How to improve my accent in English

Hello! I would love to help you! I first need to hear your accent to know which exercises will be helpful. What is your native language, and which type of English pronunciation are you interested in achieving? Please feel free to sign up for one of my trial classes so I can hear your voice and we can discuss what you need :)

In my opinion, first of all, it's important to recognize the differences between accent and pronunciation. Please remember that even native speakers have their regional accents; such as England, different states of the USA, Canada, and places like Australia, therefore, accents are not overly important. However, when accents are affecting understanding, that's when it can present problems. This is often the case when there is misplaced stress on words such as the 'control'. Some Spanish speakers tend to put the stress on the first syllable so they pronounce it CONtrol whereas native speakers pronounce it on the second syllable like this conTROL.

My most important suggestion is the following:

1. Spend time every day reading for at least 10 minutes out loud. Don't rush, feel free to read slower than you usually do, but pay close attention to your annunciation. When you do this practice for a while take the time to notice words or sounds that give you some challenges (particular words or letter combinations). Then look for words that have these sounds and practice them.

2. Listen to news programs in English every day as this will give you more sound and stress references. Taking into account that the stress may be different depending on where the news program is from.

I myself have used these suggestions with my Spanish learning and they have helped tremendously.

I hope you find this to be of help. Please let me know.

Take care and have a great day.

Sean

Hi there,

A good way to improve pronunciation is to learn the phonetic alphabet, which helps a lot with knowing how words are pronounced. Recording yourself using the recorder on your phone is a helpful way to hear how you sound and compare your pronunciation to native speakers' prononciation. Watching TV shows, movies and videos is also a good way to work on your pronunciation at the same time as your comprehension skills. Hope that helps. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

Read a passage of a book you love out loud with the help of a teacher, and take notes throughout. Then go back home, print the passage on paper and read the same every day until you get yourself familiar with the correct pronunciation, accent, fluency, cadence, and prosody, while recording your reading. Then listen to the record, and repeat until you feel that you have made a decent step ahead. If you truly enjoy the passage, you will notice how more easily the process flows. Literature is magic. Then, expand that practice with the help of a teacher. Proceed by degrees. It takes time and dedication. Enjoy the results. Have a good day!

Hello there!

Reducing your accent is a hard job, and it needs a lot of work to do it. Even you work hard, we can't be like natives most of the times. My suggestion is watching series. Especially sitcoms, and try to focus on their reactions & pronunciation. Also, of course check the words from the dictionaries( online).

Hello, Practice makes perfect. My accent is decidedly NEW YORK/East Coast American but I am happy to work with you! I always suggest watching movies, TV, or videos in American English with the CC turned on so you can see the words.

I'm happy to work with you on line if you like.

Talk with me. No other brilliant ideas because a student would probably repeat the same problem.

Choose the accent you would like the most, be it American or British for example, listen carefully to the films and audio tapes on line and try to repeat what you hear orally while you do that. You may even record your voice as you are making progress, or record your voice along side what you hear, to see how they compare and talk as much as you can, remembering there are a variety of accents out there and you shouldn't feel less capable then anyone else who's trying. The importance is to speak clearly and not to mumble as you speak if you do. Good luck!

There are some good pronunciation book that you can buy that show where your tongue should be in order to get your mouth in the correct form to pronounce a sound.

You could do shadowing. You have to have a track and the text or subtitles. Listen to it trying to really pick up the pronunciation. Afterward, repeat while you're playing the track. Do that until you manage speed and intonation exactly like the track.

You can also tape yourself and listen to find where you're making mistakes.

Happy to provide my thoughts on this questions. Pronunciation fits into two categories. The first are slight variations that have no impact on communication. These tend to involve consonant sounds where the tongue is just slightly off making the consonant lighter/heavier than how a first-language speaker would say the sound. These are just like accents of English (e.g. about: "ab-out", "ab-ewt"), and I advise students not to worry about them. It is ok to be influenced by where you grew up and your personal speaking patterns. However, a second category of accents can cause problems with communication, fluency and even spelling. They include mispronouncing both vowel and consonant sounds as the tongue, teeth or jaw are out of place. Common examples include difficulty with separating L and R for Japanese speakers, /th/ for young Arabic speakers and the rounding of the lips for vowels by French speakers. The key is identifying the specific sound causing difficulty, targeted instruction on how to make the sound accurately, targeted practice and endless patience. I have a Brazilian student (first language Portuguese) who tended to voice the letter e in ed endings (eg. danced = "danc-e-d"). When we started a year ago, this error occurred 99% of the time. Now it only seems to pop up about twice every 3-4 classes. Realistically the goal will never be 100% because tiredness, stress or other factors such as switching quickly between languages during the same conversation will result in slipping back into old habits. But, those occasional moments no longer influence her ability to communicate because the majority of the time she is accurate in her pronunciation.

Few strategies....

1) Know specifically what type of mispronunciation is happening - vowel, consonant, voiced, unvoiced, position of tongue/teeth/jaw etc.

2) Have lessons that target the error with someone who can explain exactly what you are doing and what needs to change.

3) Do targeted practice activities. For example, I recorded the -ed words that the student had the most difficulty with and each class I would pick ten randomly. She would read them one at a time, repeat the word, repeat it again as part of a sentences and repeat it a third time in a question. If an error occurred, I would stop her right away, review what was causing the problem, model the word - sentence - question and then she would try again.

4) Don't shy away from using the word that is accented. We learn to speak by speaking and the worst thing you can do is hold back from speaking because it prevents you from learning how to "hear" and "feel" the pronunciation. I have had students put troublesome words on flashcards around their houses and repeat the word-sentence-question activity every time they walk past. Another student would do a 2-minute talk every day about a topic that encouraged her to use L and R words because she had difficulty differentiating those sounds.

All the best with your language learning goals! :)

Hi! It depends on your personal pitfalls. I think tongue twisters are great! You can check out my pronunciation videos at youtube.com/internationalyankeeenglish or message me for pronunciation lessons. I love to use www.englishcentral.com with my students! You can also use it without a teacher but it is more effective with a qualified teacher you trust.

Hello there,

There are myriads of ways to improve your pronunciation and accent. Also, it depends on what technique works for you better. For example; watching movies with subtitles and repeating after the dialogue. That repetition works wonders. Using google's pronunciation of American or British and choosing the slow down option on the page and recording yourself after listening to the word is extremely helpful because it won't get you correct until you produce the same sound. Listening to the native speakers like the podcast is also absorbing.

I hope this helps.

Thank you!

In case you want to achieve this on your own, try out pronunciation videos on youtube, and tape yourself while repeating the vocabulary.

I would say one of the best way to improve the pronunciation is to watch English Euronews, NPR (National Public Radio) or CNN. I would suggest about 30 minutes of either one service. Best regards.

watch a part of your favorite film many times so you can mimic all the words and accents as they say Then turn the sound off and record your voice while saying it. This is both for pronunciation and accent. It's called shadowing.

Like any muscle, your tongue needs exercise! continuing to try to make the appropriate sounds will help train your tongue to do what it needs to do.

My suggestion for improving your accent is to do simple exercises, as a child might do. Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and practice the 'th' sound. Practice each vowel individually, short and long forms. And play, have fun while you actively listen.

Hi there,

Depending on which accent you are after (for example, British or American), I would recommend listening to songs, watching films and series and listening to online radio stations and podcasts. It would be a great way to get accustomed to the accent and check your own pronunciation against what you hear.

Here are some simple tips:

Focus on reducing the accent, not eliminating it entirely- it’s not a bad thing to have an accent as long as others can understand what you’re trying to say!

Slow down

Enunciate clearly

Listen to audiobooks while reading so you can remember the pronunciation of words correctly

Work on the rhythm of the words as you speak – watching movies in English can help

Read out loud to yourself

Record yourself speaking

Specifically give those around you permission to correct your pronunciation

Of course, one of the best ways to improve your accent is to take English lessons with an experienced teacher. You’ll learn how to reduce your accent naturally in no time.

You´d have to listen to English content as much as possible - podcats, radio, films etc. While listening to a podctast for example, you can shadow the speaker´s voice. Also, I provide special materials to practice pronounciation, rythm and intonation for my students.

Good evening

If you'd like to improve your English, please contact via senseitoseitosan@gmail.com

Practice a tongue twister,it takes time and effort. Be patient and with time you will master it

Hello, you can take phonetics lessons or try another teacher who has much more experience in language enlargement

Improving your accent and pronunciation in English can be a rewarding journey. Here are some exercises and tips to help you work on reducing your accent and achieving better pronunciation:

1. **Listen and Imitate**: Listen to native English speakers, whether through podcasts, audiobooks, or videos. Pay attention to their pronunciation, intonation, and stress patterns. Try to imitate their speech to the best of your ability.

2. **Phonetic Transcriptions**: Learn about the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to understand the correct pronunciation of English words. Many online dictionaries provide IPA transcriptions for words. You can compare your pronunciation to the IPA symbols to identify and correct errors.

3. **Record Yourself**: Use a recording device or a smartphone to record your speech. Compare your pronunciation to that of native speakers. This will help you identify areas where you need improvement.

4. **Mouth and Lip Exercises**: Certain sounds in English require specific mouth and lip movements. Practice these sounds by exaggerating your lip and tongue movements in front of a mirror. For example, work on the 'th' sound by sticking your tongue out slightly between your teeth.

5. **Tongue Twisters**: Tongue twisters are phrases that are challenging to pronounce due to similar sounds or patterns. Practice them regularly to improve your articulation and clarity. For example, "She sells seashells by the seashore."

6. **Online Accent Reduction Courses**: There are many online resources and courses specifically designed to help non-native speakers reduce their accents. These courses often provide structured lessons and exercises for improving pronunciation.

7. **Speak Slowly**: Pay attention to the speed of your speech. Speaking too quickly can make it harder to enunciate words properly. Slow down and focus on articulating each sound clearly.

8. **Work with a Speech Coach or Tutor**: If possible, consider working with a speech coach or English tutor who specializes in accent reduction. They can provide personalized feedback and guidance.

9. **Minimal Pairs**: Practice with minimal pairs, which are pairs of words that differ by only one sound (e.g., ship/sheep, bit/beat). This can help you distinguish and produce similar sounds accurately.

10. **Consistent Practice**: Improving your accent and pronunciation takes time and consistent practice. Dedicate a portion of your daily routine to these exercises to see gradual improvement.

Remember that it's okay to have an accent, and it's part of your unique identity. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate your accent entirely but to enhance your clarity and comprehension when speaking English. Be patient with yourself, and over time, you'll see progress.

I'd suggest 1) listening to native speakers on podcasts, audiobooks, or movies and try to exactly immitate what you hear (the intonation, rhythm, and stress) and mimic the way they pronounce words, not only the individual words but the way the entire sentence sounds

2) FluentU, ELSA Speak, and Pronunciation Power are some of the useful pronunciation apps that you can try

3) I personally hate recording myself and listening to it, but that's another goos dtrategy to identify the things you need to work on 4) identify and work on the individual sounds that are pronounced differently or dont exist in your native language

what kind of accent do you have?