berry and very

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /b/ and the other the sound /v/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/b/ has the same mouth position as /p/, but using your voice. Try saying /p/ and then holding your neck to make sure that your voice is being used when you say /b/. There should be a sudden release of air as you say the sound, meaning that it is impossible to extend it.

/v/ has the same mouth shape as /f/, but using your voice. Put your top teeth on your bottom lip. It is possible to extend this sound for as long as you like.

If you are practising on your own, try saying both words and making sure your pronunciation of each is different, for example by looking at your mouth shape in the mirror.

Intermediate
bale* veil
bars vase
bent vent*
best vest
bet vet

Upper-Intermediate
bane* vain
bury very
bow (v/n) vow
lobes* loaves
rebel revel*

buy and pie

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /b/ and the other the sound /p/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

The main difference between /b/ and /p/ is that /b/ is a voiced sound, whereas /p/ is just produced by the puff of air. Also, /b/ is pronounced with less air released than /p/, and this can sometimes be a more useful distinction as it is difficult to feel the vocal cords vibrating when making the /b/ sound.

Intermediate

• banned panned*

• bare pare*

• base pace

• beak* peak

• bear pear

• beat peat*

• bee pee*

• bitch* pitch

• blain* plain

• blank plank*

• blot* plot

• board pawed*

• bow pow*

• braise* prays

• bride pride

• browed* proud

• burr* per

• robe rope

Upper-Intermediate

• bah* par

• bead peed*

• beak* peek

• bier* peer

• blaster* plaster

• bleed plead*

• blink plink*

• bore pour

• braise* praise

• breast pressed

• breech* preach

• brick prick*

• cab cap

• rib rip

• tribe tripe*

thin and thing

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /n/ and the other having the sound /ŋ/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

Both /n/ and /ŋ/ are pronounced with air coming through your nose, with you blocking the air in your mouth with the front of your tongue for /n/ and the back of your tongue for /ŋ/.

Intermediate
pan pang*
pin ping*
ran rang
tin ting*
ton tongue

Upper-Intermediate
ban bang
banned banged
bun bung*
hun* hung
pond ponged*
tan tang*

alive and arrive

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /r/ and the other the sound /l/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/l/ is pronounced with a large flap of the tongue. The best way to make it clear that you aren’t pronouncing /r/ is to bend your tongue as far back as you can in your mouth, and flick it forward as you say /l/. (You can help control your tongue by holding one hand next to your mouth with your fingers in the same position as your tongue, and flick your fingers at the same time as your tongue.)

/r/ is pronounced many different ways in various English-speaking countries and regions, so it is not particularly useful to ask students to base their pronunciation on what native speakers do with their mouths. As making a distinction is the most important thing, it is often better to exaggerate the differences between the two sounds. These descriptions are therefore meant to be useful for students rather than explanations of usual pronunciations.

/r/ is totally unlike /l/ for English speakers. In fact, some people pronounce it much more like /w/. The best way of making the distinction is try to move your tongue as little as possible when making the sound. (You can use your hand to help in the same way as suggested with /l/, but this time keeping your hand still. It can also help to start with your top teeth just touching the back of your bottom lip.)

Intermediate
clown crown
fleas* freeze
glow* grow
lack rack*
lair* rare
lake rake*
lamb ram*
lane rain
lather* rather
laze raise
lead read
leech* reach
lies rise
lip rip
list wrist
lob* rob
locket rocket
loot* root
lows rose
pilot pirate

Upper Intermediate
belly berry
blues bruise
blush brush
flee free
flees freeze
laid raid
lamp ramp
lank* rank
lap wrap
late rate
lay ray
lead red
leer* rear
lentil rental
lid rid
lot rot
loyal royal
play pray

catch and cat

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /ʧ/ and the other the sound /t/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/t/ is pronounced by putting the tip of your tongue against the top of your mouth just behind your top teeth and pulling it down, making the "tut tut" sound you make when you disapprove of something. The tongue and mouth positions are the same as when you pronounce /d/, but with /t/ the voice is not used and you release more air.

/ʧ/ is pronounced without your tongue moving and with more air released than with /t/. It is similar to the sound of a sneeze, and the air released should be able to move a piece of paper or be felt on your hand five centimetres in front of your mouth. It is most similar to the sound /ʤ/, but again without the voice and with more air released.

Intermediate
belch* belt
bench bent
chair tear
chap* tap
chat tat*
cheat teat*
cheek teak*
chew too
chill till
chin tin
chop top
itch it
parch* part
punch punt*
touch tut
wrench* rent

Upper-Intermediate
arch art
batch* bat
bitch bit
bunch bunt*
chart tart
cheer tear
chick tick
chore tore
hitch hit
hunch hunt
march mart
patch pat
pitch pit
porch port
Scotch Scot
witch wit

sea and she

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /s/ and the other the sound /ʃ/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/ʃ/ is produced with a much more rounded mouth than /s/, and is the sound we make when we want people to be quiet. If you use your voice with that mouth position, you get the middle sound in "pleasure" and "television".

/s/ is said with the lips pulled back more, with the same mouth position as /z/ but without using your voice.

Intermediate
fist fished
mess mesh*
rust rushed
sank shank*
saw shore
scene sheen*
seed she’d
seek chic
seep* sheep
sell shell
sew show
sign shine
sit shit
sot* shot

Upper-Intermediate
ass ash
crust crushed
mass mash
sack shack
said shed
sail shale*
sake shake
same shame
seize she’s
sigh shy
sin shin
sip ship
sue shoe

fan and van

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /f/ and the other having /v/ in its place. You can use these lists to practise the sounds or to tell you which words to be careful to pronounce properly.

This page uses the symbols of the Phonemic Chart. You can listen to the symbols here.

/f/ and /v/ are pronounced with the same mouth position of the top teeth biting the bottom lip, but with /f/ pronounced with more air and no use of the voicebox.

Intermediate

• fear veer*

• fee V

• file vile*

• foul vowel

• half halve

• life live (adjective)

• proof prove

• safe save

• waif* wave

Upper-Intermediate

• belief believe

• fail veil

• fault vault*

• feel veal

• feign* vain

• fender vendor

• fetch vetch*

• foist* voiced

• grief grieve

• reef reeve*

• staff starve

• surf serve

fat and hat

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /h/ and the other having the sound /f/. You can use these lists to practise the sounds or to tell you which words to be careful to pronounce properly.

This page uses the symbols of the Phonemic Chart. You can listen to the symbols here.

/h/ is pronounced with a puff of air from a wide open mouth so that, for example, "ha" can be said without changing your mouth position. It is similar to blowing steam onto your glasses so you can clean them and a bit like a sigh.

/f/ is pronounced with a much smaller mouth than /h/, with the teeth near or touching the bottom lip. This means that, unlike "ha", you have to open your mouth wider to say the second part of the word "far". Using the same mouth position as /f/, your voice produces the sound /v/.

Intermediate
fail hail
fare hare*
farm harm
fear hear
fight height
fill hill
fix hicks*
foal* whole
fog hog*
force horse

Upper-Intermediate
faced haste
fad had
fake hake*
fang* hang
feed he’d
fell hell
fence hence
foam home
fop* hop
fug* hug
phase haze*

free and three

This page uses the symbols of the Phonemic Chart. You can listen to the symbols here.

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the consonant sound /f/ and the other having the consonant sound /θ/ in its place. You can use these lists to practise the sounds or to tell you which words to be careful to pronounce properly.

Both sounds are unvoiced, meaning that you can make the sound just by blowing out air without needing to use your voice. /f/ has the same mouth position as the voiced sound /v/, with the top teeth on the bottom lip and the tongue inside the mouth. /θ/ has the mouth more open with the tongue between the teeth or even poking out of the mouth. You can practise /θ/ by making sure your tongue touches a finger placed on your lips when you say the words below.

Intermediate

• fin thin

• first thirst

• for thaw

• fresh thresh

• freeze threes

• fro throw

• froze throws

Upper-Intermediate

• fief thief

• firm Therm

• fort thought

• frill thrill

• furred third

sing and thing

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /s/ and the other the sound /θ/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

At least while you are making a conscious effort to do so, it is fairly easy to pronounce these two sounds differently. /θ/ is pronounced with your tongue between your teeth or even sticking out of your mouth, and you can make sure you pronounce it clearly by putting your finger vertically in front of your lips and checking that it gets wet when you make this sound. /s/ is pronounced with the tongue well inside your mouth and the mouth much more widely stretched.

Intermediate
miss myth
pass path
race wraith*
seem theme
some thumb
sore thaw*
truce* truth
use(n) youth

Upper-Intermediate
gross growth*
purse Perth*
seam* theme
sigh thigh
sin thin
sought thought
sum thumb

with and whizz

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /ð/ and the other the sound /z/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/ð/ is similar to the sound /θ/ in "thing" and so is also pronounced with your tongue touching or between your teeth. It can be useful to practise by sticking your tongue right out of your mouth. You can check if you are doing so with a mirror or by putting a finger in front of your lips that should get moist each time. /ð/ in "that" uses your voice, which is why it is sometimes confused with the voiced sound /z/.

/z/ is pronounced with the mouth in the same position as with /s/, but using the vocal cords. The tongue is well inside the mouth, and it can also help to spread the lips thin and wide to make the sound unlike /ð/.

Intermediate

• clothing closing

• seethe* seas

• teethe* teas

• teething teasing

• tithe* ties

Upper-Intermediate

• bathe bays

• breathe breeze

• loathe lows

• soothe* sues

page and pays

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /ʤ/ and the other having the sound /z/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/ʤ/ is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /ʧ/ and therefore almost like a sneeze and so it is impossible to extend the sound for very long. /z/ is a smooth sound that is a voiced version of /s/ and so can be extended as long as you like.

Intermediate

• binge* bins

• gauge* gays

• gunge* guns

• Jew zoo

• rage* raise

• strange strains*

• tinge* tins

Upper-Intermediate

• flange* flans

• fudge fuzz*

• mage* maze

• marge Mars

• rage rays

• sarge* SARS

• siege seize

• singe* sins

bad and badge

Below are lists of words that vary only by one having the sound /d/ and the other having the sound /ʤ/. You can use this to practise the sounds or as a list of words to be careful to pronounce properly.

/ʤ/ is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /ʧ/ and therefore quite a lot of air is expelled from a rounded mouth. /d/ is a voiced version of /t/ and so the sound is made with your tongue behind your top teeth.

Intermediate

• charred* charge

• dale* jail

• jet debt

• jig* dig

• jug dug

• junk dunk*

• just dust

• led ledge*

• mid midge*

• weighed wage

Upper-Intermediate

• CAD cadge

• day jay

• deans jeans

• dock jock*

• dread dredge*

• gel dell*

• gip* dip

• jam damn

• raid rage

• rid ridge*

• seed siege

• sled sledge

• wed wedge