Audio: Interactive pronunciation - the sounds of English

A2, B1, B2, C1, (C2)

Written English isn't phonetic. For this reason, it is often difficult to know the pronunciation of a word from its spelling. The diagram to the right shows the phonetic transcription of the main sounds in English. If you learn them, it will help you to (a) memorize the pronunciation of individual words (b) pronounce individual sounds more easily - especially those that don't exist in your own language.

In this activity you will hear each sound and example words that contain the sound. Activity time: 10 to 30 minutes.  

Task: If you don't have much time, click only on the symbols in yellow. These represent the sounds that pose particular problems for French speakers. 
1 Click on each symbol.  Listen to the sound and the three words which contain the sound. Listen again and repeat. 
2 Come back to the activity a week or two later. Say aloud  the words under each symbol to test yourself. Then listen again to check.


Go to the activity here.