I'm Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, a licensed speech-language pathologist, and this free guide covers five common American English pronunciation challenges for native Turkish speakers: the W and V consonants, the TH consonants, the EE and IH vowels (and OO and UH), the NG consonant, and word stress, with a free video lesson for each. Prefer one-on-one help? See my private accent reduction training.
Are you a native Turkish speaker who:
- mixes up W and V, so west and vest sometimes sound the same?
- says the TH sounds in words like think and this as a T or D, so thank sounds like tank?
- says sit and seat, or pull and pool, with the same vowel?
- says NG as N, or as N plus a hard G, so sing sounds like sin or sing-g?
- puts the stress on the wrong syllable of an English word?
American English Pronunciation for Turkish Speakers: Top 5 Pronunciation Challenges
If you are a native speaker of Turkish and you struggle with American English pronunciation, then this resource is for you. Here you’ll learn five common pronunciation challenges that native speakers of Turkish may face when speaking English, and you’ll learn how to improve your pronunciation of American English.
Read about the five pronunciation areas below, and then watch the free English pronunciation video lessons to learn how to pronounce each sound. Don’t forget to click here to download your free Guidebook to the Sounds of American English, too!
Turkish Challenge #1: The W /w/ and V /v/ Consonants
Many native Turkish speakers mix up the W /w/ and V /v/ consonants, so west and vest can sound alike. For W, round your lips and keep your teeth off your lips; for V, the upper teeth touch the lower lip. Because west and vest are both real words in English, your listener may hear a different word than the one you intended.
How to Pronounce the W /w/ and V /v/ Consonants
Watch the videos below to learn how to pronounce W and V. You can also read about their pronunciation by clicking here: How to Pronounce the W /w/ Consonant; How to Pronounce the F /f/ and V /v/ Consonants.
Turkish Challenge #2: The TH /θ, ð/ Consonants
A common challenge for native Turkish speakers is saying the TH sounds in words like think /θ/ and this /ð/ as a T /t/ or a D /d/, so thank sounds like tank. Because tank and thank are both real words in English, your listener may hear a different word than the one you meant. I want you to be able to hear and feel the difference, and the lessons below show you how.
How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants in English
The difference between TH /θ/ and TH /ð/ is vocal cord vibration: /θ/ is voiceless (no vocal cord vibration) and /ð/ is voiced (the vocal cords vibrate). For both sounds, the tip of the tongue is placed lightly against or between the teeth, and the air keeps flowing; the tongue does not stop the air the way it does for T and D. Watch the videos below to learn how to pronounce the TH consonants. You can also read about their pronunciation by clicking here: How to Pronounce the TH Sound; How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants; The Top 5 Problematic Sounds in American English: The TH Sound.
Turkish Challenge #3: The EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels (and OO /u/ and UH /ʊ/)
Many native Turkish speakers use the same vowel for EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/, so seat and sit sound alike, and the same vowel for OO /u/ and UH /ʊ/, so pool and pull sound alike. Both words in each pair are real words in English, so this substitution can change the meaning of your message.
How to Pronounce the EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels in English
To pronounce the IH /ɪ/ vowel, relax your face and tongue and say the vowel for a shorter duration than EE /i/. Watch the videos below to learn how to pronounce the EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ vowels, and the OO /u/ and UH /ʊ/ vowels. You can also read more by clicking here: How to Pronounce the EE /i/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the IH /ɪ/ Vowel; The Top 5 Problematic Sounds in American English: The “eee” and “ih” vowels; How to Pronounce the OO /u/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the UH /ʊ/ Vowel.
Turkish Challenge #4: The NG /ŋ/ Consonant
The NG /ŋ/ consonant at the end of words like sing, long, and morning is one single nasal sound made in the back of the mouth. Depending on the speaker and the word, native Turkish speakers may say it as N /n/, so sing sounds like sin, or as N plus a hard G /g/, so sing sounds like sing-g. The lessons below show how to make NG as one sound.
How to Pronounce the NG /ŋ/ Consonant in English
Watch the videos below to learn how to pronounce NG. You can also read about it by clicking here: How to Pronounce the NG /ŋ/ Consonant; How to Pronounce the N /n/ and NG /ŋ/ Consonants.
Turkish Challenge #5: Word Stress
Native Turkish speakers sometimes put the stress on the wrong syllable of an English word, which can make the word hard to recognize even when every sound is correct. In English, stress placement changes from word to word, and the unstressed syllables are shorter and often reduced to the schwa UH /ə/. The lessons below show how to find and say the stressed syllable.
How to Pronounce Word Stress in American English
Watch the videos below to learn how word stress works in American English. You can also read about it by clicking here: The Three Types of Syllable Stress; Syllables and Stress of American English; Unstressed Syllables and Word Reductions in American English; Top 5 Tips for Perfect Rhythm and Stress.
Common questions from Turkish speakers
What are common American English pronunciation challenges for Turkish speakers?
Five common challenges are the W and V consonants, the TH consonants, the EE and IH vowels (and OO and UH), the NG consonant, and word stress. Each one has a free video lesson on this page.
Why does west sound like vest?
Many native Turkish speakers mix up the W /w/ and V /v/ consonants, so west may sound like vest. For W, the lips round and the teeth stay off the lips; for V, the upper teeth touch the lower lip.
Is there a free way to start?
Yes. Every challenge on this page comes with a free video lesson. English Pro Lite is my free online American accent course, with 45 lessons and 2.5 hours of video on the vowels, consonants, syllable stress, rhythm, reductions, and linking you need to speak clearly. Start English Pro Lite free →
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