Category Archives: Accent reduction

• Like mother, like daughter

  In British English, the word “daughter” is pronounced with a vowel sound that is used commonly in British English, but is no longer used in American English.  In American English, “daughter” has the same vowel sound as the word “father” (pronounced “dah-der”). The sound is pronounced with a more open mouth and further forward in […]

• Happy Spring!

  In American English, the “r” sound is made with the tongue still and not touching the roof of the mouth. This sound is not rolled or trilled as it is in many other languages. Think of a dog growling, “errr”. In the word “spring”, it can help to stretch out the word in practicing this […]

• Are you going to wear green?

  Many people wear green on March 17 in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day. The “ee” sound (as in the word “green”) is usually spelled with a letter “e” alone or in combination with other vowel letters (examples: ee, ea, ie); whereas the letter “i” in American English is usually NOT pronounced “ee”, as it is […]

• March wind

  March is known to be a windy month in some areas of the United States. The noun, “wind” has a different vowel sound than the verb, “wind”. Just as a sea “bass” has a different vowel sound than a “bass” drum. Same spelling — pronounced differently! In American English, you can’t be sure how a […]

• Let it snow

  In some parts of the U.S., February is full of this fluffy, white stuff! In the phrase “let it snow”, the “t” at the end of “let” is pronounced the same as “d”. This is because it links into a vowel sound. When “t” at the end of a word connects to a vowel sound […]