Learn how to say English words correctly and clearly. Click any π button to hear the word!
Some English words have letters that you don't pronounce. These are called silent letters. You spell them, but you don't say them!
The letter K is silent before N at the beginning of a word.
The letter W is silent before R.
The letter B is often silent after M or before T.
A vowel team is two vowels that work together to make one sound. Remember: "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking!"
A blend is two or three consonants that you can hear individually. A digraph is two letters that make one new sound.
In English, one syllable in a word is said louder and longer than the others. This is called word stress. Putting stress on the wrong syllable can make it hard for others to understand you!
Most two-syllable nouns have stress on the first syllable. Most two-syllable verbs have stress on the second syllable.
Some words change meaning depending on which syllable is stressed:
These words look simple but are often mispronounced. Practice them!
Click the button to hear each sentence, then repeat it out loud. Focus on the underlined sounds!
1. The three thick thieves thought carefully.
2. She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
3. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
4. I knew the knight would knock on the door with his knuckles.
5. The writer wrote the wrong answer on her wrist.