between. For example, the “thr” in “throw”, “spl” in “split” or “tch” in “match”. They can be difficult because not all languages have them, but also because you have to move parts of your mouth quickly to make them. This can be difficult… Read More

If you’re trying to improve your English pronunciation so that people can understand you better, these three tips will help you! You can work on them gradually so that you become more confident and easier to understand. 1. Pronunciation is ‘physical’ This is both a ‘mindset’ aid and a practical help! There is nothing mysterious… Read More

Many people worry about their English pronunciation, but some things are more important than others. (For example, it’s not important to have a 100% British or American accent when you speak!) Here are five common pronunciation mistakes to avoid, so that you can focus on the areas which make a bigger difference. Remember that your… Read More

There are many ways you can improve your English pronunciation. Here’s a great exercise you can do at home. It’s called a “minimal pair” exercise, because you only change one sound in a pair of words. The sound you change is the sound you need to practise. For example, in the minimal pair “light” and… Read More

What’s the easiest, quickest way to improve your English pronunciation? If you’re short of time and want to see immediate results, focus on quick “hacks” (= easy shortcuts). These will help you improve your English pronunciation quickly and effectively. Here are three pronunciation hacks for you to try. They’re based on some of the sounds… Read More