Part of speaking: read a text aloud in 60 seconds, then train the sounds and stress that make you easier to understand. British English.
The computer voice reads the text and follows the words. Listen for the stress and where it pauses (commas and full stops).
Click Record, then read the text aloud. Click Stop when you finish. The recording stops by itself after 60 seconds, like in the exam.
Listen to your recording once while looking at the text. Mark every word you want to say better, then record again.
Your recording stays on your device and is not uploaded. The automatic check uses your browser's speech recognition: Chrome sends the sound to Google to turn it into text, Safari sends it to Apple. It shows which words the computer could understand clearly. It is not an accent score or an exam mark.
Press Play, listen carefully and choose the word you heard. You can listen again.
Press Speak and say the word clearly. The computer tells you which word it heard. If it hears the other word of the pair, your sound is not clear yet.
Rule: after p k f s sh ch th → /t/. After t or d → /ɪd/ (an extra syllable). After everything else → /d/.
Tap the syllable that gets the main stress. Short, weak syllables are not stressed.
think, three, thanks · the, this, then
Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and push air out. For this, the add voice. Do not bite the tongue and do not say s, t, z or d.
Common mistake: sink for think, dis for this.
west · vest, wine · vine
w: round your lips, teeth do not touch. v: top teeth touch the lower lip, and you add voice.
Common mistake: mixing w and v, so very sounds like wery.
hair, heart, house
Just breathe out, softly, like fogging a mirror. It is not the hard Russian х, and it is not silent.
Common mistake: dropping it (air for hair) or making it harsh.
ship · sheep, full · fool, sit · seat
Long vowels are longer and tighter: smile for sheep. Short vowels are quick and relaxed. Length is part of the sound.
Common mistake: making ship and sheep sound the same.
bed, dog, bag, five
Keep the last consonant voiced. Make the vowel before it a little longer: bed is longer than bet.
Common mistake: bet for bed, dock for dog.
ba-NA-na, ve-ge-ta-ble, de-VEL-op
In English one syllable is strong and clear; the others are short and weak (often the sound /ə/). Stress the right syllable and relax the rest. It makes you easier to understand than perfect single sounds.