English spelling is a poor guide to pronunciation: the same letters are pronounced in several ways, and many letters are silent. Pronouncing well means working on three levels: individual sounds, stress and rhythm, and the way words link together in speech.
The sounds
English has around twenty vowel sounds, including diphthongs, and several consonants that French speakers do not have, such as the two TH sounds.
think /θ/ · this /ð/
Stress, rhythm and connected speech
Each word has a stressed syllable, and its place can change from one word to a related one. In connected speech, unstressed words shrink and words run into each other.
PHOtograph · phoTOgraphy
Accents
car : the R is pronounced in most American accents, not in standard British English
The classic traps
Pairs that only one sound separates, words that look alike but sound different, silent letters: a short story for each.
ship / sheep · though / through / thorough
- The Maritime Mistake - Ship, Sheep, and Sheet
- The Bird-Watcher's Crisis - Beard, Bird, Bear, and Beer
- The Tough Woodsman - Though, Through, and Thorough
- The Kitchen Nightmare - Recipe, Receipt, and Knead
- The Architect's Headache - Silent Letters and Chaos
- The Desert Dessert - Homophones and Confusing Pairs
See also: English tenses and modals and preparing for an English exam.