Video calls have become a daily reality for millions of professionals around the world. Whether you use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or another platform, clear English pronunciation is more important than ever. On a video call, there is no body language context to fill in gaps, background noise can mask your words, and audio compression can flatten your speech. If your pronunciation is not clear, people will ask you to repeat yourself, and that can feel frustrating and embarrassing.
The good news is that you do not need perfect pronunciation to be understood on video calls. You need to focus on the right things: the sounds that cause the most confusion, the speaking habits that reduce clarity, and the simple adjustments that make a big difference over a microphone.
Why Video Calls Are Harder
Speaking English on a video call is harder than speaking in person for several reasons:
- Audio compression: Video call software compresses audio to save bandwidth. This removes subtle sound differences, making it harder for listeners to distinguish between similar sounds (like /b/ vs /v/ or /ɪ/ vs /iː/).
- No lip reading: In person, listeners unconsciously read your lips to help decode what you are saying. On video, the image is often small, pixelated, or delayed.
- Latency: The slight delay in audio transmission means that if you speak too fast, words can overlap or get cut off.
- Background noise: Even with noise cancellation, home environments introduce sounds that can mask parts of your speech.
- Fatigue: Video call fatigue is real. When people are tired, their listening comprehension drops, so your pronunciation needs to be even clearer.
The 5 Most Important Pronunciation Skills for Video Calls
1. Speak Slightly Slower Than Normal
This is the single most effective thing you can do. On a video call, speaking at 80% of your normal speed gives the audio codec time to process your words clearly and gives listeners time to parse your accent. You do not need to speak unnaturally slowly. Just pause slightly between phrases and avoid rushing through sentences.
2. Exaggerate Consonant Sounds
Consonants carry most of the information in English. Vowels give words their color, but consonants give them their shape. On a video call, make sure you clearly pronounce:
- Word-final consonants: "worked" (not "work"), "asked" (not "ask")
- Consonant clusters: "strengths" (not "strens"), "texts" (not "tex")
- Plosives: Give /p/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /d/, /g/ a clear release
3. Use Thought Groups and Pauses
Instead of speaking in one long stream, break your speech into short thought groups with brief pauses between them. This helps listeners process your words and gives the audio system clean breaks to transmit.
Compare these two approaches:
- Hard to follow: "SoIthinkweshouldmovethedeadlinetoFridaybecausethedesignteamneedsmoretimet ofinishtheprototype"
- Easy to follow: "So I think / we should move the deadline to Friday / because the design team / needs more time / to finish the prototype."
The pauses (marked with /) create natural breaks that make your speech much easier to understand, especially over compressed audio.
4. Stress Key Words
English relies heavily on word stress to convey meaning. On a video call, slightly exaggerating the stress on important words helps listeners catch the main points even if they miss some smaller words.
For example: "The DEADline is FRIday, not THURSday." Stressing the key content words (deadline, Friday, Thursday) ensures the essential information gets through.
5. Over-pronounce Minimal Pair Sounds
Some sound pairs cause frequent misunderstandings on calls. Practice these carefully:
Common Video Call Phrases to Practice
These phrases come up constantly in online meetings. Practice them until they feel natural:
Useful Phrases When You Are Not Understood
Even with great pronunciation, misunderstandings happen on video calls. Having these phrases ready will help:
- "Sorry, I think we had some audio issues. Let me repeat that."
- "Can everyone hear me clearly?"
- "I will type that in the chat as well."
- "Just to confirm, did you say [X] or [Y]?"
- "Let me spell that out: D as in Delta, E as in Echo..."
Technical Tips for Better Audio
Good pronunciation habits work best when paired with good audio setup:
- Use a headset or external microphone: Built-in laptop microphones pick up room echo and keyboard noise.
- Position your microphone correctly: Keep it about a hand's width from your mouth, slightly to the side to avoid plosive pops.
- Minimize background noise: Close windows, turn off fans, and mute yourself when not speaking.
- Test before important calls: Do a quick audio check to make sure your microphone levels are good.
Practice Routine for Video Call Pronunciation
Try this 10-minute daily routine before your workday starts:
- Warm up (2 minutes): Read a short paragraph out loud at a slow, clear pace.
- Minimal pairs (3 minutes): Practice pairs like thirty/thirteen, can/can't, work/walk, and live/leave.
- Meeting phrases (3 minutes): Say common meeting phrases out loud: "Let me share my screen," "Can everyone hear me?" "I will follow up on that."
- Record and review (2 minutes): Record yourself saying one meeting phrase, listen back, and adjust.
Keep Improving
Clear pronunciation on video calls is a skill that improves with consistent practice. The more you focus on these key areas (consonant clarity, pacing, stress, and pauses), the more confident you will feel in every online meeting.
Ready to work on specific sounds? Try our interactive pronunciation exercises to target the sounds that matter most for your language background.