Talking English - Pronunciation Studio
🇬🇧
The pronunciation used on this website follows British English
(RP / General British), as commonly used in international teaching and exams.
English Pronunciation Studio
Sounds, stress, rhythm, connected speech and intonation: clear guides and exercises for speaking English with confidence.
Clear pronunciation is more than individual sounds. It also depends on which syllables you stress, how words link together and how your voice rises and falls. Start with the area you need most, or follow the sections from top to bottom.
Accent
British (RP)
Areas
12 sections
First languages
15 covered
Sounds course
Free
1 Start Here
New to pronunciation work? Get the big picture, check where you are and pick up a few quick practice habits.
1 Understand Pronunciation
The main building blocks of clear English, and why they matter.
2 Test Yourself
Find out which areas to work on first.
3 Practise Effectively
Short, regular practice works better than occasional long sessions.
4 All Sounds of British English
A free course through every sound of British English, with exercises.
2 The Sounds of English & Vowels
English spelling often hides the sound. Learn the phonemic chart and connect each symbol with a sound, not a letter.
1 Sounds & Symbols
How speech sounds are produced, and how the phonemic chart works.
2 Vowels & Diphthongs
Short vowels, long vowels and the glides between them.
3 Practise Vowel Sounds
Hear the difference, then say it in words and sentences.
4 The Schwa
The most frequent sound in English, and the key to natural rhythm.
3 Consonants
Voicing, place and manner: how English consonants are made, and how to handle groups of consonants together.
1 How Consonants Are Made
Plosives, fricatives, nasals and approximants in British English.
2 TH, S/SH & -ed Endings
The consonant sounds learners most often ask about.
3 Consonant Clusters
Two or more consonants together, as in street and texts.
4 Consonant Practice
Repetition drills and exercises to make consonants automatic.
4 Difficult Sounds & Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are words that differ by one sound, such as ship and sheep. They train your ear and your mouth at the same time.
1 Difficult Sounds & Words
The sounds and words that trip up most learners, and how to fix them.
2 Sound Contrasts
Compare similar vowels and consonants side by side.
3 Practise Pairs of Vowels
Focused exercises on the vowel pairs learners mix up most.
4 Off, Son & Over
Three vowels often spelled with o: hear and say the difference.
5 Word Stress, Sentence Stress & Rhythm
Wrong stress can make a familiar word hard to recognise. English rhythm is built on stressed syllables, with the others squeezed in between.
1 Stress in Words
Which syllable is strongest, and why it matters: CONtract vs conTRACT.
2 Sentence Stress & Rhythm
Content words carry the beat; grammar words are reduced.
6 Connected Speech
In natural speech, words don’t stay separate. Sounds link, weaken, change or disappear, and speakers group words into thought groups.
1 What Is Connected Speech?
Linking, elision, assimilation and weak forms, explained with examples.
2 Linking Sounds & Pausing
Join words smoothly, and pause in the right places.
7 Intonation
Intonation is the movement of pitch across what you say. It signals questions, certainty, contrast, attitude and emotion.
1 Intonation Basics
What intonation is, how pitch works and why it matters.
2 Patterns & Meaning
Rising, falling and rise–fall patterns, and how they change meaning.
3 Emotion & Advanced Intonation
Express attitude, emotion and nuance with your voice.
4 Intonation Practice
Exercises that let you hear and use the patterns yourself.
8 Business English & Clear Speaking
Pronunciation practice using the vocabulary of meetings, presentations and professional communication.
1 Business English Pronunciation
Every English sound practised with business words and examples.
2 Clear Speaking & Voice
Speak clearly and naturally, and use your voice with confidence.
9 Pronunciation for German Speakers
German speakers tend to meet the same challenges: /w/ and /v/, TH, final consonants, vowel length and English word stress. Start with the German speakers overview.
1 Typical Problems
The patterns that make a German accent noticeable, and how to work on them.
2 Problem Sounds
The individual sounds German speakers find hardest.
3 Hear the Difference
Vowel pairs that sound the same to many German ears.
4 Stress, Rhythm & Conversation
English stress and rhythm work differently from German.
5 Englische Konsonanten
Erklärungen der englischen Konsonantenlaute auf Deutsch.
10 Pronunciation by First Language
Your first language shapes which English sounds feel natural and which feel strange. See the overview by first language, or go straight to yours.
Spanish
Portuguese
Arabic
Mandarin Chinese
Japanese
Hindi
Urdu
Farsi
Russian
Ukrainian
Indonesian
Swahili
Greek & Dutch
11 A Simple Pronunciation Routine
Regular, focused practice works better than occasional long sessions. Improve one feature at a time.
Listen
Choose one short, clear recording and listen closely.
Mark
Mark the stressed syllables, the links and where the pitch moves.
Shadow
Repeat it with the speaker, copying sounds, rhythm and melody.
Record
Record yourself, compare with the model and adjust one thing.
12 Useful Tools
A good audio dictionary is the quickest way to check a word.
Hear any word before you say it
LEO: search for a word and click the British English pronunciation.
Howjsay: type a word and hear it spoken.
Want to train your ear for different accents? Listen to British TV series set in different regions. Scottish English, for example, can be heard in Dept. Q.
The goal is not to remove your accent. It is to be understood easily and to speak with confidence.
Pick one sound, one stress pattern or one intonation pattern this week, practise it for a few minutes a day and use it in real conversation.
Listen. Mark. Shadow. Record.
© 2026 Talking English. All rights reserved.
👷
Thanks for your patience! Feel free to explore what’s already here — and come back soon to check if more content and exercises are available.