English Intonation Patterns: Rising and Falling Pitch

Intonation, the rise and fall of pitch in speech, is one of the most important aspects of sounding natural in English. Using the wrong intonation can make you sound uncertain, rude, or even change the meaning of what you say.

This post is part of our Music of English series on prosody and pronunciation.

What is Intonation?

Intonation refers to the melody of speech, specifically how pitch rises and falls. English uses intonation to:

• Distinguish questions from statements
• Show whether you have finished speaking
• Express emotions and attitudes
• Indicate new vs. known information
• Signal politeness or rudeness

The Two Basic Patterns

English has two fundamental intonation patterns:

Falling Intonation ↘

Pitch drops at the end. Used for:

• Statements and facts
• WH-questions (who, what, where, when, why, how)
• Commands
• Showing certainty or finality

Examples:

• "I live in New York." ↘
• "Where do you work?" ↘
• "Close the door." ↘
• "That's interesting." ↘

Rising Intonation ↗

Pitch rises at the end. Used for:

• Yes/no questions
• Checking or confirming information
• Showing uncertainty or doubt
• Invitations and polite requests
• Items in a list (except the last one)

Examples:

• "Are you coming?" ↗
• "You're from Spain?" ↗ (checking)
• "Maybe?" ↗ (uncertain)
• "Would you like some coffee?" ↗

Questions: Which Pattern to Use

One of the biggest intonation challenges is using the right pattern for questions.

WH-Questions: Falling ↘

Questions starting with who, what, where, when, why, or how use falling intonation:

Yes/No Questions: Rising ↗

Questions that can be answered with yes or no use rising intonation:

Statement Questions: Rising ↗

When you turn a statement into a question (to check or confirm), use rising intonation:

• "You're a teacher?" ↗ (I want to confirm this)
• "This is your car?" ↗ (I'm surprised/checking)
• "He said no?" ↗ (Really?)

Tag Questions: Both Patterns

Tag questions (short questions at the end of statements) can use either pattern with different meanings:

Rising Tag ↗: Genuine Question

"You're coming to the party, aren't you?" ↗

(I don't know and want to find out)

Falling Tag ↘: Expecting Agreement

"Nice weather today, isn't it?" ↘

(I expect you to agree with me)

Lists: Rising Then Falling

When listing items, use rising intonation for each item except the last, which falls:

"I need eggs ↗, milk ↗, bread ↗, and butter ↘."

This signals to the listener that more items are coming, then indicates you are finished.

Choice Questions

When offering choices, the pattern depends on whether the list is complete:

Complete Choice: Last Item Falls

"Do you want tea ↗ or coffee ↘?"

(These are your only options)

Open Choice: Everything Rises

"Do you want tea ↗ or coffee ↗...?"

(There might be other options too)

Emotional Intonation

Intonation also expresses emotions and attitudes:

Enthusiasm: Wider Pitch Range

"That's fantastic!" (pitch rises high on "fan-" then falls)

Boredom: Flat, Narrow Range

"That's... nice." (monotone, no rise or fall)

Surprise: High Rise

"You did what?" (pitch rises sharply)

Sarcasm: Unexpected Pattern

"Oh, great." (exaggerated fall where rise expected)

Intonation for Politeness

Using the right intonation makes you sound more polite:

More Polite (Rising/Wider Range)

• "Could you help me?" ↗ (polite request)
• "Excuse me?" ↗ (getting attention politely)

Less Polite (Flat/Falling)

• "Help me." ↘ (demand)
• "Excuse me." ↘ (can sound annoyed)

Spanish vs. English Intonation

Spanish and English intonation differ in several important ways:

Common Mistakes by Spanish Speakers

1. Rising Intonation on WH-Questions

Wrong: "Where do you live?" ↗ (sounds like you did not hear)

Right: "Where do you live?" ↘ (natural WH-question)

2. Flat Intonation (Too Narrow Range)

Wrong: Speaking with little pitch variation (sounds bored or unfriendly)

Right: Using a wider pitch range to show engagement

3. Wrong Pattern on Tag Questions

Wrong: Always rising on tags (sounds uncertain)

Right: Rising for real questions, falling when expecting agreement

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Statement or Question?

Read these with falling (statement) then rising (question) intonation:

1. You speak French. ↘ / You speak French? ↗
2. That's your car. ↘ / That's your car? ↗
3. He's coming tomorrow. ↘ / He's coming tomorrow? ↗

Exercise 2: List Intonation

Practice this list with proper intonation:

"For breakfast I had toast ↗, eggs ↗, bacon ↗, and orange juice ↘."

Exercise 3: Question Types

Read these questions with correct intonation:

1. What time is it? ↘ (WH-question)
2. Do you have the time? ↗ (yes/no question)
3. The meeting is at three? ↗ (checking)
4. Nice day, isn't it? ↘ (expecting agreement)
5. You're coming, aren't you? ↗ (genuine question)

Tips for Improvement

• Exaggerate at first: Practice with exaggerated rises and falls. You can tone it down later.
• Hum before speaking: Hum the melody of sentences before saying them to feel the pitch pattern.
• Listen to native speakers: Pay attention to intonation in movies, podcasts, and conversations.
• Record and compare: Record yourself and compare your pitch patterns to native speakers.
• Practice with emotion: Say the same sentence happy, sad, surprised, and bored to expand your range.

Key Takeaways

• Falling intonation ↘: statements, WH-questions, commands, certainty
• Rising intonation ↗: yes/no questions, checking, uncertainty, politeness
• Lists rise on each item except the last
• Tag questions change meaning based on intonation
• English uses a wider pitch range than Spanish
• Wrong intonation can sound rude, uncertain, or change meaning

Continue the Series

Now that you understand intonation, learn how words connect in natural speech:

➡️ Next: Connected Speech, How Words Link Together

⬅️ Previous: Sentence Stress

⬅️ Back to: The Music of English (Series Overview)