Complete English Pronunciation Guide for Non-native English Professionals

Getting Better at English Pronunciation

This topic is one of the most popular requests I have as an English Language Coach.
The normal goal of my clients is to sound more ‘native’ when speaking to colleagues and clients – and whilst. I love an accent, I can understand their true meaning is to be clearly understood.

Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be difficult at first, but it gets easier with practice.

Good pronunciation is important because it helps people understand you better.

In work situations, clear pronunciation shows you are professional.

Many people have pronunciation problems because of how they first learned English. If you learned English in your own country, some English sounds might be new and hard to make. You may have been taught my a teacher who has a similar accent to you in English so, further practise with someone else may make you pronounce words differently and perhaps with more clarity.

Understanding the Basics

The first step is to learn about English sounds. English has vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants (all other letters). Each sound is made in a different way with your mouth, lips, and tongue.

To improve your pronunciation:

• Speak slowly at first
• Listen carefully to each sound in a word
• Pay attention to how you move your lips and tongue
• Don’t rush when you speak

5 Important Rules for Better Pronunciation

1. Vowel Sounds

English vowels can sound different in different words. For example, the letter “a” sounds different in “cat” and “cake.” Practice these different sounds.

2. Word Stress

In English words, some parts are said louder and stronger than others. For example, in the word “important,” we stress the second part: im-POR-tant. Learning where to put stress makes your English sound more natural.

3. Pronunciation Symbols

These are special symbols that show you exactly how to say each sound. They might look strange at first, but they are very helpful guides.

Click Here for Full IPA chart

4. Use a Pronunciation Chart

A chart shows you all the English sounds and how to make them. It’s like a map that helps you find the right sound.

5. Practice with Big Mouth Movements

When you practice, make your mouth movements bigger than normal. This helps your mouth “remember” the right positions for each sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHf1PGuTs1M some tongue twisters with mouth movements.

How to Practice

Record Yourself

Use your phone to record your voice. Then listen and compare it to native speakers. This shows you what you need to improve.

Try Tongue Twisters

These are sentences with similar sounds that are hard to say quickly, like “She sells seashells by the seashore.” They help make your pronunciation clearer and faster.

Some practise ones here

Copy Native Speakers

Listen to English speakers and try to copy exactly how they speak. This is called “shadowing.” It helps you learn the natural rhythm of English.

See my blog on the ‘Shadowing’ Technique

Practice Intonation

This means changing your voice up and down when you speak. It makes your English sound more interesting and natural.

Speak Slowly

Don’t worry about speaking fast. Speaking slowly helps you focus on making each sound correctly.

Common Pronunciation Problems for Non-Native Speakers

Difficult Sounds

Some sounds are harder for non-native speakers:

• TH sounds: “think” and “this” – Put your tongue between your teeth
• R and L sounds: “rice” vs “lice” – Practice the difference
• V and W sounds: “very” vs “wary” – Use your teeth for V sounds
• B and P sounds: “big” vs “pig” – B uses your voice, P doesn’t

Silent Letters

English has many silent letters that you don’t pronounce:

• Silent B: lamb, thumb, climb
• Silent L: half, talk, walk
• Silent T: castle, listen, Christmas
• Silent K: knee, knife, know

Word Endings

Pay attention to these common endings:

• -ED endings: Sometimes sounds like /t/, /d/, or /id/
• -S endings: Can sound like /s/, /z/, or /iz/

Using Technology and Other Tips

Today, we have many tools to help with pronunciation:

• Listen to podcasts and watch videos in English
• Watch TV shows and movies in English – I recommend Lingopie for this.
• Use pronunciation apps on your phone
• Try online dictionaries with audio (like Cambridge or Oxford)
• Use YouTube pronunciation videos

You can practice alone or with other people. Practicing alone helps you work on your weak points. Practicing with others gives you feedback and makes it more fun.

Daily Practice Ideas

5-Minute Daily Exercises

• Read one paragraph out loud slowly
• Practice 5 difficult words from your day
• Record yourself saying 3 sentences
• Listen to one English song and repeat the chorus
• Practice tongue twisters for 2 minutes

Weekly Goals

• Learn 10 new words with correct pronunciation
• Watch one English video and copy the speaker
• Practice one grammar pattern out loud
• Record yourself reading for 5 minutes and listen back

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t Do This:

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – they help you learn
• Don’t speak too fast when you’re still learning
• Don’t ignore word stress – it’s very important
• Don’t only focus on individual sounds – practice whole sentences
• Don’t give up if progress seems slow

Do This Instead:

• Practice every day, even for just 5 minutes
• Ask native speakers to correct you
• Use a mirror to watch your mouth when you practice
• Focus on communication, not perfection
• Celebrate small improvements

Useful Phrases for Getting Help

When you need pronunciation help, you can say:

• “How do you pronounce this word?”
• “Can you say that more slowly, please?”
• “Is my pronunciation correct?”
• “Can you repeat that?”
• “What’s the stress pattern in this word?”

Remember

Getting better at pronunciation takes time and patience. Don’t expect quick results. Practice a little bit every day, and you will slowly improve. The most important thing is to keep trying and not give up.

Every native speaker started as a beginner too. Some days will be harder than others, but if you keep practicing, you will definitely get better.

With regular practice using these methods, your English pronunciation will become clearer and more confident. Good luck with your English learning journey!