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26 common English pronunciation problems

FIX PROBLEM ENGLISH SOUND - COMMON ERROR - PRACTICE MATERIALS
Relax the mouth and keep sound short. /ɪ/ "sit" /i:/ "seat" Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or / i: / practice

Keep tongue front & low and jaws apart. /æ/ "ran" /ʌ/ "run" Minimal Pairs /æ/ or /ʌ/ practice

Back of tongue high. Lips rounded but relaxed. Short. /ʊ/ "full" /u:/ "fool" Minimal Pairs /ʊ/ or / u: / practice

Tongue low, back & fixed. Jaws together. /ɔ:/ "bought" /əʊ/ "boat"
Fix tongue in central position. Long. /ɜ:/ "bird"

Minimal Pairs /e/ or /ɜ:/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ʌ/ or /ɜ:/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ɔ:/ or /ɜ:/ practice

Tongue central. Then tightly round lips. /əʊ/ "note" /ɒ/ "not" Minimal Pairs /əʊ/ or /ɒ/ practice

Voiced. Vibration. Trap air with lips. /b/ "bet" /v/ "vet"
Voiced. Friction with top teeth & bottom lip. /v/ "vet" /b/ "bet"
Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth. /ð/ "clothe" /θ/ "cloth" Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /ð/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /t/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /d/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /s/ practice

Tip of tongue behind top teeth. /d/ "laid" /ð/ "lathe" Minimal Pairs /ð/ or /d/ practice

Voiceless stop: back of tongue to back roof. /k/ "come" /g/ "gum"
Voiceless stop: back of tongue to back roof. /k/ "could" /w/ "would"
Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. /s/ "rice" /z/ "rise" Minimal Pairs /s/ or /z/ practice

Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. /s/ "mass" /ʃ/ "mash"
Voiceless. Friction. Front of tongue to palate. /ʃ/ "sherry" /ʧ/ "cherry"
Voiceless. Friction. Front of tongue to palate. /ʃ/ "push" /s/ "puss"
Quickly push air from throat out of mouth. /h/ "hot"
"ch" in "loch" Minimal Pairs /h/ or silent "h" practice

Tongue touches alveolar ridge. Nasal. /n/ "sun"


Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal. /ŋk/ "think" /ŋ/ "thing" Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

Voiced stop: back of tongue to back roof. /ŋ/ "thing" /ŋk/ "think" Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

British "r" is weaker & usually silent unless followed by a vowel. silent "survivor" /r/ "Sir Ivor"
Glide /j/(i:) the tongue quickly to next sound /j/ "yam" /ʤ/ "jam" Minimal Pairs /ʤ/ or /j/ practice

Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. /w/ "win"
"(g)win"
Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. /w/ "will" /b/ "bill"
Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate. /ʤ/ "wage"


Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate. /ʤ/ "Jerry" /ʃ/ "sherry"


EXTERNAL LINKS: Non-native pronunciations of English: Spanish L1
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