For years, language learners have been told: “Don’t focus on pronunciation.” “Your accent is beautiful.” “Every accent is unique.”

Pronunciation isn’t about losing your accent. It is about reclaiming clarity, confidence, and presence. In this episode, we explore why so many advanced English speakers feel their voice doesn’t match their intelligence, and how small changes in pronunciation can restore authority without sacrificing identity.

If this episode resonated with you, follow the podcast for more conversations like this. And if you’d like personalised support in refining your pronunciation without erasing your accent, you can work with me one on one on italki.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

Why does work sound like werrrk when it’s spelled with an o? In this episode, we unpack one of the most confusing features of British pronunciation: the /ɜː/ sound. With clear explanations, grouped practice words, minimal pairs, and tongue twisters, this lesson will help you stop trusting the spelling and start trusting the R.

Practice Transcript:

Spelled with 'e': her, term, serve, early, person, learn

With 'o': work, word, world, worth, worse, worm, worst, worthwhile, attorney

With 'i': bird, first, girl, shirt

With 'u': nurse, turn, burn, church

Practice 2:

her, bird, nurse, work

term, girl, turn, word

serve, first, burn, world

early, shirt, church, worth

person, bird, nurse, worse

learn, girl, turn, worm

person, girl, nurse, word

Minimal pairs:

Word - ward, work - walk, world - wall, worse - wars, worth - north, worm - warn

Tongue Twisters:

I like to walk to work in warm weather.

The worm on the war ship worships workplaces

The early bird turns and learns to work.

Were the worst words worth the work?

If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

This guided practice episode helps you train the e schwa, the most common weak vowel sound in English. You’ll practice how it appears at the end, in the middle, and at the beginning of words, focusing on relaxation, rhythm, and smooth transitions rather than clear vowel shapes. We start with the most reliable endings such as er, en, and el, then move on to common middle schwa patterns, and finish with unstressed e at the start of words, where pronunciation can vary depending on speed and accent. This episode is designed to help you reduce effort, improve flow, and sound more natural in connected speech.

Transcript:

-er (uhr): teacher, driver, player, worker, baker, manager, leader, owner, member, partner, computer, number, paper, summer, letter

-en (uhn): open, broken, written, taken, given, garden, listen, happen, children, often, golden, sudden, heaven, seven

-el (uhl): travel, model, level, label, novel, cancel, vowel, tunnel, panel, angel

Middle e schwa: different, camera, general, interest, average, moment, student, patient, parent, president, independent, permanent

Initial e schwa: effect, event, enough, explain, exit, exist, elect, emerge, enable, engage, economy, election

If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

In this episode, we explore the most common vowel sound in British English, the schwa, with a focus on how the letter E behaves in unstressed syllables. You’ll learn why the schwa isn’t a real vowel but a weak transition sound, how word stress controls pronunciation, and why native speakers often seem to skip vowels altogether. We cover reliable patterns at the ends of words such as er, en, and el, tricky unstressed E in the middle of words, and why initial E can shift between /ɪ/ and /ə/. If you want your pronunciation to sound more natural, fluent, and rhythmical, this lesson will change how you hear English.

If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

Put theory into practice! This follow-up episode helps you master the four pronunciations of the letter Y in British English through targeted exercises and common error corrections. Learn how to avoid over-articulating "yes," distinguish between short and long E sounds in words like "gym" and "happy," and properly pronounce the diphthong /aɪ/ in words like "my" and "fly."

Find me on italki: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

Transcript:

/j/ - yes - year - young - yacht, beyond, canyon, you, yellow, yoke, yet.

Short /ɪ/ — short i: symbol, lyric, typical, crystal, syrup, mystery, gym, rhythm.

Long i: happy, funny, city, puppy, busy, baby, story, pretty

/aɪ/ — diphthong: my, try, fly, sky, cry, reply, apply, rely, satisfy, terrify, tyre, dynamite

Scenario 1: /j/ - yes, year, young, yacht, you, yellow, yoke, yet.

Minimal pairs:

yes - chess

year - cheer

yellow - cello

you - chew

yoke - choke,

yam - jam

yet - jet

Yale - jail

yoke - joke

yard - guard

year - gear

yum - gum

Scenario 2 (Minimal pairs):

gym - gene

myth - meet

symbol - seem

rhythm - read

crystal - cream

lyrics - leaks

Scenario 3: /ai/: my, try, fly, shy, cry, why, reply, apply, satisfy, terrify

Why does the letter Y sound completely different in "yes," "gym," "happy," and "my"? This episode unravels the mystery behind Y's four pronunciations in British English: the consonant /j/, the short vowel /ɪ/, the long vowel /iː/, and the diphthong /aɪ/. Discover the patterns (and exceptions) that govern when Y makes each sound, and learn about common pronunciation pitfalls for learners from French, German, Romance, Slavic, and Chinese language backgrounds. From over-articulating "yes" to flattening diphthongs in "fly," understand why these errors happen and what they reveal about the quirks of English pronunciation. Essential listening before the hands-on practice episode!

Find me on italki: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274

Practice all 5 E sounds in British English with targeted exercises and tongue twisters. This lesson revisits the long and short E, the distinctive /ɜː/ sound that gives Southern British accents their signature "posh" quality, and the tricky /eɪ/ diphthong. Perfect for anyone looking to refine their British pronunciation through hands-on practice.

Transcript:

Long e /iː/: protein - Japanese - guarantee - committee - serene - believe, receive, degree, theme, scheme,

Short /ɪ/.: English, pretty, bucket, pocket, started, helmet, velvet, secret, women, gifted

Short e: bed, get, end, ever, ten, red, lend, help, next, step, send, tell, men, check

Minimal pairs:

bet / beat

met / meet

pet / Pete

sec / seek

stem / steam

breath / breathe

/ɜː/: her, term, serve, learn, fern, verse, perk, stern, mercy, permanent

Tongue twisters:

Her perfect purple purse was purchased in the service of a merchant.

The poet’s verse was first rehearsed in the perfect church.

The stern clerk served the fresh herbs with perfect purpose.

Myrtle curled her fingers around the purple purse, sure it was hers.

The surgeon gave a stern service to every patient with perfect care.

/eɪ/ : hey, great, eight, neighbour, they, vein, prey, weigh, rein, obey.

Sequence of 3:

bed – bid – bade

met – mitt – mate

pen – pin – pain

sell – sill – sail

get – git – gait

Explore the six ways to pronounce the letter E in British English. Building on the long E (see, me) and short E (English, pretty) from previous episodes, this lesson dives into three additional sounds: the mid-front /e/ in "bed," the distinctive central /ɜː/ in "her," and the diphthong /eɪ/ in "they." Learn precise tongue placement and jaw movement for each sound, discover common exceptions from French loanwords, and understand the role of silent E.

If you found this episode interesting, follow this podcast for more tips. And if you would like to work on your accent one on one book a lesson with me on italki.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9446274