Category Archives: Accent reduction

• Helloo(w) December

  The “o” sound in American English is long and has a slight “w” sound at the end. To sound like a native speaker, double this vowel sound and really round your lips at the end.

• Happy “Th”anksgiving!

  The “th” sound is made with the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, and with moving air. If you speak with an accent that tends to substitute an “s” or “z” sound, such as Russian, think of the “th” like an “s” with the tongue between the teeth. If you speak […]

• Dressed to kill

  The only time the past tense -ed ending is pronounced as a separate syllable “id” is when the verb ends in a “t” or “d” sound. Since “dress” does not end in a “t” or “d” sound, the past tense ending is not a separate syllable. The word “dressed” is pronounced “drest”. The expression “dressed […]

• The colors of fall

  Autumn brings colorful leaves. In American English, the letter “o” is often not an “o” sound. In the word color, the letter “o” is a schwa sound, pronounced “uh”, in both syllables. Color is pronounced “cuh-ler”. 

• Hello October!

  The “er” ending, as in “October”, is a common ending of words. In accents with a British English influence, this “r” sound is pronounced less sharply and sounds more like a vowel sound compared to that in American English. We use more tension in the tongue for a sharp “errr” sound.