Hello, my fellow pronunciation nerd! I know English pronunciation can be a bit of a challenge—it’s like trying to solve a puzzle where the pieces just don’t seem to fit. But don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for—to help you work your way through. We’re going to walk through some common English pronunciation mistakes I’ve seen time and time again. And trust me, once you get these right, you’ll feel so much more confident speaking English.
So, let’s dive right into it—the top 10 pronunciation mistakes that might be tripping you up and, more importantly, how to fix them!
Pronunciation mistake #1: TH Sound Confusion (Replacing with /s/, /t/, or /d/)
Have you ever said “sink” instead of “think”, or “dis” instead of “this”? In that case, you’re familiar with this struggle! The “th” sound is tough, especially if it doesn’t exist in your native language.
How do you fix it?
Let’s keep it simple: stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air gently to make the “th” sound. For the voiced “th” sound, make sure you add vibration at the same time. It might feel strange at first, but you’ll get used to it. Practise words like “think” (/θ/) and “this” (/ð/). You’ll be sounding more natural in no time! If you’d like to learn how to pronounce the two “th” sounds in English, check out this lesson!
Pronunciation mistake #2: V and W Sound Confusion
Ah, the “vine” vs. “wine” problem. So many English learners get confused with this one, and it’s completely normal. The sounds /v/ and /w/ are just so similar to one another, but yet, they’re not exactly the same!
How do you fix it?
To make the /v/ sound, your top teeth should touch on your bottom lip slightly, as if you are saying “very”. To make the /w/ sound, you need to purse your lips (imagine you are saying an “uuu” sound) then open them slowly and don’t use your teeth, like you are saying “wine”. Try switching between “vine” and “wine” a few times—you’ll start to hear and feel the difference! Here’s a full lesson on how to pronounce /w/, /v/ and /f/ in British English so you can hear the differences.
Pronunciation mistake #3: Mixing Up Short ‘i’ and Long ‘i’
Have you ever said “ship” when you actually wanted to say “sheep”? This mix-up is one of the most common English pronunciation mistakes, and it can lead to some outrageously funny misunderstandings. Well, don’t worry, it happens even to the best of us sometimes!
How do you fix it?
The trick: I like to call the short ‘i’ (/ɪ/) the “miserable i” and the long ‘i’ (/i:/) the “smiley i.” Think about smiling when you say words with the long ‘i,’ like “sheep”, and keep a neutral relaxed face for short ‘i’ words like “ship”. Go ahead, give it a try—“ship” (no smile and completely relaxed!) and “sheep” (big smile and a loooong sound!). You can see the difference in this pronunciation lesson!
Pronunciation mistake #4: Silent Letters
Okay, let’s talk about silent letters. They’re like those people who show up to the party but just stand quietly in the corner. They’re there, but they don’t make any noise! Words like “island” or “knock” often throw people off because you don’t pronounce every letter.
How do you fix it?
You have to remember which letters you don’t pronounce. For example, in “island”, we remove the “s”. If your goal is to speak English like a native or sound as near-native as possible, then this is something you should really focus on! Once you get the hang of not pronouncing silent letters, you’ll sound really natural!
Here are some common words with silent letters and some handy rules for silent letters to help you remember their pronunciation:
Silent ‘B’ – words ending with “mb” have a silent “b”.
- Climb – /klaɪm/
- Lamb – /læm/
- Thumb – /θʌm/
- Comb – /kəʊm/
Silent ‘K’ – all words starting with “kn” have a silent “k”.
- Know – /nəʊ/
- Knife – /naɪf/
- Knee – /niː/
- Knock – /nɒk/
- Knowledge – /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/
Silent ‘L’ – words containing “al” have a silent “l”.
- Calf – /kɑːf/
- Half – /hɑːf/
- Salmon – /ˈsæmən/
- Talk – /tɔːk/
Silent ‘H’ – words deriving from French usually start with a silent “h”.
- Hour – /aʊə/
- Honest – /ˈɒnɪst/
- Heir – /eə/
- Heiress – /ˈeəres/ or /eəˈres/
Silent ‘T’ – words with the combination “sten” or “stle” with a silent “t”.
- Castle – /ˈkɑːsəl/ or /ˈkæsəl/
- Whistle – /ˈwɪsəl/
- Fasten – /ˈfɑːsn/
- Listen – /ˈlɪsən/
Silent ‘W’ – words starting with “wr” have a silent “w”.
- Write – /raɪt/
- Wrong – /rɒŋ/
- Wrap – /ræp/
- Wrist – /rɪst/
Silent ‘P’ – a lot of words of Greek and Latin origin which start with “psy” have a silent “p”.
- Psychology – /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/
- Pseudonym – /ˈsuːdənɪm/
- Psalm – /sɑːm/
- Pneumonia – /njuːˈməʊnɪə/
Silent ‘S’ – when the sound /aɪ/ precedes an “s”, the “s” is silent.
- Island – /ˈaɪlənd/
- Aisle – /aɪl/
- Debris – /ˈdebriː/ or /ˈdeɪbriː/
Silent ‘U’ – the “u” in the combination “gu” is silent at the start of words.
- Guard – /ɡɑːd/
- Guess – /ɡes/
- Guide – /ɡaɪd/
- Guitar – /ɡɪˈtɑː/
Silent ‘G’ – words containing “gn” have a silent “g”.
- Gnat – /næt/
- Gnaw – /nɔː/
- Sign – /saɪn/
If you’d like more examples and rules for silent letters in English, here’s a complete collection of my lessons on silent letters.
Pronunciation mistake #5: Not Pronouncing Final Voiced Consonants Clearly
One of the most common English pronunciation mistakes I regularly catch is not voicing the consonants at the end of words enough. For example, if you say “frient” instead of “friend”, or “bet” instead of “bed”, it can sound like you’re cutting off the word too early. Without the proper voicing, it might leave people confused—like, are we talking about “bet” or “bed”?
How do you fix it?
Focus on giving those final consonants a little more voicing! For voiced sounds like /d/ at the end of “friend” or “bed”, make sure you’re not cutting them short and that you are pronouncing them with more vibration in your throat. Try this: say “bet” and then “bed”, and notice how your vocal cords vibrate at the end of “bed”. That little vibration is key to people understanding you better!
Pronunciation mistake #6: The Schwa Sound /ə/
Now, let’s talk about the schwa sound. I know, I know, it sounds technical, but it’s really just that relaxed “uh” sound that shows up in unstressed syllables—like in “banana” or “sofa”.
How to conquer the schwa /ə/ sound?
The schwa is all about being easy-going. Just let the unstressed parts of words flow quickly—the schwa is weak and very quick. The schwa isn’t hard to master once you realise it’s just a super chill, quick sound. This lesson explains how to pronounce the schwa sound in words and sentences. It’s also the most common sound in English, so it’s a useful sound to learn!
Pronunciation mistake #7: Misplacing Word Stress
Putting the stress on the wrong syllable can make a word sound completely off and cause people to misunderstand you. Just like how too much stress isn’t good for people, too much or misplaced stress isn’t good for your words either and can completely change the meaning! For example, the word “OBject” with the stress on the first syllable is a noun, while “obJECT” is a verb.
How do you fix it?
Just remember that two-syllable nouns tend to have the stress on the first syllable, while two-syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable. Here are some examples:
- OBject (noun) – obJECT (verb)
- CONtract (noun) – conTRACT (verb)
- PREsent (noun) – preSENT (verb)
- REcord (noun) – reCORD (verb)
For more rules on word stress in English, take a look at this free lesson which explains 8 different word stress rules!
Pronunciation mistake #8: Pronouncing “ed” Endings Incorrectly
Okay, I know this one can be a bit confusing. The “ed” ending in English past tense verbs can sound like /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/, depending on the word. It’s one of those tricky things in English that drives learners crazy!
How do you fix it?
Here’s a quick rule: if the last sound of the word is voiced, use /d/ (e.g. loved), if it’s voiceless, use /t/ (e.g. worked), and if the word ends in “ted” or “ded”, use /ɪd/ (e.g. wanted, needed). Believe me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll sail through your past tense verbs. Here’s a full lesson to help you learn and practise the three simple rules for “ed” endings!
Pronunciation mistake #9: Dropping Final Sounds
We’ve all been guilty of this one—dropping final sounds like hot potatoes, just tossing them out of the sentence like, “Who needs those?”. But in English, those final sounds can really matter!
How do you fix it?
Hold on to those final sounds, especially in formal situations. Sure, in casual conversations, native speakers drop them all the time—and some people think this can sound a little lazy—but when it counts, practise clear pronunciation. For example, remember the final ‘t’ in “fact”, or you might just end up talking about “fac”! And trust me, this can be misunderstood for a VERY rude word in English!
Pronunciation mistake #10: L and R Sound Confusion
Mixing up /l/ and /r/ sounds? Oh, we’ve all been there! It’s super common, especially if your native language doesn’t have both sounds (I’m looking at you, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese speakers!!). But let’s be real, asking for “lice” when you meant “rice”? That’s one way to get a very concerned look at a dinner party!
How do you fix it?
For the /l/ sound, the tip of your tongue should touch the top of your mouth, just behind your top teeth. For the /r/ sound, the tip of your tongue should NOT touch the top of your mouth! Instead, the sides of your tongue should touch the inside of your top molars. The tip of your tongue can either be relaxed and resting behind your bottom front teeth or you can leave it “floating” in your mouth—just DON’T touch the top of your mouth. It’s a small change, but it makes a huge difference! Practise with pairs like “light” and “right” until you’re sure you’re not accidentally asking for “lice” at dinner. No one wants that! This lesson will help you learn the difference between /l/ and /l/ in no time!
Improving your English pronunciation takes time, patience, and—most of all—practice. But here’s the thing: you’re already doing something amazing by taking the time to work on this. That, in itself, will put you miles ahead of where you started. So give yourself a pat on the back—you deserve it!
Remember, nobody is perfect, and that is OK. Even English native speakers slip up on pronunciation from time to time. The goal isn’t to be perfect; it’s to be clear and confident in the way you speak. So, don’t stress out if you don’t get everything right at once. Every single time you practise, you’re getting a little better, and that counts.
You don’t have to work on all these tips simultaneously. Take it one step at a time. Perhaps today, focus on the “th” sound, and maybe next week, those final voiced consonants. Before you know it, these little improvements will add up, and you’ll feel a whole new level of comfort when speaking in English.
And remember, I’m here to help. Keep practising, keep smiling, and don’t be afraid to make those mistakes along the way. Every slip-up is just another step towards perfecting your English pronunciation. You’ve got this, and I’m proud of how far you’ve come already!
Now go out there and speak with confidence. You’ve earned it!
Want to learn more? Make sure to watch these two videos I’ve posted on the Pronunciation with Emma YouTube channel! Remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly content to help you improve your English pronunciation!
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