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Articles, guides, and tips to improve your English pronunciation
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All the Sounds of the Letter D in English: /d/, Flap, /dʒ/, -ED and Silent D
The letter D has at least four pronunciations in American English: the default /d/, the flap in ladder and body, /dʒ/ in soldier and did you, the three -ED sounds, and the silent D of Wednesday. Rules, examples and a decision flowchart.
All the Sounds of the Letter G in English: Hard G, Soft G, ZH, NG, Silent G and GH
The letter G makes at least six different sounds in English: /ɡ/, /dʒ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/, /f/ in GH, and silence. This guide gives the rule for each one, the exceptions to memorize, a summary table and a decision flowchart.
All Sounds of Letter S in English: Rules and Patterns
The letter S can be /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/ or silent. Learn every rule (intervocalic S, -sion endings, SU + vowel, double SS, SC, plural -s) with American English examples and a decision flowchart.
How to Say Product Names, Model Numbers and Version Numbers Aloud in English
From v2.3.1 to RTX 4090 and Wi-Fi 6E: the spoken rules for version numbers, model names, part numbers and specs in American English, with a big written-to-spoken table and a self-test.
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Bus Stop, Black Coat, This Seat: The Long-Consonant Rule at Word Boundaries
When one word ends with the sound the next begins with, English says one long consonant, not two. Learn the hold, the exceptions, and why it fixes your listening.
The Sonority Rule: Why English Clusters Come in a Fixed Order (and Why /s/ Cheats)
English consonant clusters follow one ordering law: sonority rises into the vowel and falls after it. Learn the rule, the /s/ exception, and how to stop adding vowels.
Confirm Names, Numbers, and Dates in English
Use the read-back technique to confirm spelling, phone numbers, dates, and times in English before a small listening mistake becomes a real problem.
How to Leave a Clear Voicemail in English
Use a simple four-part voicemail script, clear pronunciation, and an effective callback line so your English message is easy to understand the first time.
How to Understand English Travel Announcements
Learn to catch the route, change, place, and time in fast airport and train announcements, even when noise hides many of the smaller words.
Why English Has So Many Double Letters: The Latin Prefix Rule Behind Accept, Approve and Occur
Double letters in accept, approve, suggest and occur are not random. They mark an assimilated Latin prefix, they are one sound, and they tell you exactly where the stress goes.
R-Dissimilation: Why Americans Drop One R in Surprise, February and Library
American speakers often delete one /r/ in words that contain two of them, saying suh-PRIZE, FEB-you-airy and LY-berry. Learn the stress-based rule, when it applies, and when both r's must stay.
The TRAP-BATH Split: Why Americans Say /æ/ in Ask, Dance and Class
Americans use one vowel in ask, dance, class, path and laugh; British speakers use two. Learn the phonetic rule behind the split, the exceptions that break it, and why /æ/ is always the safe choice in American English.