pron · A1
The sounds of English.
English spelling hides its sounds. A few of them — the th, the schwa, and the r/l and v/w pairs — don’t exist in many languages, so they’re worth direct practice. Tap 🔊 to hear each.
The two “th” sounds
Put your tongue lightly between your teeth. It’s voiceless in some words, voiced in others.
voiceless: think · three · mouth
voiced: this · that · mother
The schwa — English’s laziest sound
The most common vowel sound is a relaxed “uh” (/ə/) in unstressed syllables. It’s why “banana” sounds like “buh-NA-nuh”.
about · banana · teacher · the
Tricky pairs
- r vs l: right / light — r curls back, l touches the ridge behind your teeth.
- v vs w: vest / west — v uses teeth on lip; w rounds the lips.
- b vs p: bin / pin — p adds a puff of air.
Minimal pairs — train your ear
These differ by one sound. Say them slowly, then quickly:
ship / sheep · full / fool · live / leave
note
Audio uses your device’s built-in voices, so quality varies by browser — but it’s enough to check the shape of a sound.