English for Turkish Speakers

I'm Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, a licensed speech-language pathologist. I help Turkish speakers speak American English clearly and confidently.

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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

These are five pronunciation challenges that are common for Turkish speakers. Read about each one below, then watch the free video lessons to practice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.