English pronunciation can seem like a crazy puzzle where the pieces never really seem to ‘click’ together. There are so many exceptions, and the language seems like a complete mess. But here’s a secret: beneath the chaos lies a set of logical rules that can help you unlock clearer, more confident English pronunciation – so you can start speaking without fear of mispronouncing a word!
In this guide, you’re going to learn the most essential British English pronunciation rules that every English learner should know. Some of these may be things you haven’t noticed before, such as why vowel sounds change in English, and even how to pronounce final ‘-s’ and ‘-ed’ endings!
Let’s get ready to dive into the fascinating rules of English pronunciation. Trust me, by the end of this guide you’ll not only have a clearer understanding of how English sounds are formed, but you’ll also be equipped with the tools to speak more naturally and confidently!
Rule #1: The ‘Magic E’ – When Do Vowel Sounds Change in English?
Have you ever seen a vowel in a word, then heard it pronounced in a totally unexpected way? If so, then you need to know this rule to pronounce vowel sounds in English: it’s called the ‘Magic E’.
When a word follows the structure ‘consonant’ + ‘vowel’ + ‘consonant’, the vowel is always short. Here are some examples:
• Mat → /mæt/
• Pet → /pet/
• Kit → /kɪt/
• Cod → /kɒd/ (a type of fish)
• Cut → /kʌt/
Notice how the vowels are all short in these words? However, when you add the letter ‘e’ to the end, it changes the middle vowel to the sound of the letter in the alphabet (for example the letter ‘a’ is pronounced as /eɪ/, ‘e’ is pronounced as /iː/, and so on). The final ‘e’ is always silent too, so remember not to pronounce that.
Let’s look at some examples of how the vowel sound changes:
•Mat /mæt/ → Mate /meɪt/
•Pet /pet/ → Pete /piːt/ (a man’s name)
•Kit /kɪt/ → Kite /kaɪt/ (a toy you fly in the sky)
•Cod /kɒd/ → Code /kəʊd/
•Cut /kʌt/ → Cute /kjuːt/
Now you know how to pronounce vowels in English words! Cool, right?
Rule #2: How to Pronounce ‘-ed’ Endings in English
English learners often struggle with the ‘-ed’ endings of regular past tense verbs (and even adjectives), but there’s a very simple rule to follow!
The pronunciation of ‘-ed’ depends on the final sound of the verb in its base form (this means in the present without the third person ‘s’ added, such as ‘walk’, ‘stop’ and ‘play’).
Here are the three rules for ‘-ed’ endings in English:
/ɪd/ Sound
If the verb ends in ‘-ted’ or ‘-ded’, then you only need to add the extra syllable, pronounced as /ɪd/ (NOTE! It is not /ed/!!)
Examples: wanted (/ˈwɒn.tɪd/), needed (/ˈniː.dɪd/)
/t/ Sound
If the verb ends in a voiceless sound (/p/, /k/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /f/, etc.), the ‘-ed’ is pronounced as /t/.
Examples: stopped (/stɒpt/), kissed (/kɪst/), watched (/wɒtʃt/)
/d/ Sound
If the verb ends in a voiced sound (/b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, etc., or any vowel sound), the ‘-ed’ is pronounced as /d/.
Examples: played (/pleɪd/), called (/kɔːld/), loved (/lʌvd/)
Keep in mind that there are only a handful of words which do not follow these rules. Here are a few common words you may know:
Wicked → /ˈwɪkɪd/
Naked → /ˈneɪkɪd/
Crooked → /ˈkrʊkɪd/
Learned (adjective: “a learned scholar”) → /ˈlɜːnɪd/
(verb: “He learned* a new skill”) → /lɜːnd/
*Keep in mind that this is the American English spelling. In British English, it is “He learnt a new skill”.
Blessed (adjective: “the blessed child”) → /ˈblesɪd/
(verb: “He blessed the meal”) → /blest/
Now you’ll always remember how to pronounce ‘-ed’ endings in English! If you’d like more examples and to hear the pronunciations, check out my YouTube video.
Rule #3: How to Pronounce Final ‘-s’ in English
Have you ever wondered why the final ‘-s’ in words like “cats”, “dogs”, and “churches” sounds different? Well, the pronunciation of the final ‘-s’ in English depends on the last sound of the word, and there are three main rules to follow:
1. /s/ Sound (Voiceless)
If the word ends in a voiceless sound (/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, etc.), the final ‘-s’ is pronounced as /s/ (like in ‘snake’ and ‘see’).
Examples:
• cats /kæts/
• hats /hæts/
• books /bʊks/
• cliffs /klɪfs/
2. /z/ Sound (Voiced)
If the word ends in a voiced sound (such as a vowel or voiced consonant like /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /ð/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/, etc.), the final ‘-s’ is pronounced as /z/ (like ‘zoo’ and ‘zebra’).
Examples:
• dogs /dɒɡz/
• beds /bedz/
• gloves /ɡlʌvz/
• pens /penz/
3. /ɪz/ Sound (Extra Syllable)
If the word ends in /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, or /dʒ/, the final ‘-s’ is pronounced as /ɪz/, adding an extra syllable (NOTE! It is not /ez/!).
Examples:
• buses /ˈbʌsɪz/
• watches /ˈwɒtʃɪz/
• wishes /ˈwɪʃɪz/
• judges /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/
This rule applies to plural nouns, third-person singular verbs (e.g “he runs”, “she watches”, etc.), and possessive nouns (e.g. “John’s book”, “Cass’s bag”).
If you need some more practice and would like to listen to these words, check out my YouTube video on how to pronounce final ‘-s’ in English words.
Rule #4: The Rules of Word Stress
One of the most important aspects of English pronunciation is word stress. Word stress is the emphasis placed on one syllable (or more) within a word. Getting word stress right can help you sound more natural and make your speech easier to understand. While it seems like English stress is quite random, there are actually some common rules that the majority of English words follow. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Two-Syllable Word Stress Rule
In two-syllable nouns and adjectives, the stress is usually on the first syllable.
Examples:
• TAble /ˈteɪ.bəl/
• MUsic /ˈmjuː.zɪk/
• HAPpy /ˈhæp.i/
In two-syllable verbs and prepositions, the stress is usually on the second syllable.
Examples:
• reLAX /rɪˈlæks/
• aRRIVE /əˈraɪv/
• aHEAD /əˈhed/
It’s important to know the correct stress placement of a word because changing the stress can completely change the meaning. For example, words like ‘record’ and ‘project’ have noun and verb forms. If you change the stress, your speaker must depend 100% on the overall context of the sentence to be able to understand you.
2. Stress in Words Ending in Specific Suffixes
Certain suffixes influence word stress, let’s take a look at a few examples here.
Words ending in ‘-ion’ → Put the stress on the syllable before ‘-ion’.
Examples:
• converSAtion /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃən/
• eduCAtion /ˌed.jʊˈkeɪ.ʃən/
• deCIsion /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/
Words ending in ‘-ic’ and ‘-ical’ → Put the stress on the syllable before ‘-ic’ and ‘-ical’.
Examples:
• draMAtic /drəˈmæt.ɪk/
• poLItiCal /pəˈlɪ.tɪ.kəl/
• reALisTIC /ˌrɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/
There are many more word stress rules for different word endings that I could go into, however, they would take a whole blog post! Instead, I highly recommend you check out this YouTube lesson on word stress rules to learn more about them – it’s one of my most popular lessons!
3. Stress Shifts in Different Forms of the Same Word
What’s the difference between a ‘BLACK board’ and a ‘black BOARD’? Of course, the stress is different, however, the meaning is also different.
• BLACK board – a dark board that is used in classrooms and written on using chalk
• black BOARD – a board that is black (not specifically one used in classrooms)
Do you see how important word stress is now? Let’s look at some more examples and rules together.
Compound nouns (two words joined to form a noun) → In compound nouns made up of a noun+noun, the stress is on the first part.
Examples:
• SUNglasses /ˈsʌn.ɡlɑː.sɪz/
• TOOTHbrush /ˈtuːθ.brʌʃ/
• AIRplane /ˈeə.pleɪn/
Compound adjectives → Stress is usually on the second part if the compound adjective is made up of an adjective + past participle.
Examples:
• old-FASHioned /ˌəʊld ˈfæʃ.ənd/
• well-KNOWN /ˌwel ˈnəʊn/
Compound verbs → The main stress is usually on the second part.
Examples:
• underSTAND /ˌʌn.dəˈstænd/
• overCOME /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/
You may have noticed in these transcriptions that there are two little dots above and below the symbols: ˌ and ˈ.
The symbol ˈ shows the primary stress. This is the strongest syllable in that word.
However, the symbol ˌ is the secondary stress. This is also a stressed syllable but it is not as strong as the primary syllable.
Rule #5: Which Letters are Silent in English (And WHY??)
Silent letters are disliked by native English speakers just as much as you dislike them, trust me! But why do we write silent letters if we no longer pronounce them? Well, quite simply, one of the most common reasons why was because we USED to pronounce them!
For example, in English the combination ‘kn’ has a silent ‘k’, so words like ‘knight’, ‘knife’ and ‘knock’ are all said as /naɪt/, /naɪf/, /nɒk/ – but in the past the ‘k’ was pronounced!
Some other reasons are due to unstandardised writing forms, the printing press, borrowing from foreign languages, and so many more. Let’s look at some common silent letter rules so you’ll never accidentally say them again.
Silent K
When ‘k’ is in the combination ‘kn’, it becomes silent and only the ‘n’ is pronounced.
knock, know, knee, knowledge
Silent B
In the combination ‘mb’, the ‘b’ is silent and only the ‘m’ is pronounced.
thumb, lamb, dumb
Exception: doubt /daʊt/
Silent W
In the combination ‘wr’ the ‘w’ is silent and only the ‘r’ is pronounced.
wrist, write, wrong
Exception: sword /sɔːd/
Silent L
In the combination ‘al’ the ‘l’ is silent and the ‘a’ is pronounced as a long vowel.
calm, half, talk, walk
Silent H
In words borrowed from French, the ‘h’ at the start of words is silent.
honest, hour, honour, heir
Of course, there are many more rules for silent letters in English! So if you’d like to learn more, check out my playlist on silent letters.
Rule #6: Connected Speech in English – Linking Sounds Together
If you’ve ever listened to native speakers and wondered “why are they speaking so fast?!” then it’s not actually because of the speed – it’s because they are connecting words together!
There are different types of connected speech, so let’s focus on three types that will help you understand native English speakers better AND make you sound much more natural in your own speech.
Catenation (Linking Consonant to Vowel)
This is a fancy linguistic term for basically connecting a consonant at the end of a word to a vowel at the start of the next word. The final consonant sound moved over to the start of the next word. Here are some examples:
• Get up → ‘ge-tup’ /ge tʌp/
• Pick it up → ‘pi-ki-tup’ /pɪ kɪ tʌp/
This happens because it helps the words come out more smoothly in sentences when they are connected. If you separate them, the words become harder to say.
Intrusion (Adding Extra Sounds Between Words)
When one word ends in a vowel sound and the next word also starts with a vowel sound, native speakers often insert an extra /w/, /j/, or /r/ sound to connect them smoothly.
For example:
• Go away → ‘gou-wa-way’ /ɡəʊwəˈweɪ/
• They are here → ‘thei-yaa-hia’ /ðeɪ jɑː hɪə/
• Here is the pen → ‘hia-riz-the-pen’ /hɪə rɪz ðə pen/
Why does this happen? Well, native English speakers find it very difficult to naturally pronounce two vowel sounds together, so they add a little sound to help them transition between the vowel sounds more smoothly. If you can use connected speech like this in your own English, you’ll sound much more smooth and natural!
To learn more about the rules for connected speech and why these happen, check out this YouTube lesson where I deep-dive into ALL the pronunciation rules of connected speech in English.
Assimilation (When Sounds Change)
This is another fancy linguistic term for sounds that change to help us transition to another sound more easily. You’ve probably noticed how native English speakers can say certain phrases so effortlessly while you’re left scratching your head wondering how on earth they do it! Well, it’s highly likely that they are changing sounds at the end of words to make it easier to transition to the next word.
Here are some useful examples:
• It’s a gold bag → ‘It’s a golbag’ /ɡəʊlbæg/
• I live in Paris → ‘I live imParis’ /ɪm ˈpærɪs/
• Don’t you → ‘Donchu’ /dəʊnʧuː/
While you may think this is strange, it isn’t unique to English! Assimilation happens is most languages, for example ‘un medico’ (a doctor) in Spanish becomes ‘um medico’, and ‘un bambino’ (a child) in Italian becomes ‘um bambino’.
Similar things happen in Japanese, French, German, Arabic and so many other languages. You probably aren’t even aware that you already do this in your native language!
Rule #7: The ‘R’ Pronunciation (Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic Accents)
Most British English accents are non-rhotic, but what does this actually mean? Put simply, a non-rhotic accent means that the ‘r’ at the end of words and after vowels is silent. For example:
• far /fɑː/
• card /kɑːd/
• brother /ˈbrʌðə/
However, rhotic accents always pronounce the ‘r’ when it is written. It’s very common in American, Scottish, and Irish English accents. Let’s look at how the words change:
• far /fɑː/ → /fɑr/
• card /kɑːd/ → /kɑrd/
• brother /ˈbrʌðə/ → /ˈbrʌðɚ/
So, if your goal is to speak with more of a British English accent (such as Received Pronunciation or Modern Received Pronunciation), then start getting used to cutting those ‘r’ sounds at the end of words, my friend!
If you’d like to learn more about how to pronounce the /r/ sound (I give a really great tip using peanut butter – yum!) and the rules for when the ‘r’ is silent in British English, take a look at this YouTube lesson. It’s an oldie but a goldie!
Rule #8: The Basics of Sentence Stress
I could easily write a blog article dedicated to stress and intonation because it’s such a huge topic! However, let’s just cover some essential basics that you need to know.
In English, we naturally stress content words. These are the most important words that carry meaning and include:
• Nouns (people, places, things) → car, house, party
• Main verbs (action words) → want, go, eat
• Adjectives (descriptive words) → big, happy, tired
• Adverbs (describe actions) → quickly, always, very
• Negative modal and auxiliary verbs (express necessity, ability, obligation, or negation) → can’t, shouldn’t, haven’t, don’t
Meanwhile, function words (or sometimes called ‘structure words’ are usually unstressed and use a weak form. These include:
• Prepositions → to, at, in, on
• Pronouns → I, he, she, they
• Auxiliary verbs → do, can, will, have
• Conjunctions → and, but, because
• Modal and auxiliary verbs (in the affirmative forms) → can, do, will, should
So I mention ‘weak’ forms, but what does this actually mean?
Function words have a strong and weak form of pronunciation in English. For example:
For → This is pronounced as /fɔː/ because it is isolation (this is the strong form).
This is for you. → This is pronounced as /fə/ because it is in a sentence (this is the weak form).
Notice that the weak form uses the schwa sound, which is the weakest sound in English.
When listening to native speakers, start to notice how they weaken certain words. For example, the phrase ‘do you’ doesn’t sound like /duː juː/, but instead sounds like /də jə/.
So, now you know the basic rules of sentence stress, take a look at this sentence and think about which words would be stressed:
‘I want a cup of tea.’
If you said ‘want’, ‘cup’ and ‘tea’, then you’re correct! These words are content words and are pronounced very strongly and clearly. However, ‘I’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ are all function words, so they are said very quickly, quietly, and weakly.
To listen to more examples of sentence stress, I highly recommend you check out this YouTube video. I share lots of examples and teach you how to add intonation to help you sound more expressive when you speak in English.
So What’s Next?
You’ve covered a lot of English pronunciation rules in this article. No doubt it feels a little overwhelming, doesn’t it?
However, don’t worry! Let me point you in the right direction of what you should do next to help you practise and remember the pronunciation rules you have learnt today.
- Improve your English pronunciation faster by learning exactly what pronunciation mistakes you are making and getting clear guidance on how to correct them inside Emma’s Pronunciation Hub!
- Want to get started with English pronunciation but have no idea where to start? Download your free English Pronunciation Pack and get everything you need to start correcting your pronunciation mistakes TODAY – download your FREE pack here!