12. Learning To Listen To American English

The key to learning to speak like a native is learning to open your ears to the sounds and rhythm of American English. As you tune your ear to the sounds of English you'll be better at pronouncing them correctly.  To go deeper into training your ear to hear, join Pronunciation Pro now! https://pronunciationpro.com/  Listening Exercise #1: Long /A/ vs short /e/ Paper - pepper Wait - wet Taste - test Late - let Waste - west Listening Exercise #2:  Short /o/ vs Short /u/ Hot - hut Bought - but Caught - cut Lock - luck Mom - mum 10 examples of words that are spelled different than they are pronounced. Thought: /thot/ Doubt: /dowt/ - no /b/ Wednesday: /wens-dA/ February: /feb-yoo-wAr-ee/ Receipt: /ree-seet/ no /p/ Island: /I-lind/ - no /s/ and reduced /a/ Asthma: /as-mu/ - no /th/ Colonel: /ker-nul/ Hors d’œuvres (French): /or-dervs/ - Other French words: bouillon, casserole, vinaigrette, protege, ballet, bouquet, boutique, silhouette, etiquette, faux pas Zucchini: /zoo-kee-nee/  (Italian) - pinata (Spanish)