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PRONUNCIATION_RULES

The document outlines 35 English pronunciation rules, covering vowel sounds, consonant pronunciations, and syllable stress. Key rules include the effects of double consonants, silent letters, and the pronunciation of certain letter combinations. Understanding these rules is essential for mastering English pronunciation and improving fluency.

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4 views

PRONUNCIATION_RULES

The document outlines 35 English pronunciation rules, covering vowel sounds, consonant pronunciations, and syllable stress. Key rules include the effects of double consonants, silent letters, and the pronunciation of certain letter combinations. Understanding these rules is essential for mastering English pronunciation and improving fluency.

Uploaded by

marilyn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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35 ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION RULES

1. Short Words Have Short Vowel Sounds


When a word is short, generally so is its vowel sound. For example, "cat" and "bit"
follow this rule, with the shorter 'AA' and 'IH' sounds whereas "sophisticated" and
"psychiatry" feature the longer 'EY' and 'ai' vowels.

Vowel sounds are tricky. For a complete guide to English vowel sounds, take a look
here.

2. Two Consecutive Vowels Produce a Long Vowel Sound


When two vowels are neighbors, they usually create a long vowel sound. Think of
'pain' and 'feet' – both 'ai' and 'ee' produce long vowel sounds.

3. Double Consonants Shorten the Vowel Before Them


Double consonants - two of the same consonants directly beside one another in a
word - tend to shorten the vowel sound that precedes. If we compare ‘later’ and ‘latter,’
for example, ‘later’ with a single ‘t’ extends the ‘a’ sound that comes before it ('EY'),
while ‘latter’ uses the short pronunciation of the ‘a’ vowel ('AA').

4. Double Consonants Are Pronounced as a Single Letter


When you spot two consonants right next to each other, or a double consonant, you'll
need to pronounce them as a single sound. This is unlike some other languages, in
which doubled letters require a different pronunciation. But in words like ‘committee’
and ‘embarrass,’ you don’t need to elongate the double consonants.

5. Double ‘T’ Is Pronounced as ‘D’


For double consonant words that use a double ‘t,’ make sure to pronounce it like a ‘d.’
For example, the words ‘better’ and ‘bitter’ should be pronounced like ‘bedder’ and
‘bidder.’

6. Final ‘E’ Is Silent


This one is simple—when ‘e’ is at the end of a word, it is silent. For instance, in 'cake,’
‘hope,’ and ‘apple,’ the ‘e’ is not pronounced.

This final ‘e’ impacts the way that the rest of the word is pronounced (compare the
words ‘mad’ and ‘made,’ for instance), but the ‘e’ itself is not pronounced.

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7. ‘C’ Is Pronounced as ‘S’ When Preceding ‘I,’ ‘E,’ or ‘Y’
In words like 'city' and 'cent,' 'c' takes on a soft 's' sound before the letters 'i,' 'e,' or 'y.'
You can compare this to words like ‘care,’ ‘copper,’ or ‘creative,’ which feature a hard
‘c.’

8. ‘-tion’ Produces a ‘SH’ Sound


The ‘t’ in the suffix '-tion' in words like 'station' and 'celebration' is pronounced as 'SH'
As a result, the word ‘station’ is pronounced ‘stay-shun.’

9. Silent ‘G,’ ‘K,’ and ‘P’


When ‘g,’ ‘k,’ and 'p' are followed by the letter ‘n,’ such as in the words 'gnome,' 'knight,'
or 'pneumonia,' they are silent. Simply pretend that these words start with an ‘n’ and
you’ll pronounce them correctly.

10. Plural ‘S’ Is Pronounced as ‘Z’


When forming plurals with 's' at the end of a word, note that it often sounds like 'z’
rather than a standard ‘s.’' For example in the word ‘slugs,’ the first ‘s’ is pronounced
as a clean ‘s’ while the second ‘s’ - the plural ‘s’ - is pronounced more like a ‘z,’ as if it
were spelled ‘slugz.’

11. ‘S’ Between Vowels is Pronounced as ‘Z’


The same occurs when the letter ‘s’ is situated between two vowels. In words like ‘rose’
or ‘laser’ for example, the ‘s’ takes on a ‘z’ sound and is pronounced like ‘roze’ and
‘lazer.’

12. Various ‘X’ Pronunciations


When the letter ‘x’ comes before an unstressed syllable (or it's the last letter at the end
of a word), it is pronounced as ‘ks.’ Think of the words 'box' (boks) or 'ax’ (aks).

In words like 'exact' and 'exaggerate,' however, where the ‘x’ comes before a stressed
syllable, it is pronounced as 'gs' to produce ‘egsact’ and ‘egsaggerate.’

The least common of the ‘x’ pronunciation rules, ‘x’ is sometimes pronounced as a ‘z’
sound when it’s the first letter of a word. Some common examples include 'Xerox' and
'xylophone.’

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13. Various ‘Y’ Pronunciations
In words like 'easy' and ‘calmly,' the letter ‘y’ produces a long 'e' sound. This
pronunciation is common for adverbs and words that end in ‘y.’
'Y' can also mimic 'ai' in monosyllabic words such as ‘buy’ and 'cry.'

In some words where ‘y' occurs in the middle of a syllable, it can sound like a short 'i,'
as in 'symbol' and 'system.'

14. ‘AY’ Spelling Is Pronounced as 'EY'


When an ‘a’ precedes a ‘y,’ such as in words like 'say' and 'play,’ the ‘ay’ produces the
diphthong 'EY.'

15. Various ‘Ng’ Pronunciations


'Ng' can be pronounced as a single merged sound such as in 'sing,’ but there are also
words that require you to pronounce both distinct letters, like in ‘hunger’ and
‘language.’

16. Various Final ‘D’ Pronunciations


The letter 'd' at the end of a word can be pronounced in one of three ways. It is
pronounced either as 'd' (e.g., 'good'), 't' (e.g., 'liked'), or ‘id’ (e.g., fitted).

17. Silent ‘H’


Some words like 'hour' and 'honor' have a silent 'h.' When an ‘h’ is silent, it typically
precedes the letter ‘o’ - but be careful. Not all words with this spelling feature a silent
‘h.’ Some, like the word ‘hospital,’ require pronunciation of the letter ‘h.’

18. Clear ‘L’ vs Dark ‘L’ Pronunciation


When ‘l’ occurs at the start of a word or syllable, it’s pronounced as a clear ‘l,’ with the
sound formed at the front of the mouth.

When ‘l’ is positioned at the end of a syllable, however, it takes on the dark ‘l’ sound.
This is formed further back in the mouth. Compare the words ‘loop,’ which features a
clear ‘l,’ and ‘pool’ with a dark ‘l.’ It’s subtle, but they’re different!

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19. ‘ould’ Is Pronounced with a Schwa Sound
Don’t let the spelling here throw you off. The vowel sound in words like 'should' and
'could' is pronounced as a schwa, liken an ‘ud’ rather than the 'OO' sound.

20. ‘ought’ Is Pronounced as ‘ot’


Words like 'bought' and ‘fought’ sound like ‘bot’ and ‘fot.’

21. ‘oup’ Is Pronounced with an 'OO' Sound


The 'oup' in words like 'group' and 'soup' produces an 'OO' sound, rhyming with
‘stoop.’

22. French Pronunciation of ‘S,’ ‘Z,’ and ‘G’


Remember when we said that modern English is partly a product of Romance
language influence? Channel your inner French: in some words, 's,' 'z,' and 'g' are
pronounced like their French counterparts.

In the words 'genre' and ‘vision,’ for example, the ‘g’ and the ‘s’ respectively are
pronounced with a ‘j’ sound, as they would be in French.

There is no standard rule for when to use this altered pronunciation, so it’s important
to take note of these specific words when you encounter them. With enough exposure
and practice, these pronunciation rules and exceptions will become second nature!

23. ‘C’ Followed by ‘ei’ Produces an 'EE' Sound


In words like 'receive' and 'ceiling' where the ‘ei' comes after ‘c’ in the stressed syllable,
it creates an 'EE' sound.

24. Silent 'P' Before 'S'


If a 'p' comes before an 's' at the start of a word, it's silent. You can just pretend the
word begins with the 's.' You can find examples of this rule in words like 'psychology,'
'psychic,' 'psalm,' and 'pseudo.'

25. ‘ook’ Is Pronounced as the 'U' Sound


When a word has a double ‘o’ followed by a ‘k,’ as in 'book' and 'look,’ the vowel should
be pronounced as an 'U' rather than a 'OO' sound.

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26. Various ‘ough’ Pronunciations
The combination 'ough' can be pronounced as ‘off’ as in ‘cough,’ but also with a 'OO'
sound, as in ‘through.’ This rule also takes memorization and time to learn, so be on
the lookout for the various ‘ough’ words and note their pronunciation.

27. Various ‘G’ Pronunciations


'G' can be pronounced either softly, like 'giant,' or with a hard 'g,' like 'go.'

28. ‘R’-Controlled Vowels


Certain vowel sounds are influenced by the 'r' sound, creating unique pronunciations.
For example, say the words 'stellar,' ‘doctor,' and ‘bird’ out loud.

Do you notice that each of the vowel + ‘r’ combinations sound slightly different? Keep
in mind that if an ‘r’ comes after a vowel, it can affect how you pronounce the vowel.

29. ‘-ation’ is Pronounced as 'EY'


Words ending in '-ation' often produce an 'EY' sound. The words 'nation' and 'station’
are therefore pronounced ‘nay-shun’ and ‘stay-shun.’

30. The Rhotic 'R'


In many varieties of American English, the letter 'r' is pronounced clearly and distinctly
at the end of words and syllables. This is known as a "rhotic" pronunciation.

For example, in words like "car," "far," and "hard," the 'r' sound is fully articulated. This
is in contrast to some other English dialects, like British English, where the 'r' is often
not pronounced at the end of syllables.

The American 'r' is a challenge for many non-native speakers, so we thought it


warrants its own guide.

31. Silent 'W'


Some words feature a silent 'w,' especially when it appears before the letter 'r,' such
as in "wrist" and "wrestle."

Now, let's focus on word stress. Understanding stress and mastering intonation is
crucial to sounding fluent and avoiding awkward speech, as it affects intonation.
Mastering stress rules will help you maximize your English pronunciation accuracy.
Here are some key stress-based rules.

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32. One Syllable Words
Stress the first (and only) syllable of these types of words, like 'bat' or 'spa.'

33. Two Syllable Words


Generally two-syllable nouns, adjectives, and adverbs stress the first syllable, while
two-syllable verbs stress the second syllable. For instance, 'rebel' (noun) is
pronounced ‘REbel,’ and 'rebel' (verb) is pronounced ‘reBEL.’

34. Three Syllable Words


Stress can be placed on the first, second, or third syllable, depending on how the word
ends.

Stress the first syllable on words ending with -er, -or, and -y (e.g., ‘fastener,’ ‘visitor,’
and ‘happily’).

Stress the second syllable on words ending with -tion, -sion, -ic, and -al (e.g.,
'intention,' ‘diversion,’ 'terrific,' and ‘abismal’).

Stress the third syllable on words ending with -ee, -eer, -ese, and -ette (e.g., 'referee,'
‘volunteer,’ 'Japanese,' and ‘pirouette’).

35. Four Syllable Words


Stress can be placed on the second or third syllable of a four syllable word, depending
on how the word ends.

Stress the second syllable on words ending with -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, and -al (e.g.,
‘diplomacy,’ ‘disparity,’ ‘philosophy,’ 'biology,' and ‘fantastical’).

Stress the third syllable on words ending with -tion, -sion, and -ic (e.g., ‘elocution,’
‘indecision,’ and ‘mathematic’).

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