English pronunciation

Pronunciation is one of the more challenging aspects of learning English - even for students who have reached C1 or C2.

English is not a phonetic language. By that, I mean that spelling does not consistently follow set patterns or rules. There are lots of patterns which help you to know how to spell and pronounce words. Once you have learned the pronunciation of night, you'll have a good idea how to pronounce words such as bright, tight and fight. However, you might expect the word 'write' to be written 'wright' but it isn't.

Learners like to make assumptions about how languages works, including about spelling and pronunciation. This is undoubtedly a good thing, as it speeds up the learning process and is rewarding when the assumptions turn out to be correct.

Unfortunately with English pronunciation, it's inevitable that some assumptions you make won't work out. Here are some tips to bear in mind when you come across a new word.

1. Words that are written in a similar way sometimes rhyme but not always. The word 'bear' does not sound like 'dear', 'fear' or 'gear'. 'New' rhymes with 'knew', 'few' and 'grew' but does not sound like 'sew'.

2. Pronunciation can shift with word transformation. This can be in terms of vowel sounds and/or emphasis. The first syllable of 'knowledge' does not rhyme with 'know'. The emphasis in photograph comes at the start of the word but when we say photographer, the emphasis shifts to the second syllable.

3. English words may be written the same as a word in your first language but the pronunciation is different. I struggled for a long time to pronounce words such as Physik and Psychologie in German. The words are very similar to their English counterparts but are pronounced in a different way.

4. Pronunciation sometimes evolves over time in a way that makes a word simpler to say.

5. English has quite a few words with silent letters. I'm not sure whether this is unique to the English language. It certainly makes spelling and pronunciation tricky but it can also be a source of fun, as demonstrated here by comedian Michael McIntyre.

Now it's time for a quick quiz. I’ve picked out ten of the trickiest words to pronounce in English. I wonder if you know how to say them. For each word, I’ve given you a small clue which might help.

1. albeit – there are three syllables in this word

2. warily – it doesn’t sound like war

3. wearily – it doesn’t sound like wear

4. awry – it doesn’t sound like awe

5. segue – this pronunciation makes no sense to Madonna fans

6. hyperbole – more syllables than you may think

7. drought – you might think it sounds like ‘ought’, but you’d be wrong

8. draught – sometimes ‘gh’ makes an ‘f’ sound

9. sewage – in this word the first syllable rhymes with new

10. sewing – here, it doesn’t

If you want to know how to pronounce these words, you have several options.

• ask a friend

• sign up for lessons with me

• check an online dictionary with pronunciation guide

• learn how to use phonetic symbols

• listen to the words on Youglish.

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