Single Sounds
If you’re able to pronounce single sounds correctly, you can differentiate and reproduce each sound present in the variety of English you’d like to speak.
You need to work on single sounds if:
- You often confuse similar sounds or similar words
- You sometimes struggle to understand even single words
- People have trouble understanding you when you speak
- You want to achieve a native-like accent when speaking (optional)
How To Pronounce Single Sounds Correctly
What you need:
- Minimal pairs exercises
- Videos with detailed explanations on how to make each sound
- Words and sentences to practice with
- Lots of patience and time
Phase 1 - Listen
1. Understand which sounds you struggle to differentiate. You can take a self-assessment test to find out or ask the help of a professional.
2. Do the minimal pairs exercises corresponding to each pair of sounds you struggle to differentiate. Do this as many times as necessary, until you hear a clear difference between the two sounds.
Phase 2 - Study
1. Study the mouth movements. Focus on the tongue position, the position of your lips and also whether your vocal cords are vibrating or not.
2. Practice reading the single sounds. Do this until the mouth movement feels natural and you can pronounce these sounds without even thinking.
Phase 3 - Practice
1. Make a list of common words that contain the sound you want to pronounce correctly. Then practice reading them out loud until it becomes second nature.
2. When you’re ready, move onto sentences and even tongue twisters. Read each sentence out loud slowly and then little by little increase the speed.
Tips
- Do the minimal pairs exercises.
- Don’t rush. Rushing will not get you the results you want.
- Take a break when you feel frustrated.
- Stay consistent. Shoot for 15-30 minutes of practice a day.
