American English Pronunciation Challenge

(Video Transcript)

Welcome to the 'American English Pronunciation Challenge'! Let’s start with a quick test of your American English pronunciation. How do you pronounce these words?

Schedule' (sked-jool or shed-yool?)
'Advertisement' (ad-ver-TIZE-ment or ad-ver-TISS-ment?)
'Route' (root or rowt?)

Is it 'sked-jool' or 'shed-yool'?

How about 'ad-ver-TIZE-ment' or 'ad-ver-TISS-ment'?

Or is it root or rowt?

Not sure? Don't worry, we’ll tackle these and more together!

I’m Julie, your English communication coach, and I’ve been helping people with their American accent pronunciation for almost twenty years. And today, I want to help you to master the American accent so you can feel confident in any conversation. In this video, we’ll test your English skills with fun, interactive challenges designed to sharpen your ear and improve your pronunciation. Think you’re ready? Let’s dive in!

Challenge #1: American English versus British English Pronunciation

American English is unique! Compared to other English dialects, it’s known for its clear vowel sounds, distinct 'r's, and rhythmic stress patterns.

Now, depending on where you live or where you learned English, you might not be as familiar with American English pronunciation because you learned British English pronunciation. British English pronunciation is commonly taught in European countries and India, for example, so if you grew up in one of those areas, your pronunciation might be more British than American.

But British pronunciation is very different from American pronunciation. For example, while British English might say 'BAH-th' for 'bath,' Americans say 'BATH' with a flatter, more frontal vowel sound.

Why is understanding pronunciation important? Because it affects how clearly others understand you and how confident you feel when speaking. And if you’re interested in learning American English pronunciation, then it’s important to learn about the few quirks that make it unique.

Here are some quick comparisons between American and British pronunciations. I’m American and I speak with an American accent, but I’ll do my best to provide you with the most authentic British accent that I can muster up. But please don’t judge me too harshly - I don’t speak British English.

I’ll read you a list of ten words. First, I’ll show you the word on the screen with its IPA transcription, and I want you to read the words out loud to yourself. Can you identify the differences in pronunciation? These differences will always include a different vowel or consonant, and sometimes will also include differences in syllable stress.

Here’s the first word: 'Bath' – American: BATH /bæθ/, British: BAH-th /bɑθ/

The American pronunciation is BAATH. The British pronunciation is BAHTH.

Listen again:

BAATH.

BAHTH.

Here’s the second word: 'Tomato' – American: tuh-MAY-doh /təˈmeɪ.ɾoʊ/, British: tuh-MAH-toh /təˈmɑ.təʊ/

The American pronunciation is tuh-MAY-doh. The British pronunciation is tuh-MAH-toh.

Listen again:

tuh-MAY-doh.

tuh-MAH-toh.

Here’s the third word: 'Schedule' – American: SKEH-jool /ˈskɛ.dʒul/, British: SHED-jool /ˈʃɛ.dʒul/

The American pronunciation is SKEH-jool. The British pronunciation is SHED-jool.

Listen again:

SKEH-jool

SHED-jool

Here’s the fourth word: 'Herb' – American: ERB /ɝb/ (silent 'h'), British: HERB /hɝb

The American pronunciation is ERB. The British pronunciation is HERB.

Listen again:

ERB

HERB

Here’s the fifth word: 'Vase' /veɪs/ – American: VAYS, British: VAHZ /vɑz/

The American pronunciation is VAYS. The British pronunciation is VAHZ.

Listen again:

VAYS

VAHZ

Here’s the sixth word: 'Garage' – American: guh-RAZH /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, British: GAIR-ahzh /ˈɡɛɹ.ɑʒ/

The American pronunciation is guh-RAZH. The British pronunciation is GAIR-ahzh.

Listen again:

guh-RAZH

GAIR-ahzh

Here’s the seventh word: 'Water' – American: WAH-der /ˈwɑ.ɾɚ/, British: WAW-tuh /ˈwɔ.tə/

The American pronunciation is WAH-der. The British pronunciation is WAW-tuh.

Listen again:

WAH-der

WAW-tuh

Here’s the eighth word: 'Leisure' – American: LEE-zher /ˈli.ʒɚ/, British: LEH-zher /ˈlɛ.ʒɚ/

The American pronunciation is LEE-zher. The British pronunciation is LEH-zher.

Listen again:

LEE-zher

LEH-zher.

Here’s the ninth word: 'Aluminum' – American: uh-LOO-mih-nuhm /əˈlu.mɪ.nəm/, British: aa-loo-MIH-nee-uhm /ˌæ.luˈmɪ.ni.əm/

The American pronunciation is uh-LOO-mih-nuhm. The British pronunciation is aa-loo-MIH-nee-uhm.

Listen again:

uh-LOO-mih-nuhm

aa-loo-MIH-nee-uhm

And here’s the tenth word: 'Zebra' – American: ZEE-bruh /ˈzi.bɹə/, British: ZEH-bruh /ˈzɛ.bɹə/

The American pronunciation is ZEE-bruh. The British pronunciation is ZEH-bruh.

Listen again:

ZEE-bruh,

ZEH-bruh

These differences highlight the distinct sounds and rhythms of American English.

Challenge #2: American English Pronunciation Quiz

Let’s continue with the American English Pronunciation Challenge with a quick pronunciation quiz!

Here are ten of the most commonly mispronounced words by non-native speakers. Do you know how to pronounce them?

Let’s see how many of these you get right! Try saying these words aloud before I reveal the correct pronunciation:

1) Comfortable

Common Mispronunciation: "COM-for-ta-ble" (adding an extra syllable).
Correct Pronunciation: "KUMF-ter-bul."
Challenge: Non-native speakers may try to pronounce every syllable.
Tip: Focus on the reduced vowels and blending syllables. Don’t pay attention to the spelling.

2) Choir

Common Mispronunciation: "Choy-er."
Correct Pronunciation: "KWAI-er."
Challenge: The irregular spelling doesn’t hint at the actual pronunciation.
Tip: Think of it as starting with a "kw" sound, like "quiet."

3) Colonel

Common Mispronunciation: "Co-lo-nel."
Correct Pronunciation: "KER-nul."
Challenge: The pronunciation has no direct connection to the spelling.
Tip: Memorize it as a completely irregular word.

4) February

Common Mispronunciation: "Fe-bru-ar-y."
Correct Pronunciation: "FEHB-yoo-Air-ee."
Challenge: The middle "r" is often pronounced, but this has been dropped from the pronunciation and replaced with the syllable, “you”.
Tip: Practice saying "Feb-you" slowly, then speed it up. Don’t pay attention to the spelling!

5) Vegetable

Common Mispronunciation: "Ve-ge-ta-ble."
Correct Pronunciation: "VEHCH-tuh-buhl."
Challenge: The second "e" is silent and the syllables are compressed.
Tip: Emphasize the first syllable and reduce the rest.

6) Squirrel

Common Mispronunciation: "Skwir-rel" or "Skwe-rell."
Correct Pronunciation: "SKWERL."
Challenge: The blend of consonants is tricky, and the "rl" sound is uncommon in many languages.
Tip: Practice breaking it down: "SKWER" + "L."

7) Mischievous

Common Mispronunciation: "Mis-CHEE-vee-ous."
Correct Pronunciation: "MIHS-chuh-vuhs."
Challenge: Adding an extra syllable ("ee").
Tip: Remember that it has only three syllables, not four.

8) Genre

Common Mispronunciation: "Gen-ray" or "Gen-er."
Correct Pronunciation: "ZHAHN-ruh."
Challenge: The French-origin "zh" sound is unfamiliar to many learners.
Tip: Practice the "zh" sound, as in "treasure."

9) Clothes

Common Mispronunciation: "cloth” "Clo-thes" (with the "th" fully pronounced).
Correct Pronunciation: "KLOHZ."
Challenge: The "th" is often silent or blended into the "z" sound.
Tip: Practice reducing the "th" to a soft "z."

10) Chaos

Common Mispronunciation: "Chowz" or "Chass."
Correct Pronunciation: "KAY-ahs."
Challenge: The "ch" is pronounced as "k," which is counterintuitive.
Tip: Think of it as starting with the "k" sound, not "ch."

So, how did you do? Did you get them right? Great job if you did, and if not, no worries—this is all about learning!

Challenge #3: American English Minimal Pairs

And next in our American English Pronunciation Challenge, I want to discuss minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by just one sound. They’re great for training your ear and sharpening your pronunciation.

In this challenge, I want you to close your eyes and just listen to me as I say ten minimal pairs. Each of these pairs of words will differ by just the vowel sound, and I want you to identify if they sound different to you.

If they do, then I want you to imagine what each word means. Can you picture the object or the action in your head?

And lastly, I want you to imitate the minimal pairs after me, still with your eyes closed. I don’t want you to read the word, I want you to imitate what you hear. In fact, I won’t even show the words on the screen as I say them. I’ll reveal the words to you at the end of this challenge.

So I’ll read each pair of words three times. Imitate after me after my third repetition.

'Sheep' vs. 'Ship'
'Lid’ vs. “Led”
'Glass' vs. 'Gloss'
'Pen' vs. 'Pin'
'Pull' vs. 'Pool'
'Beg' vs. 'Bag'
'Duck' vs. 'Dock'
'Luck' vs. 'Look'
'Sit' vs. 'Seat'
'Hat' vs. 'Hot'

So, how did you do? Did they sound different to you, or did some of the pairs sound the same? Were you able to think of each object or action as I said the words? And were you able to pronounce them so they sounded different from each other?

I hope you noticed how a small change in a vowel sound can create a completely different word!

Here are the words I used in this challenge:

'Sheep' vs. 'Ship'
'Lid’ vs. “Led”
'Glass' vs. 'Gloss'
'Pen' vs. 'Pin'
'Pull' vs. 'Pool'
'Beg' vs. 'Bag'
'Duck' vs. 'Dock'
'Luck' vs. 'Look'
'Sit' vs. 'Seat'
'Hat' vs. 'Hot'

Challenge #4: American English Consonant Clusters

The next exercise in our American English Pronunciation Challenge is consonant clusters. Consonant clusters are groups of consonants that exist in the same syllable, and they can trip up even advanced speakers of American English.

Every language has rules about how many consonants that can occur in a cluster. American English allows a maximum of three consonants before a vowel and four following it, which results in a word that is a mouthful to pronounce.

In this challenge, I’ll present you with ten words that contain challenging consonant clusters. I’ll first show you the word, and I want you to try to pronounce it out loud.

Then I’ll show you the IPA of the word, and I’ll pronounce it for you three times. Imitate after me in the pauses.

Here’s your first word: strengths. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /stɹɛŋkθs/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

Strengths

Here’s your second words: world. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /wɔɹldz/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pauses

worlds

Here’s your third word: texts. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /tɛksts/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

texts

Texts

Here’s your fourth word: twelfths. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /twɛlfθs/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

twelfths

Here’s your fifth word: throats. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /θɹoʊts/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

throats

Throats

Here’s your sixth word: crisps. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /kɹɪsps/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

crisps

Crisps

Here’s your seventh word: glanced. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /ɡlænst/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

glanced

Glanced

Here’s your eighth word: asked. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /æskt/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

asked

Asked

Here’s your ninth word: depths. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /dɛpθs/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

depths

Depths

And here’s your tenth word: lengths. How do you pronounce this?

Here’s the IPA /lɛŋkθs/ and the pronunciation. Imitate after me in the pause.

lengths

Challenge #5: American English Stress

And to conclude our American English Pronunciation Challenge, let’s talk about American English stress patterns within sentences. Stress patterns are like the heartbeat of spoken English, and if you want to be a clear communicator of English, it is essential that you learn how to stress the correct words in English sentences.

The words that are typically stressed in English sentences are the content words, which are the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in a sentence. The other words, called function words, are typically unstressed and sometimes reduced. The function words are the grammar words, things like pronouns, articles, conjunctions, and contractions.

In this next exercise, I’m going to show you a short sentence. I want you to read the sentence out loud and identify which word or words will most likely be stressed. I say “most likely” because there are many quote unquote “correct” ways that a speaker can stress a sentence, depending on the context of the conversation. But in order to make things simple, we’re just going to focus on typical stress patterns in English in this video. So I want you to identify the content words that you think could be stressed if the speaker was using just normal, typical intonation and stress patterns.

Most of the time, more than one content word in any given sentence will be stressed, but there’s typically going to be just one content word that is stressed the most. This means that when you say these sentences out loud, you might naturally add secondary stress to one content word, and then primary stress to another content word. That’s perfectly fine to do. You just don’t want to stress every content word - that’s not very natural. So look for one or two content words that you’ll stress, and then the other content and function words will be unstressed.

I’ll let you read the sentence to yourself a few times. Then I’ll read the sentence and I’ll show you which words would typically be the stressed words in the sentence.

Then I want you to imitate after me, and match my stress, intonation, and rhythm.

Read this sentence a few times to yourself and decide which content words would be stressed in typical, everyday English intonation.

Here’s how I chose to stress this sentence. You’ll hear the sentence three times. Imitate after me in the pause.

Stress Patterns:

'I’m GOing to the MARket.'
'She BOUGHT a new CAR.'
'We’re MEETing at five o’CLOCK.'
'He’s COming home toDAY.'
'I’d LIKE a cup of COFFee.'
'The PHONE is RINGing.'
'They’re playing SOccer this WEEKend.'
'Do you WANT to come aLONG?'
'I HAVEn’t seen her in YEARS.'
'Let’s MEET at the park ENtrance.'

You made it to the end of the American English Pronunciation Challenge—well done! I hope the information in this Pronunciation Challenge video was helpful!

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