The sounds of English

Goal:Train your ear to hear the difference between two similar sounds.

1. Tap the audio and listen. You can listen more than once.
2. Choose the word you heard.
3. After you answer, play both words to compare the sounds.
4. Say both words out loud. Notice what your mouth does in each one.

Tip:Tense vowels are longer and need more muscle: sheep, food. Relaxed vowels are shorter: ship, foot.

Goal:Find the word with a different vowel sound.

1. Tap the audio to hear the four words, one by one.
2. Listen to the vowel in each word. Ignore the spelling.
3. Choose the word whose vowel sound is different.
4. Play the words again and read the explanation.

Tip:Words can look alike and sound different (food, good), or look different and sound alike (blue, too).

Goal:Choose the diphthong you hear.

1. Tap the audio and listen to the word.
2. A diphthong is two vowel sounds in one syllable. Your mouth moves while you say it.
3. Choose the option with the diphthong you heard.
4. Say the word out loud and feel how your mouth and tongue move.

Tip:Slide from the first sound to the second without stopping, like the sound in time or in day.

Goal:Choose the right answer about a consonant sound.

1. Read the question carefully.
2. Tap the audio and listen as many times as you need.
3. Choose your answer. You will see right away if it is correct.
4. Read the explanation. If it was hard, go back to the section above and listen to the examples again.

Tip:Voiced sounds make your throat vibrate (like /v/, /z/, /ð/). Voiceless sounds do not (like /f/, /s/, /θ/). Put your fingers on your throat to feel it.

Goal:Find the strong syllable in each word.

1. Tap the audio and listen to the word.
2. Listen for the syllable that is longer and louder. The other syllables are short and weak.
3. Tap that syllable.
4. Read the feedback, and then say the word out loud with only one strong syllable.

Tip:Every English word with two or more syllables has one strong syllable. Many two-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable, and many two-syllable verbs on the second.

Goal:Listen and complete the missing words.

1. Tap the play button next to a line and listen. You can listen as many times as you want.
2. Tap a word in the vocabulary box. You hear the word and it goes into the next empty blank. You can also type the word.
3. The box has pairs of words that sound similar, and half of the words are extra. Use the meaning of the sentence to choose.
4. Tap Check to see which blanks are correct. Fix the others and check again.
5. Stuck? Tap Show solution and read the answers. Then tap Try again and do it without help.

Tip:If two words sound almost the same, read the whole sentence again. The context tells you which one fits.

Goal:Use prolong, stress and connect together in complete sentences.

1. Listen to a sentence with the marks.
2. Look at the small label below it. It tells you which habit to practice in that sentence.
3. Repeat the sentence out loud. Prolong the long vowels, make one syllable strong in each word, and connect the words.
4. Hide the marks and say it again from memory.

Tip:Use only one habit at a time at first. When it feels natural, add the next one.

Goal:Check what you learned in this part.

1. Tap the audio button and listen to the question or the sentence.
2. Choose your answer. The bar at the top shows your progress.
3. You see the explanation right away. Read it before you go to the next question.
4. At the end you see your result and what to do next.

Tip:A good goal is 70% or more. If you get less, go back to the sections you missed, listen in Slow mode, and take the quiz again. It is normal to repeat it.