/p/
pen vs ben
Close both lips, then release a puff of air. No voice in the throat.
β School home
A2 natural pathway
Sounds first, then slang, sentence frames, a large vocabulary bank, grammar swaps, and only then the mock.
Step 1 Β· Sounds, phonetics & connected speech
Master the ear and mouth before the textbook.
44 English sounds. Hear the pair slowly, then at conversation speed, and shadow the example.
/b/
bat vs pat
Same lip pop as /p/, but hum in the throat.
/t/
time vs dime
Tongue tip taps the ridge behind the top teeth. No voice.
/d/
day vs they
Same tap as /t/, with voice. Not the th sound.
/k/
cat vs gat
Back of the tongue hits the soft palate, then releases.
/g/
got vs cot
Same place as /k/, with voice.
/f/
fine vs vine
Top teeth touch the bottom lip. Air only, no voice.
/v/
van vs fan
Same teeth-lip bite, with voice. Feel the buzz.
/ΞΈ/
think vs sink
Tongue tip between the teeth. Air only. Not /s/.
/Γ°/
this vs dis
Tongue between the teeth, with voice. Common in the, this, that.
/s/
see vs she
Tongue near the ridge, air through a narrow groove. Not /Κ/.
/z/
zoo vs sue
Same groove as /s/, with voice.
/Κ/
ship vs sip
Lips slightly round, tongue further back. The 'sh' sound.
/Κ/
measure vs mesher
Voiced 'zh', as in vision and beige.
/h/
hat vs at
Open breath from the throat. Do not use a harsh /x/.
/tΚ/
cheap vs jeep
Stop /t/ then release into /Κ/. Chin may rise.
/dΚ/
joke vs choke
Voiced version of 'ch', as in job and age.
/m/
map vs nap
Lips together, air through the nose.
/n/
night vs light
Tongue tip on the ridge, air through the nose.
/Ε/
sing vs sin
Back of the tongue up, air through the nose. No hard /g/ at the end.
/l/
light vs right
Tongue tip touches the ridge; air flows around the sides.
/r/
right vs light
Tongue bunches or curls, does not touch the ridge. Lips slightly round.
/j/
yes vs Jess
Tongue glides toward /i/. The 'y' sound.
/w/
wet vs vet
Round the lips tightly, then glide. Not /v/.
/iΛ/
sheep vs ship
Smile, tongue high and front. Long. Spread lips.
/Ιͺ/
ship vs sheep
Shorter, more relaxed than /iΛ/. Tongue a little lower.
/e/
bet vs bat
Mid front vowel. Mouth slightly open, not a big /Γ¦/.
/Γ¦/
bat vs bet
Jaw drops, tongue low and front. The flat 'a' in cat.
/ΙΛ/
father vs fatter
Open jaw, tongue low and back. Long.
/Ι/
cot vs caught
Short, rounded, back vowel. Common in British English.
/ΙΛ/
caught vs cot
Longer rounded vowel. Lips in a small circle.
/Κ/
full vs fool
Short, relaxed, slightly rounded. Not the long /uΛ/.
/uΛ/
fool vs full
Lips round and tight, tongue high and back. Long.
/Κ/
cup vs cap
Short central vowel. Relaxed jaw, as in luck.
/ΙΛ/
bird vs beard
Long central vowel. Tongue mid, lips relaxed.
/Ι/
about vs a boat
Schwa. The weak, lazy vowel in unstressed syllables.
/eΙͺ/
late vs let
Glide from /e/ toward /Ιͺ/. The 'ay' sound.
/aΙͺ/
light vs let
Jaw opens then glides to /Ιͺ/. The 'eye' sound.
/ΙΙͺ/
boy vs bow
Rounded start, then glide to /Ιͺ/.
/aΚ/
now vs no
Open jaw, then round toward /Κ/.
/ΙΚ/
go vs gow
Schwa glides into a rounded /Κ/. The 'oh' sound.
/ΙͺΙ/
near vs no
Start at /Ιͺ/ and relax into schwa.
/eΙ/
hair vs here
Start at /e/ and relax into schwa.
/ΚΙ/
tour vs tore
Start rounded /Κ/ and relax into schwa.
Connected speech
gonna = going to
I'm gonna grab a coffee.
The /g/ stays, 'going to' collapses. Fine with friends. In IELTS speaking part 1 it is acceptable if the rest of the answer is clear; write 'going to' in essays.
wanna = want to
Do you wanna sit here?
Don't add a vowel between n and t. Keep it one beat. Avoid it in formal writing.
didja = did you
Didja see that email?
/d/ + /j/ becomes an affricate, like the start of 'jam'. Listen for it in fast questions.
cuppa = cup of
Want a cuppa tea?
'of' becomes schwa /Ι/ and sticks to the noun. This is why small words disappear in listening tests.
lemme = let me
Lemme check the timetable.
/t/ often disappears between consonants. Hearing the missing /t/ is a listening-exam skill.
gotta = got to
I gotta leave at six.
Means 'must' in casual speech, not 'have received'. Don't use it in academic writing.