The following problems occur frequently but are relatively easy to remedy. Additions to this list are decided upon based on requests by visitors and members.
Common English Problems
We suggest you record yourself saying the words below. Then play back your pronunciation of the words and compare your words to the pronunciation in a dictionary. Dictionary.com has audio for most words.
Mispronunciation Errors – Using “S” sound instead of “Z” sound
The following words are common mispronunciation problems for many students. The “s” in these words should be pronounced with a “z” sound.
Was, wasn’t, is, isn’t, does, doesn’t, his, hers, he’s, she’s, these, those, ours, and because.
Words often pronounced incorrectly
“Ask” Some people say “aks”
“Says” (is pronounced, “sez”)
“Said” (is pronounced “sed”)
“Women” (is pronounced “wimin”)
“Mountain” (final syllable rhymes with “win”)
“Clothes” (commonly pronounced as “close”. There is actually a very slight “th” sound)
“Recipe” (The final “e” is a long vowel and sounds like “recipee”)
“Height” (has a “t” sound at the end, not a “th” sound)
“Supposedly” (a common mistake is pronouncing this supposebly)
“World” (is pronounced “were uld”)
Pronunciation (do not say pronounciation)
Common English Problems- Mispronounced Words with Silent Letters
Receipt ends with “seat” (sounds like “re-seat”, p is silent)
Debt rhymes with “met” ( sounds like “det”, b is silent)
Comb rhymes with “home” (“kome”, b is silent)
Tomb rhymes with “boom” (sounds like “toom”, final b is silent)
Bomb rhymes with “mom” (sounds like “bomb”, final b is silent)
Climb rhymes with “lime, dime, and crime” (sounds like “klime”, final b is silent)
Be careful of constant repetition of the same word. Often this is due to lack of sufficient vocabulary.
Practice
Work on these common English problems. Use a book, magazine, newspaper or select and copy any online article, then circle the words discussed in this section.
Record the article that you have chosen, then listen to the recording to make certain your pronunciation is accurate.