how to improve english pronunciation
1) Practice for at least 30 minutes every day
There is no way around it: the only way your pronunciation will
improve is if you practice, practice, practice! Your pronunciation will
not magically improve just because you’re speaking English. The sounds
of English may be very different from the sounds in your language. It
may be difficult and even uncomfortable for your mouth to make some of
the sounds in English.
You need to practice with a purpose. Practice the sounds of English
until they feel as natural and comfortable as the sounds of your
language. It won’t happen overnight, but gradually your pronunciation
will improve.
2) Decide what kind of accent you would like to speak with
There are many different kinds of English accents. The two most
common are British and American. There are many different accents even
within British or American pronunciation, but most learning materials
will help you learn either a standard British accent or a standard
American accent.
American pronunciation and British pronunciation are completely
different. The consonant sounds are the same (except for the letter ‘t’
and an ‘r’ after a vowel), but the vowel sounds are very different. The
British accent has more vowel sounds, and some vowel letters are
pronounced differently.
3) Learn the IPA and the individual sounds of English
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a collection of symbols
that represent the different sounds of a language. When you know the all
the sounds of English and the symbols that represent those sounds, you
will be able to pronounce any word in English.
American Pronunciation:
The Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary Pronunciation Guide
Antimoon IPA chart
Rachel’s English
British Pronunciation:
BBC Learning English
Interactive IPA Chart
4) When you learn a new word, learn how to pronounce it correctly
The longer you say a word incorrectly, the harder it becomes to learn
to say it correctly. You’ve developed a bad habit, and it takes a long
time to break a bad habit! This is why it is so important to learn the
IPA and use dictionaries specifically for English learners.
For example, let’s say you see a new word when you’re reading a book:
permeate. How do you pronounce this word? Let’s check two of the online dictionaries specifically for English learners:
MW Learner’s Dictionary
Cambridge
Both of these dictionaries show you the IPA/phonetic transcription of
the word (including which syllable you must stress): /ˈpɚmiˌeɪt/
You can also click on the red or blue speaker icon to hear someone say the word.
5) Watch YouTube pronunciation videos
American accent:
Teacher Melanie (me!)
JenniferESL
Lisa Mojsin @ Accurage English
Rachel’s English
Pronuncian/Seattle Learning Academy
Eva Easton
British accent:
The Phone Voice
VirtuAule
6) Try to imitate spoken English
To ‘imitate’ means to copy someone/something, to do something the
same way, or to do the same things as someone else. Do you really like
the way someone speaks English? Try to copy the way they speak.
This is a great activity to try: Close your eyes while you’re
listening to something in English (podcasts, songs, TV shows, movies,
etc.). Listen carefully to what the speaker is saying and try to make
the same sounds. Choose a word or sentence, and listen to it many times.
Here are some resources that are useful for this:
English Teacher Melanie podcast (me!)
ESLPod podcast
Coach Shane’s Daily Dictation
Try to imitate the sounds that native speakers make.
7) Practice HEARING the sounds of English
Before you listen to an English podcast, song, etc. read the words
first. Highlight, circle, or underline the sound you want to work on.
For example, if you have trouble with the /I/ sound, highlight all the
words that you think have the /I/ sound. Read the passage out loud to
yourself, focusing on the words with /I/. Listen to the podcast (or
song, etc.). Can you hear the /I/ sound? Practice the sound by trying to
imitate what the speaker is saying.
8) Record yourself
It’s important to hear what you sound like speaking English so you
know what you need to improve! You can compare what you sound like to
what you
want to sound like. For example, you record yourself
reading a sentence from one of my podcasts. Then, listen to me say the
same sentence and compare your pronunciation.
If you don’t have any recording software on your computer (like
Windows Sound Recorder or GarageBand on Macs), you can use a web-based
audio recorder:
audioboo
Vocaroo
SoundCloud
You may also be able to find a cheap digital voice recorder at your local electronics store.
9) Pronunciation Books
Here are the two books that I use to understand and teach American
pronunciation. Check your local library for these books. If you attend a
private language school, ask if it has these books. If you live in a
large city, look for these books at an English bookstore. Buy these
books online.
