Phonetics Sound

ɑː,æ,dʒ,ə,ei,I,i,oʊ,ʃ,tʃ,u,ʊ,ʌ,z,ʒ

In this article we will learn Phonetics Sound

Sound a

OK, to pronounce the /ɑ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your jaw and tongue. Open your mouth as wide as possible. Relax your lips and allow them to rest in a neutral position. Flatten your tongue and place it very low in your mouth.

Your tongue should be in the center of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth. Remember, the /ɑ/ is a very open sound, so your mouth should be open as wide as possible.

aunt • block • Bob • bottle • box • calm • chop • clock • cob • cod • cotton • crop • dock • doll • dot • drop • flock • flop • fond • fox • got • gotten • honk • hop • hot • job • John • knob • knock • knot. (Phonetics Sound)

Vowel sounds

A sound

Let’s learn how to pronounce this sound the right (American) way. OK, to pronounce the /æ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your tongue and jaw. Open your mouth as wide as possible, slightly spread your lips, and tense them. Tense your tongue, flatten it, and push it forward. Your tongue should be positioned very low in your mouth.

The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth. Remember, the /æ/ is a very open vowel sound, so your jaw should be very low and your tongue should be very flat.

Let’s begin! • act • add • am • an • and • angle • ankle • ant • apple • as • ash • ask • attribute• at • babble • back • backed • backpack • backs • bad • badge • bag • band • bang • bank • bass • bat • batch. (Phonetics Sound)

Consonant sounds

Sound J

Remember, the /dʒ/ is an affricate sound, so it’s important to completely stop the air in your mouth and then immediately release it with friction. Now, let’s try and merge the /d/ and the /ʒ/ sounds together: /dʒ/, /dʒ/, /dʒ/.

Here are a few typical mistakes that people make when pronouncing this sound. 1. The most common problem is that non-native English speakers devoice the /dʒ/ consonant, especially when it occurs at the end of words. Often, people don’t realize that they pronounce the voiceless /tʃ/ sound instead.

gel • gym • jar • jaw • jeans • jet • job • John • join • joke • judge • juice • jump • June • just • adjust • agency • angel • budget • danger • education • energy • imagine • major • origin • oxygen • pigeon • region • religion • magic • age • arrange • average • badge • baggage • bridge • cage • change • charge • edge • huge • image • lounge • page • stage

Sound Consonant (Phonetics Sound)

Sound z

As usual, let’s begin with some phonology. Stay calm, it’s not complicated :). The /ʒ/ belongs to a category of consonant sounds called the fricatives. This is the largest group of consonants in American English: it consists of nine different sounds!

So, why are they called fricative consonants? All these sounds are made by partially blocking the air moving through your mouth, which creates audible friction. Speaking about the /ʒ/ consonant, – this sound is made by partially blocking the air flowing between the blade of your tongue and the roof of your mouth. The /ʒ/ sound is incredibly rare. It’s present in less than 1% of English words.

beige • camouflage • closure • conclusion • division • garage • leisure • massage • measure • occasion • pleasure • precision • prestige • sabotage • television • treasure • usual • version • vision. (Phonetics Sound)

Phonetics Sound /ə/

Phonetic symbol

In this context, we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /ə/, as in the word “ago.” You can also hear this sound in words like “above,” “person,” “parent,” or “action.” Please, note, that we’ll be using a special phonetic symbol — /ə/ — for this sound.

Let’s begin. • ability • above • abrupt • abyss • achieve • adapt • addition • adjust • communicate • adopt • adult • advance • affect • afraid • again • against. organization. facility. majority. career. opportunity. compromise (Phonetics Sound)

Phonetics Sound /eI/

ei sound

OK. To pronounce the /eɪ/ vowel, you should focus on the correct position of your lips and tongue. Partially open your mouth, spread your lips wide and make them tense. Raise the middle of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and push it to the front.

Let’ begin. [Pronunciation exercise] • able • ace • ache • age • aid • aim • ate • babe • baited • bake • baked • base • basis • bathe • bay • behave • beige • blade • blame • blaze • bracelet • braided • brain • brake • brave • break • cable • cage • cake • came. (Phonetics Sound)

Phonetics Sound /I/

Sound I

The /ɪ/ is one of the two most frequent vowel sounds in American English, but it exists in less than 20% of world languages, so many people may distort it or replace it with the /i/ sound, as in the word “be”. Let’s find out how to make this sound. OK.

To pronounce the /ɪ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your tongue. Slightly open your mouth, spread your lips and relax them. Raise your tongue high in your mouth and push it to the front. The tip of your tongue can be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.

Let’s begin. • big • bit • chin • chip • click • clip • drink • drip • film • fish • fit • fix • hid • him • hint • hit • kick • kid • king • kiss

Sound long vowel

EE sound

The /i/ is the third most frequently used vowel sound in American English, so pronouncing it correctly is important for your American accent. Let’s find out how to make this sound. Ok.

To make the /i/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your lips, tongue, and jaw. Open your mouth a little, stretch your lips as wide as you can, and make them tense. Raise your tongue very high and push it to the front of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.

Let’s begin. • bead • beam • bean • beat • cheap • cheese • clean • cream • each • eve • feel • feet • flea • free • meal • meet • peak • people • piece • please

Sound ou

ou sound

OK, to pronounce the /oʊ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your jaw, lips, and tongue. Partially open your mouth. Round your lips and make them tense, then pull them in a tighter circle. Pull your tongue back and tense it.

Remember, the /oʊ/ is a tense sound, so your lips and tongue should be very tense. Your jaw should be partially lowered. Let’s try saying it: /oʊ/, /oʊ/, /oʊ/. [Pronunciation exercise] Now, let’s practice this sound in some words.

Let’s begin. • blow • boast • boat • bold • bolt • bone • both • bowl • broke • chose • close • clothes • coach • coal • coast • coat • cold • colt • comb • crow • don’t • dope • dough • doze • drove • euro • float • flow • foam • fold.

Sound SH

Sh sound

Speaking about the /ʃ/ consonant, – this sound is made by partially blocking the air, flowing between the blade of your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Slightly open your mouth and round your lips. You may push them out a little. Now, focus on your tongue. Arch your tongue and raise it to the roof of your mouth, but don’t touch it.

Make sure there’s a small gap between them. Next, release a stream of air over your tongue. When the air flows between the blade of your tongue and the roof of your mouth, it’ll create lots of noise. Something like this: /ʃ/. Remember, the fricatives are continuous sounds and so is the /ʃ/ consonant. Let’s try and stretch it out. Ready? /ʃ-ʃ-ʃ-ʃ-ʃ/ Excellent.

blush • bush • dish • finish • fish • leash • publish • push • shake • share • shine • short • shut • shy • wash

[Pronunciation exercise 2] • associate • chef • Chicago • commercial • especially • financial • gracious • grocery • machine • ocean • official • social • special • species • sufficient

[Pronunciation exercise 3] • action • completion • condition • construction • corporation • definition • dictionary • election • emotion • fiction • function • intuition • location • patient • tradition.

Sound CH

Ch sound

To make the /tʃ/ sound, you need to merge the stop /t/ with the fricative /ʃ/ into one sound. First, slightly open your mouth and push out your lips. Now, focus on your tongue. Place the tip of your tongue on the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth.

Let’s begin. • chance • chicken • choose • church • attach • bench • each • lunch • much • peach • porch • touch • which • catch • ketchup • kitchen • match • stitch • switch • watch

[Pronunciation exercise 2] • question • feature • furniture • fortune • creature • culture • digestion • century • mention • adventure • mixture • situation • nature • capture • future

[Pronunciation exercise 3] Next, we suggest you practice words in which the letters ‘ch’ are actually NOT pronounced as the /tʃ/ sound. So, if you pronounce them as /tʃ/, it’s a mispronunciation. • ache • choir • chemical • machine • Christmasschool • character • technique • stomach • orchestra • psychology • headache • technical • chef.

Long vowel U

U sound

OK, to make the /u/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your jaw, lips, and tongue. Open your mouth a little and push your lips out, making a small, tense circle.

Pull your tongue far back in your throat and tense it. Raise the back of the tongue toward the roof of your mouth. Remember, the /u/ is a tense sound, so your lips and tongue should be tense.

Let’s begin. • blew • bloom • blue • boom • boots • broom • chew • choose • cool • crew • dew • do • doom • due • flew • flu • food • fool • fruit • glue • google • goose • grew • group • hoop • juice • June • knew • loop • loose.

Short U

Short U sound

OK, to pronounce the /ʊ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your jaw, lips, and tongue. Slightly open your mouth, round your lips, and relax them. Pull your tongue back in your mouth and relax it. Lift the back of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth.

Let’s begin. [Pronunciation exercise] • book • brook • bull • bush • cook • could • crook • foot • full • good • hood • hoof • hook • look • looked • looks • poor • pull • pulls • push • pushed • put • shook • should • stood • sure • took • wolf • would • wool.

Vowel sound /ʌ/

Cup sound

OK, to make the /ʌ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your lips and tongue. Open your mouth a little, relax your lips, and put them in a neutral position. Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth, not too high or too low.

Let’s begin. • blood • blush • brush • bubble • buckle • bud • bug • bulb • bulk • bum • bump • bun • bunch • bundle • bungle • bus • but • butt • button • buzz • club • come • couple • crumb • crumble • crush • crust • cub • cuddle • cup.

Consonant sound /z/

Sound Z

Now, focus on the position of the tip of your tongue. Raise the tip of your tongue to your alveolar ridge, but don’t touch it. Make sure there’s a small gap between them.

Now, release a stream of air over the tip of your tongue. When the air flows between the tip of your tongue and the alveolar ridge towards your upper teeth, it creates a lot of noise. Something like this: /z/.

Let’s do it together. [Pronunciation exercise 1] • blaze • breeze • buzz • cozy • crazy • doze • freeze • jazz • lazy • prize • realize • size • sneeze • squeeze • zebra • zero • zinc • zip • zone • zoom [Pronunciation exercise 2] • busy • cousin • daisy • deserve • design • desire • easy • music • newspaper • observe • pleasant • poison • presence • raisin • reason • resort • season • Thursday • Tuesday • visit