Essential Tips and Exercises for Improving English Pronunciation

Georgie Harding has assisted thousands of English learners from around the globe with improving their pronunciation and confidence, thanks to her Speech Pathology degree, CELTA qualifications, and over 15 years experience providing 1:1, group, and online training services.

English pronunciation can be challenging. Unlike many other languages, spelling doesn’t provide us with enough clues as to how best to pronunciate words.

1. Listen to native-speakers

Pronunciating English properly involves more than simply pronouncing individual sounds correctly; it includes intonation and stress patterns as well. To improve these aspects of pronunciation, listening to native speakers is extremely helpful.

Listening to podcasts, TV shows or movies with subtitles may help, or try identifying words you have difficulty pronouncing and find TV shows or YouTube videos in which that word appears.

Pay attention to the intonation and stress patterns of speakers you are listening to and attempt to imitate their tone and stress patterns. Practice your own intonation by reading poems aloud, giving speeches or singing English songs; just make sure that someone can correct you when necessary!

2. Sing

Singing songs can be an entertaining and effective way to hone your pronunciation skills. Select songs with lyrics you understand and try mimicking their singer’s pronunciation as you sing along.

If you are having difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, try breaking them down into individual syllables and practicing each individually. Also try reading aloud with emphasis on word stress and intonation for increased familiarity with English’s unique vowel sounds and silent letters (like /l/ in salmon or /b/ in debt). These steps should help get used to pronouncing English words without worry over meaning; becoming acquainted with English’s distinctive vowel sounds (such as in salmon) as well as any silent letters (like in salmon or debt).

3. Speak aloud

Reading aloud allows you to practice each syllable of each word and achieve clear pronunciation, as well as reinforce grammatical structure and sentence construction. Reading aloud may even help overcome anxiety when speaking aloud in front of others.

Reading out loud is also a great way to expose you to new words, helping you practice saying them correctly in context and cement them into your long-term memory over time. Reading aloud provides spaced repetition that will help in this endeavor.

Reading out loud forces you to pay more attention to your mouth movements and the “music” of English (word stress, emphasis and chunking), helping you sound more fluent and natural.

4. Imitate

Imitation refers to the act of copying movements or actions. Babies begin imitating movements and sounds before they can speak, making imitation a central component of their play and one key way for developing intentional communication skills.

Imitation is an invaluable skill that’s useful to everyone of any age – it never too late to learn it! Students at school can use imitation to adapt to new classroom routines while adults may find it useful when starting a new job. Also, practicing imitation helps develop stress, rhythm and intonation patterns in English that contribute to clear pronunciation.

5. Ask for help

Requesting help may seem intimidating if you feel it makes you look weak; but, it is an essential component of life!

Maintaining a list of words you have trouble pronouncing can be extremely helpful when you identify patterns. For instance, certain words have an increased stress on the first syllable (such as airplane, silly and bookstore) which is known as syllable stress.

Pronunciation practice may seem challenging, but it’s worth your while! Although it takes time and repetitions for your mouth to learn the sounds you need for proper pronunciation practice, you will soon see improvement in both physical strength and fluency when practicing English! Just as physical exercises strengthen our bodies, pronunciation exercises make us sound more fluidly when speaking the language.

6. Talk to your friends

Communication with friends is an excellent way to practice your English. Encourage them to offer corrections as you speak, particularly regarding word stress and pronunciation – they’ll be more than willing to assist!

Explain to them that you’re working on improving your English pronunciation and ask them for assistance with correcting your mouth position and where you put your tongue, as well as with pronouncing difficult sounds correctly.

Talk about subjects you both find interesting – sports or hobbies, books or movies, school/work-related matters etc. Listen equally without dominating the conversation; this will allow your friend to feel at ease while speaking freely with you.

7. Take a test

English pronunciation can be difficult for many because its sounds differ from their native languages, making the transition difficult for those coming to it from another background. There are various strategies available for improving English pronunciation; the first step being listening carefully; this includes noting how words are pronounced and paying attention to their pitch – sometimes known as “musicality” of English speech.

Pay special attention to word stress. In two-syllable words like bookstore and silly, usually the first syllable is highlighted and repeated with proper emphasis and rhythm is an excellent way to practice English pronunciation. Repeating such words regularly with their proper stress and rhythm will allow you to develop better English pronounciation skills.

8. Learn from mistakes

Acknowledging mistakes and learning from them are essential to improving one’s pronunciation. Mistakes are natural – even native English speakers make mistakes! Pronunciation is an acquired physical skill that needs time and practice.

Locate and focus on any sounds causing difficulty for you, such as the /th/ sound which may not be common to their first language. Daily practice with this sound will help overcome these challenges.

Shadowing is another effective way to increase your pronunciation skills. Find a role model you admire and listen carefully as they speak – then try mimicking their words word-for-word!