British Pronunciation Tips

The Silent B: What English Doesn’t Say

Why do we write letters we don’t pronounce? In this episode, we explore the silent “b” in words like lamb, thumb, comb, debt, doubt and subtle, and uncover the history behind it. By the end, you’ll see how English spelling reflects its past, and why pronunciation doesn’t always follow the rules. If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki. https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274 [https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274]

British Vowel Sound Masterclass: Lesson 13 - 3 'O' Sounds PRACTICE

Practice three key British vowel sounds: /ɒ/, /əʊ/, and /ɔː/. Improve your pronunciation with clear examples and focused contrast exercises. Transcript: /ɒ/ — octopus, on, olive, lot, stop, dog, clock, box, shop, pocket, orange, problem, bottle /ɔː/ — door, floor, more, short, born, or, ornament, four, core, store, before, score /əʊ/ — open, ocean, oak, go, home, nose, road, stone, hope, boat, don’t /ɒ/ and /ʌ/: cot - cup, cot – cut, not – nut, lock – luck, stock – stuck, cop – cup, pot - putt, rock - ruck, sock - suck, mock - muck, dock - duck, rob - rub /ɒ/ and /ɔː/: cot – caught, stock – stalk, cod – cord, collar – caller, pot - port, shot - short, flock - fork, wok - walk, Don - dawn, not - nought, cot - court, stop - stork /əʊ/ and /ɔː/: so – saw, no – nor, go – gore, toe – tore, load – lord, bow - bore, low - law, row - roar, show - shore, code - cord /əʊ/ and /ɒ/: no – not, go – got, code – cod, hope – hop, load – lot, rode – rod, robe – rob, choke - chock, toad - Tod If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki. https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274 [https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274]

British Vowel Sound Masterclass: Lesson 13 - 3 “O” Sounds: /ɒ/ vs /ɔː/ vs /əʊ/

In this episode, we focus on three key British vowel sounds linked to the letter O that learners often confuse: /ɒ/ (as in octopus), /əʊ/ (as in go), and /ɔː/ (as in door). You’ll learn how to clearly distinguish these sounds by focusing on mouth position, length, and movement—not just how they sound, but how they feel when you produce them. We break down: * The difference between /ɒ/ and /ʌ/ (e.g. cot vs cut) * The contrast between /ɒ/ and /ɔː/ (e.g. cot vs caught) * How to correctly produce the diphthong /əʊ/ and avoid flattening it * Key distinctions between movement vs stillness and length vs glide You’ll also practise with clear minimal pairs to build awareness and control. By the end, you’ll have a simple framework: * /ɒ/ = short and open * /ɔː/ = long and rounded * /əʊ/ = moving from neutral to rounded In the next episode, we’ll focus on practice to help you build consistency and accuracy. If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki. https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274 [https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274]

British Vowel Sound Masterclass: Lesson 12 - OOOh my gosh! its so confusing - Sounds of the letter O

In this episode, you will learn the main sounds of the letter O in British English and how to produce them clearly. We focus on mouth position, sound length, and the small differences that change meaning. This is a practical introduction to help you recognise and pronounce these sounds with more confidence. If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki. https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274 [https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274]

Why does Tuna have a CH

You may have noticed that British speakers often say tuna with a “ch” sound, while Americans say it with a clear t. Why is that? In this episode, we’ll look at why this difference in pronunciation happens and explore the pattern behind it. You’ll also hear how this sound shows up in connected speech If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki. https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274 [https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274]