By Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP — licensed speech-language pathologist
Each lesson below is a free video you can practice along with: sounds, rhythm, intonation, and voice placement. I'm Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, a licensed speech-language pathologist, and these are the practice lessons I'd start with if you want to reduce your accent on your own.
- The Best Way to Practice Your American English Pronunciation — Practice does not make perfect if the practice is wrong. Learn which pronunciation methods actually build accuracy and which quietly waste your time.
- EE and IH Vowels: A Visual Test — Watch the lips and the tension: EE spreads and tightens, IH stays relaxed. A visual test for the two vowels that trip up almost every learner.
- AH and UH Vowels: A Visual Test — The AH in father and the UH in butter sound alike to most learners. A visual test showing what actually differs between these two vowel sounds.
- Best American R /ɹ/ Pronunciation Practice — Stop avoiding the American R. These practice techniques train the exact tongue position most learners never find, starting from a sound you know.
- Advanced English Pronunciation Practice: The Dark L — The Dark L is the sound almost every student asks about. Advanced practice for the hardest position of the hardest consonant in the language.
- Rhythm in Sentences — English rhythm comes from long stressed syllables alternating with short unstressed ones. Practice with a metronome and hear the beat in real sentences.
- Master American English! Sentence Rhythm Part 2 — Practice American sentence rhythm with a musical exercise. Part 2 of the technique viewers found most useful for real conversational English.
- Speak FAST English with my #1 FREE Practice Tool! — A metronome is the best free tool for building American English rhythm and speed. Learn the practice technique that trains fluency beat by beat.
- Sound Natural & Native with Intonation Templates — Robots sound flat because they carry no emotion. Learn the intonation templates that let English carry surprise, doubt, warmth, and emphasis.
- Voice Placement Exercises — Exercises to move your voice into American English placement, whether you are a non-native speaker or a native one wanting a warmer, easier tone.
- American English Pronunciation Challenge! — Test your American English pronunciation against British forms and tricky minimal pairs, then hear the correct version of every challenge word.
- 8 Real Conversations to Practice Your Pronunciation — Eight real American conversations to respond to out loud, so you can test your rhythm, clarity, and confidence against natural everyday speech.
Want one-on-one help? See my private accent reduction training.
Want a step-by-step path? English Pro Lite is my free online American accent course, with 45 lessons and 2.5 hours of video. Start English Pro Lite free →
