Category Archives: Accent reduction

• June bug

  It’s June bug season. A June bug, sometimes called June beetle, is a beetle that appears in the Northern Hemisphere in late spring or early summer. The first sound of the word “June” is a “j” sound. You can think of “j” as a combination of “d” and “zh”. Spanish speakers often pronounce this sound […]

• Memorial Day

  Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States. It is observed on the last Monday of May. Did you know that the “l” sound at the end of a word or syllable, as in “Memorial”, is made differently than the “l” sound at the beginning? The “l” sound at the beginning of a […]

• Smile!

  Have you ever noticed that American speakers seem to smile when they talk? At least, we really don’t use our lips much. American English has less lip rounding than many other languages. So smile when you talk — it does wonders for reducing your accent!

• Mother’s Day

  The word “mother” has a “th” sound. The “th” sound is made with the tongue tip between the teeth. The tongue does not stop the air like the “d” sound. Instead, there is a slight flow of air between the tongue and the teeth. Did you remember your mother on Mother’s Day?

• Hello May

  American English has “glided” vowel sounds. This means there is a slight “w” or “y” sound at the end. (The glides are the “w” and “y” sounds.) The “ay” sound in American English, as in “May”,  is longer than in some other languages and has a slight “y” sound at the end. To sound like […]