Talking about what you see.
threenottree
Start three with soft air and trees with a clean t.
English pronunciation practice: a free check and 34 exercises
Your task
IntermediateB1–B2
Tell a teammate today’s plan.
We'll review the first draft today and send the final version tomorrow.
Say it before you hear the model.
Record yourself
Your recording is sent only for this check and discarded afterwards.
34 English pronunciation exercises by level
Sounds that change the word: elementary pronunciation exercises
One sound can turn “three” into “tree”. Each sentence puts two similar sounds side by side.
Choosing what to wear.
vestnotwest
For v, touch your top teeth to your lower lip. For w, just round your lips.
Moving equipment.
vannotfan
Same lip position for both words; switch your voice on for van.
Correcting an order.
coatnotgoat
Both start at the back of the mouth. Add a small puff of air for coat; use your voice for goat.
Describing a picture.
sheepnotship
Keep ship short and relaxed; make the vowel in sheep longer.
Stress the key information: elementary pronunciation exercises
Make the word that carries the news the strongest one in the sentence.
Checking a departure time.
Give six the strongest beat — it is the new fact.
Correcting a booking.
Stress two — you are correcting the number.
Choosing a bag.
Make blue the strongest word — the colour is what matters.
Saying who called.
Make Maya the strongest word: the listener needs to know who.
Giving an instruction.
Stress table: the place is what matters most.
Find the strong syllable: intermediate pronunciation exercises
Every longer word has one main beat. On the wrong syllable, a familiar word can sound unfamiliar.
Asking a colleague.
reviewreportMonday
Find the beat in each word: re-VIEW, re-PORT, MON-day.
Giving directions.
hotelmuseum
The beat is not on the first syllable: ho-TEL, mu-SE-um.
Asking for a favour.
record
As a verb it is re-CORD. As a noun — a record — the beat moves to REC-ord.
Talking about a photo.
photographerphotograph
The beat moves inside the word family: pho-TOG-ra-pher but PHO-to-graph.
Stress the contrast: intermediate pronunciation exercises
When you correct or compare something, the difference gets the beat.
Correcting an order.
Make blue the strongest word: the colour is the contrast.
Confirming a deadline.
Let Friday carry the new information.
Saying whose laptop it is.
Stress my: who owns the laptop is the contrast.
Explaining a delivery.
Let front desk stand out as the destination.
Link words without losing endings: intermediate pronunciation exercises
Join a final consonant to the next vowel, but keep the ending you need.
Asking for help.
Notpick|it|upSaypi·ki·tup
Link pick it up into one phrase: each final consonant runs into the next vowel.
Giving a reminder.
Notturn|it|offSaytur·ni·toff
Link turn it off instead of pausing after each word.
Asking for an answer.
Notneed|an|answerSaynee·da·nan·swer
Join need an answer smoothly without speeding up the whole sentence.
Confirming a schedule.
starts= startsnext= next
Keep the endings in starts and next, then say the phrase smoothly.
Asking for a resend.
Notsend|it|againSaysen·di·ta·gain
Keep send it again together as one phrase.
Arranging a meeting.
Notmeet|at|eightSaymee·ta·teight
Join meet at eight smoothly without swallowing the words.
Intonation that shows your intention: advanced pronunciation exercises
The same words can check, offer, ask or show surprise. Your voice decides which.
Making a polite request.
could you send ittoday?
A fall-rise on today makes the request softer.
Checking a plan.
joining ustomorrow?
A rise at the end turns the statement into a check.
Offering a choice.
would you liketeaorcoffee?
Rise on tea and fall on coffee to offer a choice between two.
Asking for information.
where did you leave thedocuments?
A gentle fall suits a neutral question with “where”.
Showing surprise.
you finishedalready?
A wide rise on already shows surprise.
Speak fluently without losing words: advanced pronunciation exercises
Let familiar phrases flow while every important word stays clear.
Explaining a missed call.
wouldhavecalledwud·uv·CALLED
Keep would have called together and let “have” go light.
Making a neutral request.
Notsend|it|overSaysen·di·to·ver
Let could you send it over flow as one phrase without sounding casual.
Challenging a decision.
goingtodogoin·tuh·DO
Let familiar groups like going to connect, without forcing slang.
Making a formal request.
Notbe|able|toSaybee·yay·bul·tuh
In a formal request, join the natural boundaries but keep every word clear.
Summarising a report.
preliminary
Keep every syllable of the long words: pre-LIM-i-nar-y, rec-om-men-DA-tions.
The six skills of English pronunciation
Most learners practise sounds and stop there. Listeners also rely on beats, linking and the voice. One sentence, six skills:
We'llreviewuːtheðfirstɜːdraftætodayandsendtheðfinalversiontomorrow.
The long “oo” in review, the soft th in the, the vowel in first and the short “a” in draft.
Sounds in English pronunciation
One changed sound can change the word: three becomes tree, sheep becomes ship. Start here if listeners mishear single words.
From elementary
Minimal pairs practiceWe'llre·VIEWthefirstdraftto·DAYandsendtheFI·nalVER·sionto·MOR·row.
re-VIEW, to-DAY, FI-nal, VER-sion, to-MOR-row.
Word stress in English pronunciation
Every word with two or more syllables has one main beat: re-VIEW, to-MOR-row. The wrong beat can make a word you know hard to recognise.
From intermediate
Word stress guideWe'llreviewthefirstdrafttodayandsendthefinalversiontomorrow.
“today” and “tomorrow” carry the most weight, while “we’ll”, “the” and “and” stay light.
Sentence stress and rhythm in English pronunciation
Content words — nouns, main verbs, numbers — are strong. Small words like the, and and to are short. That strong–weak pattern is the rhythm of English.
Every level
Sentence stress practiceWe'llreviewthefirs(t)draf(t)todayənsen(d)thefinalversiontomorrow.
firs(t) draf(t) today, “and” said as ən, sen(d) the final version.
Connected speech in English pronunciation
Words link, weaken and lose sounds: firs(t) draft, sen(d) the, and said as “ən”. It is why you can know every word and still miss them at natural speed.
From intermediate
Connected speech practiceWe'llreviewthefirstdrafttoday↗andsendthefinalversiontomorrow.↘
A rise on “today” says there is more to come; a fall on “tomorrow” says the plan is complete.
Intonation in English pronunciation
Pitch shows meaning: a rise on today says “there is more”, a fall on tomorrow says “finished”. It also carries attitude — certainty, doubt or politeness.
Advanced focus
Intonation practiceWe’ll review the first draft today
pause
and send the final version tomorrow.
Two ideas: pause once between them, and give each one main word.
Thought groups in English pronunciation
Fluent speakers group words into ideas, pause between the groups and give each group one main focus. It makes longer speech easy to follow.
Advanced focus
Thought groups guideCommon English pronunciation mistakes and how to fix them
Saying TH as t, s or fElementary
Mistake
What listeners hear
“three” sounds like “tree” or “free”, and “think” like “sink”.
Adding a syllable to -ed endingsElementary
Mistake
What listeners hear
“booked” sounds like “book-id”, and “asked” like “ask-id”.
Fix
After p, k, s, sh, ch and f, -ed is just a quiet t: “bookt”, “askt”. Only after t or d is it “-id”.
Pronunciation guidesStressing every word equallyElementary
Mistake
What listeners hear
A flat list of words with no clear key information.
Fix
Lean on nouns, numbers and main verbs; say small words like “the” and “for” quickly.
Sentence stress practicePutting the beat on the wrong syllableIntermediate
Mistake
What listeners hear
“hotel” as HO-tel, “develop” as DE-ve-lop — familiar words that are hard to recognise.
Dropping final consonantsIntermediate
Mistake
What listeners hear
“months” sounds like “mons”, and “asked” like “ask”.
Fix
Finish the ending, then link it to the next word when that word starts with a vowel.
Linking sounds guideSpeaking word by wordIntermediate
Mistake
What listeners hear
Choppy, slow speech that is tiring to follow.
Using flat intonationAdvanced
Mistake
What listeners hear
Bored, unsure or impolite — even with exactly the right words.
Saying every small word in fullAdvanced
Mistake
What listeners hear
Careful, robotic speech, with “can” as “kæn” and “to” as “too” everywhere.
Fix
Use weak forms when the word is not stressed: “can” as kən, “to” as tə, “have” as əv.
Weak forms guidePausing in the wrong placesAdvanced
Mistake
What listeners hear
Ideas break apart, and the main point gets lost.
Fix
Pause between thought groups, never inside one, and give each group one main word.
Thought groups guideEnglish pronunciation FAQ
How can I improve my English pronunciation?
Use a short loop, about ten minutes a day:
- Say it first. Record a sentence before you hear a model, so you find your own habits.
- Compare one thing. Listen to the model and to yourself for one feature: a sound, a beat or a voice movement.
- Fix one thing. Make one physical change, like your tongue position or a stronger beat, and record again.
- Move it to a new sentence. A fix only sticks when it works in a sentence you did not rehearse.
Is this pronunciation practice free?
Yes. There is no account and no payment. Your recording is used only to check that attempt and is deleted after the check.
Can one recording diagnose my pronunciation?
Not completely. Each practice sentence is built to test two specific points, and the check looks only at those. When the evidence is unclear, the page asks you to compare with the model yourself instead of guessing. For a fuller picture, practise several sentences at different levels, or work with a teacher.
Which accent do the model recordings use?
A General American voice. British, Australian and many other accents are just as correct. Aim to be clear and easy to understand, not to copy one accent.
Do I need to lose my accent?
No. Everyone has an accent. The goal is to be understood without effort: listeners should catch your words, your main point and your intention. The six skills on this page are the ones that affect that most.
Should I practise single words or full sentences?
Both, in that order. Fix a sound or a word’s stress on its own, then put the word straight back into a sentence. Stress, linking and intonation only exist in sentences, so sentence practice is where pronunciation becomes speech.
More English pronunciation practice
Minimal pairs practiceMake easily confused words sound different.Sentence stress practicePut the beat on the word that carries the meaning.Connected speech practiceJoin words the way fluent speakers do.Intonation practiceMatch your voice movement to your intention.
Practise with real speechReplay one line of a show, slow it down and say it with the speaker.English pronunciation guides
- English word stress rules and practice
- English sentence stress: find the one word that carries the meaning
- Why native English sounds like one long word
- English weak forms: why to, for, can and have seem to disappear
- English minimal pairs practice: 10 high-impact contrasts
- A 30-day English pronunciation plan