Intonation

English Intonation Practice

See the intended meaning, choose a pitch shape, say the sentence, then hear the model and compare.

1Meaning2Choose shape3Say it4Compare

Microphone optional · recordings stay in this tab

{{ itemNum }} · {{ itemFam }} {{ itemWhere }}
{{ itemCount }}
  1. {{ r.title }} {{ r.state }}
Your speaking goal
Situation{{ situationPrompt }} What your voice should mean{{ targetShort }}

{{ sentence }}

Keep the beginning natural. Make the pitch movement on {{ pitchFocus }}.

Which ending shape fits this meaning?

Say it before the model
Meaning{{ targetShort }}

{{ sentence }}

Your chosen shape{{ sc.movement }}

Record yourself using this movement. The model stays hidden until you finish.

Preparing your microphone…
Recording now{{ recTimer }}
Finishing your recording…
Your recording
{{ recErrorText }}
Continuing without a saved attempt.
Your recording stays in this tab. It is not uploaded or analysed.
Reveal and copy
{{ answerTitle }} {{ targetShort }}
{{ rc.movement }} contour One suitable pitch shape
Model shapeYour choice
{{ w.t }}

{{ rc.text }}

Listen and compare
1 · Your recording
2 · Play the modelAva · model voiceCompare its movement with the sentence you just recorded.
Model audio pending The clip for this sentence has not been generated yet. The contour above is the model you need.
Model audio unavailable {{ audio.offNote }}
The exercise continues without it.

Listen once. Notice where your voice moved differently.

Step 4 — choose one repair

Pick the single change you will make on the next try. One change is enough — more than one is hard to hear.

That change alters the meaning {{ repairWarnText }}
Step 5 — say it again with the repair
Your one change {{ repairChosen }}

{{ sentence }}

Out loud again

Say the whole sentence aloud again, keeping the words and the strong words the same and changing only that one thing. Listen to your own ending as it happens.

Step 6 — compare your two tries

Think back to the first try, then the one you have just said. Only you can hear the difference — nothing here measures it.

Try 1Before the repair. Try 2{{ repairChosen }}
{{ cmpQuestion }}
Make the change smaller and more obvious {{ cmpNoCue }}
Same words, new meaning
Now express this{{ varyTargetShort }}

{{ sentence }}

Which pitch shape would you use now?

Say the changed meaning
Meaning{{ varyTargetShort }}

{{ sentence }}

Your chosen shape{{ vsc.movement }}

Record the same words with the new meaning. The model stays hidden until you finish.

Preparing your microphone…
Recording now{{ recTimer }}
Finishing your recording…
Your recording
{{ recErrorText }}
Continuing without a saved attempt.
Your recording stays in this tab. It is not uploaded or analysed.
Reveal the contrast
{{ varyAnswerTitle }}{{ varyTargetShort }}

{{ sentence }}

{{ v.movement }} {{ w.t }} {{ v.meaning }} {{ v.state }}
1 · Your changed reading
2 · Play the modelAva · changed meaning

Compare the model with the way you just said it.

New words {{ tfWhere }}
Express this meaning{{ tfTargetShort }}

{{ tfSentence }}

Which pitch shape would you use?

Say the new sentence before the model
Meaning{{ tfTargetShort }}

{{ tfSentence }}

Your chosen shape{{ tfsc.movement }}

Record the new sentence using this movement. The model stays hidden until you finish.

Preparing your microphone…
Recording now{{ recTimer }}
Finishing your recording…
Your recording
{{ recErrorText }}
Continuing without a saved attempt.
Your recording stays in this tab. It is not uploaded or analysed.
Reveal and copy
{{ tfAnswerTitle }}{{ tfTargetShort }}
{{ tfc.movement }} contour {{ tfSentence }}
Model shapeYour choice
{{ w.t }}

{{ tfc.text }}

1 · Your transfer recording
2 · Play the modelAva · transfer model

Notice where your voice moved differently from the model.

Item complete

{{ doneHead }}

  • {{ d.t }}
Or move to Sentence Stress — which word is strongest
01 — Rise versus fall

Three movements, side by side

The same six words with three different endings. Read the shape first, the words second.

{{ s.name }}

{{ w.t }}

{{ s.what }}

{{ s.when }}

{{ s.note }}
02 — Examples

Intonation examples in context

Choose one pitch pattern, then open a complete situation-based exercise. Similar patterns stay together so you can hear and practise the family before moving on.

30 exercises · 10 falling · 10 rising · 10 fall–rise
{{ e.where }} {{ e.movement }}

{{ e.sentence }}

{{ w.t }}

{{ e.context }}

{{ e.job }} {{ e.means }}

03 — Repair

Change one thing, then say it again

{{ r.t }}

{{ r.use }}

{{ r.body }}

{{ r.watch }}

04 — How it works

Rising and falling intonation, without the jargon

Intonation is the pitch movement across a phrase. It is not which word is loudest — that is sentence stress, and it lives on its own page.

{{ x.n }} — {{ x.name }} {{ w.t }}

{{ x.body }}

More than one melody can be fluent for the same words. That is why every reveal on this page names the situation first and says one suitable contour, never the only one.

05 — Mistakes

Common intonation mistakes

{{ m.title }}

{{ m.body }}

Problem · {{ m.badLabel }} Repair · {{ m.goodLabel }}

{{ m.fix }}

06 — Questions

Intonation FAQ

What is intonation in English?

It is the way pitch moves across a phrase — up, down, or down then up. That movement carries meaning: whether you sound finished or unfinished, certain or checking, closed or open to a reply.

What is the difference between intonation and sentence stress?

Sentence stress is about which word is strongest. Intonation is about the pitch movement across the phrase, especially at the end. You can keep the same strongest word and change the meaning entirely by changing the ending movement.

Do questions always rise at the end?

No. Yes–no questions often rise, but wh-questions such as “Where's the key?” usually fall. And a statement said with a rise can work as a question. The movement follows what you are doing, not the punctuation.

What is fall–rise intonation?

The voice drops on the last stressed part and then lifts again before stopping. It is how English says “yes, but…” without the “but”: agreement with a reservation, a polite disagreement, or something left unsaid.

Is there one correct melody for a sentence?

Usually not. Several contours can be fluent for the same words, and they mean different things. That is why each exercise fixes the situation and the intended meaning first, then shows one contour that suits it.

Do I need a microphone to practise here?

The microphone is optional. If you record, the clip stays in this browser tab so you can compare it with the model; it is not uploaded, analysed or scored. You can continue without recording if microphone access is unavailable.

Why does my English sound flat?

Often the pitch has already dropped before the end of the phrase, so there is nowhere left to move. Keeping the middle level and saving the movement for the ending is usually the one change that helps most.

Does intonation work the same in every accent?

The broad functions — finished, checking, unfinished — are shared widely, but the details differ between varieties and communities. Copy the shape and its purpose rather than a particular speaker's pitch height.

FunFluen — English speaking practice Ava model samples are included; learner recordings stay local and no pitch is measured.
Design review — not part of the production page

Every state of the practice card

Each control drives the live card above into that state. Only one is ever visible to a learner. Switch the model-audio tweak to see the pending and unavailable variants of the reveal. Turn this section off before publishing.

Design review — transitions

What moves the card from one state to the next

{{ t.from }} → {{ t.to }} {{ t.trigger }} {{ t.note }}
Design review — 390px

The mobile composition

Built at 390px from the same item data as the live card, so the two cannot drift apart. Mobile is the primary layout: one state fills the screen, the dominant action is a full-width button at the bottom, and nothing scrolls sideways.

  • Header keeps logo, current stage and one link.
  • The three-stage strip becomes one row per stage.
  • Meaning choices and repairs are full width, 60px minimum.
  • The contour keeps its width and its word alignment — it is the one thing that must stay large.
  • Model audio sits under the contour, so an unavailable clip never blocks the shape.
FunFluen Step 1 of 3
Decide what you mean {{ mCtx }} {{ sentence }} {{ c.tag }} {{ c.label }} This is what I mean
01 — Context and decision
FunFluen Step 1 of 3
One suitable contour {{ mc.movement }} {{ w.t }} {{ mc.text }} Ava model · 0:02 Change one thing and say it again
02 — Reveal, with model audio
Design review — implementation notes

One indexable page, one client state machine

{{ r.z }} {{ r.s }} {{ r.n }}

Learn the skill behind the drill

English Intonation: Rising, Falling, and Fall-Rise PatternsHow Intonation Signals Certainty, Doubt, and PolitenessHow to Practice Question Intonation Without Memorizing One MelodyEnglish Intonation for Polite Disagreement