Common pronunciation mistakes
Fix the pronunciation mistakes that beginners make most often, from “th” to extra vowels.
In this lesson you will
- Avoid common mistakes with th, v/w and final sounds
- Don’t add extra vowels
- Know which letters to leave silent
Learn
Many pronunciation mistakes come from the sounds of your first language. These are the most common, and how to fix them.
th: don’t say tree for three or zis for this. Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth and blow air.
v and w: very (top teeth on bottom lip) is different from wet (round lips, no teeth). Wine and vine are different words.
Extra vowels: don’t add a vowel before or after consonants: school (not “eschool”), street (not “estreet”), big (not “bigu”). English words can end in consonants.
-ed endings: walked is one syllable (“walkt”), not “walk-ed”. Only after t or d do we add a syllable: wanted, needed.
Silent letters and spelling: Wednesday sounds “WENZ-day”, comfortable sounds “COMF-tə-bəl”, vegetable sounds “VEJ-tə-bəl”.
Examples
- three, thank you, this
- very well, wine and vine
- I go to school on the street.
- I walked home.one syllable: walkt
- See you on Wednesday.WENZ-day
Vocabulary
mistake
something that is not correct
“It’s a common mistake.”
tongue
the part of your mouth you taste with
teeth
the white things in your mouth you bite with
lips
the edges of your mouth
Wednesday
the day after Tuesday
“See you on Wednesday.”
comfortable
nice to sit in or wear
“This chair is comfortable.”
Practice
How many syllables does “walked” have?
Speaking
Read aloud: “Three thin thieves thought about the weather on Wednesday. They walked to school and wanted very warm vegetables.”
- th: tongue between teeth.
- v: teeth on lip; w: round lips.
- walked = walkt; wanted = want-id.
Writing
Which sounds are difficult for you in English? Write 3–4 sentences about them and give an example word for each.
Lesson quiz
Which is correct for “cooked”?
Review
Key points
- th: tongue between teeth — three, this.
- v (teeth on lip) ≠ w (round lips).
- No extra vowels: school, street, big.
- -ed adds a syllable only after t or d.
What you learned
- ✓ I can avoid common sound mistakes.
- ✓ I can say -ed endings correctly.
- ✓ I can say tricky words like Wednesday and comfortable.