Hi, everyone!

I'm Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently and confidently.

Today

I'll focus on the pronunciation of some words which my students often mispronounce.

Later, you'll practice these words with "questions and answers" mini-story.

Great! Let's get started!

As I just said, I've decided to share with you some of the words which my students often mispronounce.

I'll start by telling you the correct pronunciation, and then I'll use this word in a sentence.

I don't know if you've ever noticed, but when you say a word individually, the pronunciation may sound a little different from when it's in a sentence.

Also, before you continue listening, make sure you check out the transcript. Visit my website: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com and look for episode #35.

Audio

We pronounce this word like this: aw-dee-oh

I've noticed that Spanish speakers pronounce it just the way it's spelled but, that's incorrect.

Again, this is the right way to pronounce it: aw-dee-oh

Example:

"Every week there's a new Speak English Now Podcast audio lesson."

Busy

This word isn't particularly difficult to pronounce, but I guess that some people tend to get confused by the way it's written.

We pronounce this word: Busy biz-ee

Example:

"I was in the mood to go swimming this afternoon, but I had a really busy day."

Chocolate

In the US, people pronounce it like this: chaw-kuh-lit, and in British, it's only two syllables: chawk-lit

Example:

"James enjoys drinking his coffee with a dark chocolate tablet."

Comfortable

It's pronounced kuhmf-tuh-buh in American English and kuhm-fer-tuh-buh in British English. Example:

"My armchair isn't comfortable enough. I'll need to buy a new one."

Should, Would, Could

Make sure you don't pronounce the L in these three words.

Examples:

"Ann should visit her grandparents more often."

"It would be awesome if you came with us to the beach."

"You could admit that you're completely wrong."

Mountain

I've noticed that most students find this word very complicated to pronounce. And it gets even more challenging depending on the accent you choose to use.

In British English, it's pronounced maun-tin, and in American English, it's pronounced moun-tn. (you drop the I in the second syllable.)

Example:

"I didn't know this mountain was so tall!"

Curtain

Both mountain and curtain kur-tn can be confusing. My students tend to pronounce -ain at the end of the word.

Example:

"My aunt and uncle had a beautiful red curtain in their living room."

Vegetable

This is one of the most difficult ones for my students. I've even listened to some students pronounce it as "vegetable".

If you have many difficulties pronouncing the word vegetable, don't worry about it. Instead of trying so hard to say vej-tuh-buh, just replace it with the word veggie instead.

Examples:

"I should cook more vegetables.

"Eat your veggies! My mom used to tell me when I was little."

Exercise This is another word that I hear people mispronounce. You should pronounce it like this: ek-ser-sahyz

Example:

"Tom loves exercising in nature."

Walk and Talk

Just like the words: could, would and should, talk and walk are pronounced correctly without the consonant L. We say: Talk and Walk tawk and wawk and not TALK and WALK. Remember to drop the L.

Example:

"My friends and I enjoy walking every Sunday and talking about our week."

I hope you're enjoying yourself. Let's continue with a story with questions and answers!