Pronunciation: Sounds and Words for Advanced English

Pronounce this word:

integrated

IN-tuh-gray-ted

The app is integrated into social media.

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Pronounce this word:

vegetable

VEJ-tuh-bul

Pronounce the middle syllables in a reduced manner.

She ate fresh vegetables from the garden.

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

bet / bat

bet

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Pronounce this word:

vehicle

VEE-uh-kl

Reduce the middle syllable.

He drove a red vehicle to work.

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Pronounce this tongue twister:

Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

This practices /w/ and /r/ sounds.

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Pronounce this word:

world

WURLD

It rhymes with “curled”. Practice the /rld/ consonant cluster.

He’s travelled all around the world.

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Pronounce this sound:

/w/

the ‘w’ sound as in we

/w/

we, week, window

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

fine / pine

fine

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Pronounce this word:

psychology

sy-KOL-uh-jee

The “p” is silent.

She’s studying psychology.

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

zoo / sue

zoo

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

rich / ridge

rich

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Pronounce this word:

suite

SWEET

Pronounce the word exactly the same as “sweet”.

We stayed in a luxurious suite at the hotel.

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Pronounce this sound:

/eə/

the ‘air’ sound as in air

/eə/

air, chair, pair

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Say this phrase out loud:

a meeting with the data analyst

Now listen.
Did you say the words correctly?
Try saying them again.

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Pronounce this word:

develop

dih-VEL-up

Children develop quickly at this age.

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Pronounce this sound:

/j/

the ‘y’ sound as in year

/j/

year, youth, yield

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Pronounce this word:

comfortable

KUMF-ter-bl

Pronounce the middle syllables as compressed, reducing the “or” sound.

The chair is very comfortable to sit in.

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

track / truck

track

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Pronounce this word:

garage

guh-RAH/ʒ/

I parked the car in the garage.

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Say these words out loud:

water
wetter
writer

Now listen.
Did you say the words correctly?
Try saying them again.

In American English, when a “t” is between two vowel sounds, it usually sounds like a “d”. It’s called a flap “t”.

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Say these words out loud:

title
little
total

Now listen.
Did you say the words correctly?
Try saying them again.

Although the second “t” in “title” and “little” are not surrounded by vowels (they both have an “l” after them), they are surrounded by vowel sounds. The “l” sounds like “el”. Think about vowel sounds for this rule, not just vowels.

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Pronounce this word:

rendezvous

ron-day-voo

French origin; the “z” and “s” are silent.

They planned a rendezvous at the café.

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Listen. Which word do you hear?

sheep / ship

sheep

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Pronounce this word:

restaurant

RES-tront

Pronounce the “au” as /ə/ and compress the middle syllables.

They dined at a fancy restaurant downtown.

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# Pronounce this sound: /iː/ | the 'ee' sound as in **see** (long e)

/iː/ | s**ee**, r**ea**ding, **e**vening

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **gr**een, **gr**ow, **gr**eat

**gr**een, **gr**ow, **gr**eat

# Pronounce this sound: /ɔɪ/ | the 'oy' sound as in **boy**

/ɔɪ/ | b**oy**, v**oi**ce, ch**oi**ce

# Pronounce this sound: /ŋ/ | the 'ng' sound as in **teaching**

/ŋ/ | teachi**ng**, learni**ng**, engineeri**ng**

# Listen. Which word do you hear? long / wrong

wrong

# Pronounce this word: aisle

aisle | **EYE**-ul ## Footnote The "s" is silent. *She walked down the grocery **aisle**.*

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **gl**ass, **gl**ue, **gl**ad

**gl**ass, **gl**ue, **gl**ad

# Pronounce this word: February

February | **FEB**-roo-er-ee / **FEB**-yoo-er-ee ## Footnote *Her birthday is in **February**.*

# Pronounce this word: advertisement

advertisement | **AD**-ver-tis-munt ## Footnote Stress the first syllable (American English). *The **advertisement** promoted a new phone.*

# Pronounce this word: focused

focused | **FOH**-kust ## Footnote *Stay **focused** on your work.*

# Pronounce this word: referral

referral | ri-**FUR**-rel ## Footnote *The doctor gave a **referral** to a specialist.*

# Pronounce this word: jewelry

jewelry | **JOOL**-ree ## Footnote Simplify from three syllables to two. *She has some beautiful **jewelry**.*

# Pronounce this sound: /æ/ | the 'a' sound as in **cat** (short a)

/æ/ | c**a**t, **a**pply, **a**ssignment

# Pronounce this word: debris

debris | duh-**BREE** ## Footnote The "s" is silent. *They cleaned up the **debris** after the storm.*

# Pronounce this word: genre

genre | **/ʒ/EN**-ruh ## Footnote The "g" here sounds like the "s" in "measure - it's of French origin. *Mystery is her favorite book **genre**.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? cap / cup

cup ## Footnote "a" in "cap" is wide and low; "u" in "cup" is central.

# Pronounce this sound: /θ/ | the 'th' sound as in **think** (voiceless)

/θ/ | **th**ink, ma**th**ematics, au**th**or

# Pronounce this word: adolescent

adolescent | ad-uh-**LES**-ent ## Footnote ***Adolescent** years can be challenging.*

# Pronounce this word: receipt

receipt | ri-**SEET** ## Footnote The "p" is silent. *She kept the **receipt** for the purchase.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? rays / race

rays

# Pronounce this sound: /tʃ/ | the 'ch' sound as in **check**

/tʃ/ | **ch**eck, tea**ch**ing, **ch**apter

# Say these words out loud: * writer * writing * waiter

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Listen. Which word do you hear? badge / batch

batch

# Listen. Which word do you hear? thin / tin

tin

# Listen. Which word do you hear? match / mash

match

# Pronounce this sound: /g/ | the 'g' sound as in **go**

/g/ | **g**o, be**g**in, **g**oal

# Pronounce this word: yacht

yacht | **YOT** ## Footnote It rhymes with "not", and the "ch" is silent. *They sailed on a luxury **yacht**.*

# Pronounce this word: women

women | **WIH**-min ## Footnote Pronounce the plural ("women") different from the singular ("woman"). *The **women** formed a book club.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? rays / race

race

# Pronounce this sound: /ʊ/ | the 'oo' sound as in **book** (short oo)

/ʊ/ | b**oo**k, l**oo**k, c**oo**k

# Pronounce this sound: /d/ | the 'd' sound as in **data**

/d/ | **d**ata, stu**d**ent, **d**egree

# Pronounce this sound: /p/ | the 'p' sound as in **paper**

/p/ | **p**a**p**er, cam**p**us, **p**artici**p**ate

# Pronounce this tongue twister: Betty bought a bit of butter, but the butter was bitter.

Betty bought a bit of butter, but the butter was bitter. ## Footnote This practices /b/ and the flap t sounds.

# Pronounce this word: chaos

chaos | **KAY**-oss ## Footnote *The traffic caused complete **chaos**.*

# Pronounce this sound: /ð/ | the 'th' sound as in **this** (voiced)

/ð/ | **th**is, **th**ose, fa**th**er

# Pronounce this sound: /ʒ/ | the 'zh' sound as in **measure**

/ʒ/ | mea**s**ure, vi**s**ion, confu**s**ion

# Pronounce this word: entrepreneur

entrepreneur | on-truh-pruh-**NOOR** ## Footnote *The **entrepreneur** started a business.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? rich / ridge

ridge

# Listen. Which word do you hear? light / right

light

# Pronounce this word: salmon

salmon | **SAM**-en ## Footnote The "l" is silent. *They served grilled **salmon** for dinner.*

# Pronounce this sound: /r/ | the 'r' sound as in **research**

/r/ | **r**esearch, w**r**iting, **r**efe**r**ral

# Pronounce this sound: /ɔː/ | the 'aw' sound as in **law**

/ɔː/ | l**aw**, c**au**se, b**ough**t

# Pronounce this word: subtle

subtle | **SUH**-dul ## Footnote The "b" is silent. *The painting had a **subtle** beauty.*

# Pronounce this sound: /aɪ/ | the 'i' sound as in **my** (long i)

/aɪ/ | m**y**, appl**y**, **i**dea

# Listen. Which word do you hear? pool / pull

pool

# Pronounce this word: category

category | **KAT**-uh-gor-ee ## Footnote Stress the first syllable carefully. *The movie falls under the comedy **category**.*

# Pronounce this word: Wednesday

Wednesday | **WENZ**-day ## Footnote Do not pronounce the middle "d"; say it as two syllables. *The meeting is scheduled for **Wednesday**.*

# Pronounce this word: zebra

zebra | **ZEE**-bruh ## Footnote *The **zebra** ran across the fields.*

# Pronounce this sound: /z/ | the 'z' sound as in **zero**

/z/ | **z**ero, analy**z**e, **z**one

# Pronounce the tongue twister: She sells seashells by the seashore.

She sells seashells by the seashore. ## Footnote This practices /sh/ and /s/ sounds.

# Pronounce this sound: /ɑɪə/ | the 'ire' sound as in **fire**

/ɑɪə/ | f**ire**, requ**ire**, ent**ire**

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **cr**y, **cr**oss, **cr**eate

**cr**y, **cr**oss, **cr**eate

# Say this phrase out loud: write a letter

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Pronounce this sound: /eɪ/ | the 'a' sound as in **day** (long a)

/eɪ/ | d**ay**, pl**ay**, m**ai**ntenance

# Pronounce this sound: /ɑː/ | the 'ah' sound as in **father**

/ɑː/ | f**a**ther, c**a**lm, cl**o**ck

# Pronounce this word: athlete

athlete | **ATH**-lete ## Footnote *The **athlete** won a gold medal.*

# Pronounce this word: thorough

thorough | **THUR**-oh ## Footnote *Please do a **thorough** job.*

# Say these words out loud: * data * metal * forty

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Listen. Which word do you hear? chip / ship

chip

# Pronounce this word: pronunciation

pronunciation | pruh-nun-see-**AY**-shun ## Footnote The second syllable is NUN, not NOUN. *His **pronunciation** of the word was correct.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? vase / base

base

# Pronounce this word: aluminum

aluminum | uh-**LOO**-muh-num ## Footnote Pronounce differently than in British English. *She wrapped the potatoes in **aluminum** foil.*

# Pronounce this sound: /ʌ/ | the 'u' sound as in **cup** (short u)

/ʌ/ | c**u**p, **u**nder, **u**p

# Pronounce this sound: /ɜː/ | the 'er' sound as in **bird** (stressed)

/ɜː/ | b**ir**d, t**er**m, l**ear**n

# Pronounce this sound: /h/ | the 'h' sound as in **history**

/h/ | **h**istory, **h**abit, **h**ypothesis

# Pronounce this word: tomb

tomb | **TOOM** ## Footnote The "b" is silent. *The **tomb** was discovered by archaeologists.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? pool / pull

pull

# Pronounce this sound: /ʊə/ | the 'ure' sound as in **cure**

/ʊə/ | c**ure**, sec**ure**, d**ur**ing

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **bl**ack, **bl**ue, **bl**ock

**bl**ack, **bl**ue, **bl**ock

# Pronounce this word: accessible

accessible | ak-**SESS**-uh-bul ## Footnote *The building is **accessible** to everyone.*

# Pronounce this sound: /v/ | the 'v' sound as in **value**

/v/ | **v**alue, in**v**olve, **v**oice

# Pronounce this tongue twister: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. ## Footnote This practices /p/ and /k/ sounds.

# Pronounce this word: plumber

plumber | **PLUM**-er ## Footnote The "b" is silent. *The **plumber** fixed the leaky pipe.*

# Pronounce this sound: /əʊ/ | the 'o' sound as in **go** (long o)

/əʊ/ | g**o**, rem**o**te, prop**o**se

# Pronounce this word: interesting

interesting | **IN**-tris-ting ## Footnote Compress the middle syllables to say three syllables instead of four. *The book was very **interesting** to read.*

# Say this phrase out loud: get a better water heater

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **fl**y, **fl**ower, **fl**ag

**fl**y, **fl**ower, **fl**ag

# Pronounce this tongue twister: Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward.

Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward. ## Footnote This practices /s/ and /sl/ sounds.

# Pronounce this sound: /ə/ | the 'uh' sound as in **sofa** (schwa)

/ə/ | **a**bout, sof**a**, **a**gain

# Pronounce this sound: /dʒ/ | the 'j' sound as in **judge**

/dʒ/ | **j**udge, ma**j**or, **j**ournal

# Listen. Which word do you hear? vest / best

vest

# Pronounce this word: buffet

buffet | buff-**FAY** ## Footnote The "et" ending is pronounced "ay", like in "ballet" and "chalet". *We went to an all-you-can-at **buffet**.*

# Pronounce this word: laboratory

laboratory | **LAB**-ruh-tor-ee ## Footnote Stress the first syllable and reduce the middle syllables. *Scientists work in the **laboratory**.*

# Pronounce this sound: /e/ | the 'e' sound as in **bed** (short e)

/e/ | b**e**d, **e**ducation, **e**ffort

# Pronounce this sound: /ɪ/ | the 'i' sound as in **sit** (short i)

/ɪ/ | s**i**t, **i**nterest, **i**mage

# Listen. Which word do you hear? beat / bit

bit

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **br**ead, **br**ing, **br**oken

**br**ead, **br**ing, **br**oken

# Pronounce this sound: /aʊ/ | the 'ow' sound as in **now**

/aʊ/ | n**ow**, sh**ou**t, am**ou**nt

# Pronounce this sound: /uː/ | the 'oo' sound as in **food** (long oo)

/uː/ | f**oo**d, gr**ou**p, r**u**le

# Pronounce this sound: /b/ | the 'b' sound as in **book**

/b/ | **b**ook, num**b**er, su**b**ur**b**an

# Say these words out loud: * city * mighty * eighty

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Listen. Which word do you hear? cat / cot

cot

# Pronounce this word: debt

debt | **DET** ## Footnote The "b" is silent. *He paid off his student **debt**.*

# Pronounce this sound: /f/ | the 'f' sound as in **finish**

/f/ | **f**inish, pro**f**essor, **f**or**f**eit

# Listen. Which word do you hear? zoo / sue

sue

# Pronounce this word: niche

niche | **NEESH** ## Footnote *He found a **niche** in the market.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? beat / bit

beat

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **pl**ay, **pl**ease, **pl**an

**pl**ay, **pl**ease, **pl**an

# Pronounce this word: clothes

clothes | **KLOTH**-iz ## Footnote Pronounce the "es" as /z/. *She bought new **clothes** for school.*

# Pronounce this sound: /n/ | the 'n' sound as in **number**

/n/ | **n**umber, **n**otebook, k**n**ow

# Pronounce this sound: /m/ | the 'm' sound as in **method**

/m/ | **m**ethod, co**mm**ent, **m**eeting

# Listen. Which word do you hear? light / right

right

# Listen. Which word do you hear? badge / batch

badge

# Say these words out loud: * better * butter * bitter

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Pronounce this word: facilitated ## Footnote Pay attention to which syllable is stressed.

facilitated | fuh-**SIL**-uh-tay-ted ## Footnote *The teacher **facilitated** the meeting.*

# Play the audio clip: chocolate ## Footnote This word is often mispronounced by English learners.

chocolate | **CHAWK**-lit ## Footnote Compress the middle syllables to sound like two syllables. *He bought a bar of dark **chocolate**.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? fine / pine

pine

# Listen. Which word do you hear? fool / full

full

# Listen. Which word do you hear? vest / best

best

# Listen. Which word do you hear? bath / bat

bath

# Say this phrase out loud: did a pretty good job

Now listen. Did you say the words correctly? Try saying them again.

# Pronounce this sound: /t/ | the 't' sound as in **test**

/t/ | **t**est, s**t**uden**t**, **t**otal

# Listen. Which word do you hear? math / mass

mass

# Pronounce this sound: /l/ | the 'l' sound as in **lecture**

/l/ | **l**ecture, co**ll**ege, **l**ibrary

# Pronounce this word: depression

depression | dih-**PRESH**-un ## Footnote ***Depression** is a serious condition.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? feel / fill

fill

# Pronounce this word: coordinated

coordinated | koh-**OR**-duh-nay-ted ## Footnote *The event was **coordinated** well.*

# Listen. Which word do you hear? match / mash

mash

# Listen. Which word do you hear? chip / ship

ship

# Pronounce this sound: /kw/ | the 'kw' sound as in **quick**

/kw/ | **qu**ick, **qu**estion, e**qu**ip

# Listen. Which word do you hear? feel / fill

feel

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **pr**ay, **pr**ice, **pr**int

**pr**ay, **pr**ice, **pr**int

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **cl**ass, **cl**ean, **cl**ock

**cl**ass, **cl**ean, **cl**ock

# Pronounce this sound: /s/ | the 's' sound as in **study**

/s/ | **s**tudy, proce**ss**, **s**ucce**ss**

# Say the words. Pay attention to the consonant clusters in bold: **fr**ee, **fr**iend, **fr**og

**fr**ee, **fr**iend, **fr**og

# Pronounce this sound: /ʃ/ | the 'sh' sound as in **she**

/ʃ/ | **sh**e, fi**sh**ing, **sh**oulder

# Pronounce this word: competent

competent | **KOM**-puh-tent ## Footnote *He's a **competent** worker.*

# Pronounce this sound: /k/ | the 'k' sound as in **kayak**

/k/ | **k**ayak, bac**k**pac**k**, **k**ey

# Listen. Which word do you hear? bath / bat

bat

Pronunciation: Sounds and Words Flashcards

Practice American English sounds to improve clarity and accuracy. (153 cards)