231 - Avoid these 7 pronunciation problems

In this lesson we’re going to look at 7 common pronunciation mistakes in words with confusing combinations of letters..

A lot of students ask me about rules, like how do we know when the letter e sounds like ee vs. eh, or when the letter g sounds like juh (general) vs. guh (get).

Although there are some trends in English spelling / pronunciation, there are so many complications and exceptions that I’d encourage you NOT to focus on remembering rules.

Instead, when you learn new words, always look them up in an audio dictionary - listen to the pronunciation and repeat it. Don’t try to figure it out by analyzing the spelling.

I know it’s frustrating! English is very irregular, so it’s best to just learn the correct pronunciation of each word and not try to interpret them based on a logical system.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to pronounce OO How to pronounce OU How to pronounce OUGH How to pronounce EA Pronunciation error with "urgent" Pronunciation errors with WOR Pronunciation errors with the "invisible Y" sound

Having CLEAR pronunciation is one of the keys to speaking fluent English!

If your pronunciation is bad, then it doesn't matter if you have great grammar or a huge vocabulary... because nobody will understand what you're saying.

You can practice and improve your pronunciation inside my American English Pronunciation Course and Shadowing with Shayna Course.

These courses also include an evaluation of your pronunciation by a teacher on the Espresso English team. We'll listen to your recording and send you comments and corrections on your spoken English.