English pronunciation practice — how to pronounce English words clearly (free course)

The 24 lessons

Each lesson has the idea, a worked example, unlimited practice with “Show me how”, a 20-question test and worksheets. Pass a lesson’s test to earn its badge; pass every lesson in a part to earn that part’s certificate (sign in to keep badges, certificates and progress).

Part 1 · Sounds

Ages 8–14 — long and short vowels, v and w, s and sh, the th sounds, p/f and b/v, minimal pairs, and the -s and -ed endings.

1. 🐏 Lesson 1 Short and long vowels Which word fits? “The ___ has soft white wool.” → sheep
2. 🎻 Lesson 2 v and w sounds Which word fits? “My shoes are ___ from the rain.” → wet
3. 🐚 Lesson 3 s and sh sounds Which word starts with the same sound as “shop”? → shout
4. 👅 Lesson 4 th sounds (thin, this) Is the “th” in “three” like the “th” in “thin” or in “this”? → as in …
5. 🦷 Lesson 5 p and f, b and v Which word fits? “Turn on the ___; it is hot.” → fan
6. 🪢 Lesson 6 Minimal pairs practice Choose the right word: “Dad uses a razor to ___.” → shave
7. 🐈 Lesson 7 -s endings: s, z or iz How does the -s ending of “buses” sound? → “iz” (an extra beat)
8. 🏇 Lesson 8 -ed endings: t, d or id How does the -ed ending of “wanted” sound? → “id” (an extra beat)

Part 2 · Spelling and sound

Ages 9–16 — silent letters, ea/oo/ough, homophones, commonly mispronounced words, syllables, the schwa, and letter names vs sounds.

9. 🤐 Lesson 9 Silent letters Which letter is silent in “knife”? → k
10. 🦔 Lesson 10 Same spelling, different sound In which word does “ea” sound the same as in “bread”? → breakfast
11. 🦌 Lesson 11 Homophones by sound Which word sounds exactly like “knight”? → night
12. 🌠 Lesson 12 Commonly mispronounced words How do you say “Wednesday”? (CAPITALS = stressed) → WENZ-day
13. 🥁 Lesson 13 Counting syllables How many syllables (beats) are in “elephant”? → 3
14. 🍃 Lesson 14 The schwa (weak “uh”) Which part of “a-bout” has the weak “uh” sound (schwa)? → a
15. 🔣 Lesson 15 Letter names vs sounds Say the letters by name. Which goes before “MBA”: “a” or “an”? → an
16. 🎐 Lesson 16 Practice: spelling and sound Which letter is silent in “write”? → w

Part 3 · Stress and rhythm

Ages 11–18 — word stress in nouns, verbs and long words, sentence stress, weak forms, linking, question intonation and polite intonation.

17. 🎚️ Lesson 17 Word stress: nouns and verbs “Let us record a video of the dance.” — where is the stress in “recor…
18. 🐍 Lesson 18 Stress in long words Which syllable is stressed in “photography”? → pho-TOG-ra-phy (2nd)
19. 🪘 Lesson 19 Sentence stress In “I want a cup of tea.” which word is NOT stressed (said quickly)? …
20. 💨 Lesson 20 Weak forms In “Who is this parcel for?” is “for” said weak or strong? → Strong (…
21. ⛓️ Lesson 21 Linking sounds Say “turn off” smoothly. Which shows how it sounds? → tur-noff
22. 🎼 Lesson 22 Intonation in questions “Where do you live?” — does your voice usually go up or down at the e…
23. 🫖 Lesson 23 Polite intonation Offering a choice: “Would you like tea or coffee?” On which word does…
24. 🏵️ Lesson 24 Final pronunciation test Which syllable is stressed in “begin”? → be-GIN (2nd)

What is pronunciation practice, and why does it matter?

Pronunciation is how we say words: the sounds, the beats (syllables), which beat is strong (stress), and how the voice rises and falls (intonation). Good pronunciation is not about sounding British or American — Indian English is a proud variety of English. It is about being understood easily by everyone, in class, in interviews and on calls. Many learners in India mix up a few sounds because their first language does not separate them: v and w (“vest” and “west”), s and sh, the two th sounds, long and short vowels (ship and sheep). Others add an extra beat (“jump-ed”, “is-school”), say silent letters, or stress the wrong syllable (DEVelop instead of deVELop). This free course works on exactly these points in three parts: Part 1 (sounds), Part 2 (spelling and sound) and Part 3 (stress and rhythm). Questions are spoken aloud by your browser’s voice, the examples can be practised with the microphone, and stress is shown with CAPITALS — no phonetic symbols needed. Ten minutes a day, said out loud, makes a real difference.

Free pronunciation worksheets (PDF)

40 questions per sheet with an answer key — print, save as PDF or solve online.

• Short and Long Vowel Sounds Worksheet
• V and W Pronunciation Worksheet
• S and SH Sounds Worksheet
• TH Sound Pronunciation Worksheet
• P F B V Sounds Worksheet
• Minimal Pairs Worksheet
• Plural S Pronunciation Worksheet
• ED Pronunciation Worksheet
• Silent Letters Worksheet
• Same Spelling Different Sound Worksheet
• Homophones Pronunciation Worksheet
• Commonly Mispronounced Words Worksheet
• Syllable Counting Worksheet
• Schwa Sound Worksheet
• Letter Names and Sounds Worksheet
• Spelling and Pronunciation Worksheet
• Word Stress Worksheet
• Word Stress Long Words Worksheet
• Sentence Stress Worksheet
• Weak Forms Worksheet
• Linking Sounds Worksheet
• Question Intonation Worksheet
• Polite Intonation Worksheet
• English Pronunciation Test Worksheets

English Pronunciation Practice questions