Speaking confidence
How to improve your English pronunciation: what to fix first, and a ten-minute daily routine
The short answer
To improve your English pronunciation, work on being understood and leave your accent alone. Start with the stress in the words you use most, then long and short vowels and the ends of words. Ten minutes a day of checking five words, saying them in sentences and listening to a recording of yourself is enough to hear a change.
By the Chappie team · Updated
What should you fix first?
You say a word you’ve read a hundred times, the other person says “Sorry?”, and for the rest of the meeting you choose easier words. One moment like that can make your whole pronunciation feel wrong. Usually it’s a few habits, and they can be found.
Your accent can stay as it is. A Sri Lankan accent is a normal way to speak English, and the research on that is in do you need to change your Sri Lankan accent?. What’s worth your time is the short list of things that make a listener miss a word.
| Fix this | Why | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Fix thisStress in the words you use most | WhyStress in the wrong place can turn a word into a different one | Try itde-VEL-op, ho-TEL, ca-REER |
| Fix thisLong and short vowels | Why“Full” and “fool”, “ship” and “sheep” are different words | Try itHold the long one longer than feels natural |
| Fix thisThe ends of words | Why-ed and -s carry the tense and the number | Try it“I asked him”, “three reports” |
| Fix thisv and w | WhyA few pairs depend on it: vest and west, vine and wine | Try itFor v, top teeth on your lower lip. For w, round lips and no teeth |
| Fix thisSpeed | WhyFast speech swallows all of the above | Try itSlow your first sentence down |
The “th” sound comes last. Listeners nearly always understand “think” and “this” from the rest of the sentence.
Which words often trip people up?
English spelling is a poor guide to sound, for everyone who learns it from books. These are common at work and easy to check.
| Word | Roughly | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Worddevelop | Roughlyde-VEL-op | What to noticeStress on the middle part |
| Worddetermine | Roughlyde-TER-min | What to noticeThe end sounds like “min”, as in minute |
| Wordcolleague | RoughlyKOL-eeg | What to noticeTwo parts. The “ue” is silent |
| Wordcareer | Roughlyka-REER | What to noticeDifferent from carrier, which is KA-ri-er |
| Wordcomfortable | RoughlyKUMF-ta-bl | What to noticeThree parts in everyday speech |
| WordWednesday | RoughlyWENZ-day | What to noticeThe first “d” is silent |
| Wordreceipt | Roughlyre-SEET | What to noticeThe “p” is silent |
| Worddebt | Roughlydet | What to noticeThe “b” is silent |
| Wordclothes | Roughlyklohz | What to noticeOne part. It sounds close to “close” |
| Wordqueue | Roughlykyoo | What to noticeSounds like the letter Q |
| Wordpronunciation | Roughlypro-nun-see-AY-shun | What to notice“Nun” in the second part, with no “noun” in it |
Both versions are usually understood. The one in the table is what most listeners expect, so it takes them less effort to follow you.
How do you check how a word is pronounced?
- Look it up in an online dictionary that has audio. The good ones give British and American recordings side by side.
- Type “how to pronounce” and the word into a search engine. You’ll usually get a recording you can slow down.
- Look for the stress mark. In most dictionaries a small raised line sits before the stressed part of the word.
- Say it in a whole sentence afterwards. A word you can say alone can still slip when there are other words around it.
A ten-minute daily routine
- 1
Choose five words you’ll say tomorrow
Your job title, a product name, a number, a client’s name. Two minutes.
- 2
Check each one
Listen to the recording, then mark the stressed part in your notes. Two minutes.
- 3
Say each in a sentence, three times
“I’d like to develop this idea further.” Two minutes.
- 4
Copy one minute of a speaker you like
Play a sentence, then pause and say it with the same rhythm. Two minutes.
- 5
Record thirty seconds and listen once
Talk about your day. Listen for rushed words and dropped endings, and pick one to fix tomorrow. Two minutes.
Your phone’s voice typing makes a rough test. Speak a sentence into a message and see what it writes. If it gets the words right, a person probably would too. It makes mistakes of its own, so don’t treat a wrong word as a verdict.
Does your first language change what to practise?
A little. Sinhala and Tamil each leave their own marks on English sounds. Each has its own table here: spoken English for Sinhala speakers and spoken English for Tamil speakers.
Which kind of pronunciation app helps?
| Kind of tool | Good for | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Kind of toolA dictionary with audio | Good forChecking one word, free | What it missesIt can’t hear you |
| Kind of toolA pronunciation app that scores words or sentences you read | Good forDrilling single sounds | What it missesYou’re reading. Real speech is harder, because you’re thinking of what to say as well |
| Kind of toolA speaking practice app that listens to your own answers | Good forFinding the words you get wrong while you’re talking | What it missesLess drilling of each sound |
| Kind of toolA teacher | Good forShowing you what your mouth should do | What it missesCost, and finding the time |
Chappie, our app, is the third kind. You speak in a practice conversation, such as an interview or a call with a customer, and afterwards it shows which words were unclear, along with your grammar, word choice and fluency. The explanation can be in Sinhala, Tamil or Hindi. It won’t drill one sound fifty times; a pronunciation app or a teacher is better for that. It’s free to download, and the free trial comes before any subscription.
Practise it
Have one practice conversation in Chappie and see which words it picks out.
Questions people ask
How can I improve my English pronunciation by myself?
Spend ten minutes a day. Check five words you’ll use tomorrow in a dictionary with audio, say each in a sentence, copy a minute of a speaker you like, then record yourself and listen once.
Do I need a British or American accent to be understood?
No. Listeners need clear stress, clear word endings and a steady pace. Those all fit inside a Sri Lankan accent.
How long does it take to improve pronunciation?
It depends on how often you speak. The words you practise this week can be clearer by next week. Habits such as dropping word endings take longer, because you have to catch them while you’re talking.
Which English sounds are hardest for Sri Lankan speakers?
The ones worth practising are long and short vowels, v and w, and the -ed and -s endings. The “th” sound is often different too, but it rarely causes a misunderstanding.
Is there a free app to improve English pronunciation?
Online dictionaries with audio are free and good for single words. Apps that listen to you and give feedback usually have a free trial or a free level. Chappie is free to download and starts with a free trial. After the trial it’s a subscription.