COMMON PRONUNCIATION ERRORS

1. 'ed' after t and d

When a verb that ends with a 't' or 'd' sound has 'ed' added to it, the last syllable is
pronounced as a distinct id sound.
Most English speakers from England pronounce it as in did but other native English
speakers (e.g., U.S., Australia, Canada, NZ) tend to pronounce it as somewhere
between did and dead. Nevertheless, it is still clearly heard. For example, here is
the North American pronunciation of "graduated": graduated . Most Australians
pronounce the id sound similar to the North American way, rather than to the
English way.
Some examples:
I graduated last year.
I've always wanted to own a motor cycle.
She hopes to be admitted to Harvard University.
He sounded out the word.
2.es after s, t, d, z, and
After these sounds, es is pronounced as a distinct Iz sound. The same BritishAmerican pronunciation variation of ed (see above) also applies with this sound,
with the Australians and New Zealanders especially pronouncing it close to, z.
Some examples:
He has three businesses .

She exercises every morning.

She washes her clothes every weekend.
He fixes bicycles for a living.
She usually watches TV before going to bed.
3.When o is pronounced as
There are several words in English that are spelled with an o but pronounced as
as in cup.

Here is a list of some of these.

Words marked with are commonly mispronounced in China.
accompany
among

money
monger (not common for IELTS)

amongst

mongrel

another

monk

but the place where monks live is called a monastery

(Br.) andmonastery (U.S.)
brother
colour
come
comfortable
company

monkey
month
mother
none
nothing

covenant (not

one

common for
IELTS)
cover

onion

covet
done

other
oven

dove

But stove is different.

shove

(a bird)
dozen
front
glove
government

smother
some
son
stomach

honey
London
love

ton
tongue
tonne

(This is the metric system version of 'ton')

mum (Br.
spelling) mom
(US

won

spelling)
Monday

wonder

wonderful wondrous
4.Clothes
Make sure that you can pronounce 'clothes ' correctly. Do not pronounce it as clothis. There are two correct pronunciations. The pronunciation that most English
speakers use is klz . This is hard for many Chinese to pronounce and is even
hard for some English speakers and that is why there is a second acceptable
pronunciation. The second pronunciation is klz , just as in the first but you leave
out the sound. It sounds the same as close in, Please close the door.

Similarly, if you can't say months as mns, just change the sound to
t. Strictly speaking, that pronunciation is not correct but it sounds much
better than saying mon-this (mn-s).
5.Modern
Modern is not pronounced as morden.
6.Mechanism
This word is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, /me/, not on the second
syllable, /k/:
mechanism /meknz()m/
But mechanical , /mknk()l/ or /mknk()l/, does have the stress on the second
syllable.
7.Woman and women
Many people mispronounce women they confuse it with woman. Here are the two
pronunciations:
woman = /wmn/ as in, one woman
women = /wmn/ (Br.) or /wmn / (other than British English) as in, two women
8.Graduated
Graduated is pronounced with the word stress () on the first syllable: /
rduetd/, not /rduetd/.
graduate This word is pronounced differently, depending on whether it is the
noun or the verb.
Here are two more recordings of the verb and noun, graduate.
verb: to graduate (rduet)
noun: a graduate (rdut)
adjective: a graduate student, graduate studies (The pronunciation is the
same as the noun: rdut). Americans usually use the adjective, graduate but
the British usually use, postgraduate . The two mean the same thing.
present participle and verbal noun: graduating

noun: a graduation (rdue()n)

9.Survey
The word, survey can be either a noun or a verb.
Noun: survey /s:(r)ve/ Stress on the first syllable.
Verb: survey /s(r)ve/ Stress on the second syllable. Or: survey /s:(r)ve/ Stress
on the first syllable.
We see that the verb can also be spoken using the pronunciation of the noun. But the noun
never has the verb pronunciation.
10.Industry
Industry is pronounced with the word stress on the first syllable: /ndstri/.
Notice that the second syllable is
Another recording is here:

pronounced as d, not d.

However, the adjective, industrial is

Another recording is here:

pronounced as /ndstril/.

11.Economyand Related Words

Many people make mistakes, both in writing and speaking, when they try to use
any of the words that are related to the word, economy. You should spend some
time studying these words.
The syllable () that has word stress () is highlighted in yellow.
Word

Examples

Pronunciation

Listen
Hear

knmi
economy

() a) China's economy is growing

; very fast at the moment.
b) The economy is strong.

or
eknmi

MW

economist

She works as an economist

; with the People's Bank of
China.

Hear

knmst
or
eknmst

MW
Hear

to economize

I really need to economize

because I'm spending money knmaz
faster than I should.
or
eknmaz

MW
Hear

iknmks
economics

I'm studying economics, which

I find quite interesting.

or
eknmks

MW
Hear

I'd say it's both a political and

iknmk
an economic problem.
economic

or
eknmk

MW
Hear

economical

People who live in the desert iknmk()l

need to be very economical
with water.
or
eknmk()l

MW

12.Technical (and Related Words)

Another common mistake is to say, technique when you really mean,
technical. Although these two words come from the same ancient Greek
word ('techne' = art, craft, skill), they are now quite different in meaning and
in pronunciation.
A technique (tk /'ni :k Hear ) is
a method of doing or performing
something, especially in the arts and
sciences. (
) Example: applying modern techniques to a
traditional craft Another example: High
jumpers adopted a new technique in the 1960's, which allowed them to jump
much higher than they used to when they used the old technique.
On the other hand, technology and the words derived from it are all related to
the idea of or , as shown in the table below.

Word

Examples

technology

(
);
;

I think one reason why

people are living longer
nowadays is the fact that
medical technology has
advanced a lot in the last
few decades.

technological

()

Pronunciation

Listen
Hear

teknldi

a) a major technological
breakthrough (
teknldk()l
)

Hear

b) technological changes
()
technical

a) He's a musician with

teknk()l
great technical skill but he
doesn't play with much
feeling.
b) I don't really understand
the technical language in

Hear

this report.

technician

hi-tech
(= high-tech)

There's one research

student working in this
laboratory and he's

supported by three lab

tekn()n
technicians who help him

with the equipment.

He's got many of the latest

hi-tech devices such as an
ipod and a new type of
ha tek
cellphone that allows him

to watch films on the

internet.

Hear

Hear

MW

13.How to Say "You know" when Introducing a New Piece of Information

There are two ways to say, "You know, ..." because there are two main usages or
meanings for, "you know".
Sometimes we say, "You know" with the meaning of, "You already know". In this usage,
the word "you" is spoken more emphatically than the word "know". We often speak this
way in informal conversation when we are trying to explain something but can't quite
find the exact word or words that we want to say. For example, Q: "What's the difference
between traditional stories and modern stories?" A: "Well, traditional stories are usually
set in the traditional lifestyle that Chinese people had, which was rural, whereas most
modern stories have modern, urban settings. As well as that, most traditional stories are
either myths that explain natural phenomena such as how the moon came to be in the sky
or stories that teach you a moral lesson, ... you know, like teaching people what is good
and bad behaviour, such as the story of the boy who cried "wolf". But most modern
stories are not myths or moral tales; they just tell a short story, which is often an
adventure story or a mystery story, like what we see in a TV program or in a movie."
It's very suitable, and very natural to include "like", "something like", "similar to", "what
I mean is" or "such as" when using "you know" this way.
A similar usage of "you know" meaning "you already know", but one that would not be

used in the IELTS Speaking test very often, is shown in this example: "Where did you
buy that?" "You know! I told you yesterday; I bought it at Carrafour."

1 When you introduce a new fact, you can say, "you know" but you should say it
almost as "y' know", with more stress on the word, "know", not on the word, "you".
In other words, the word, "you" should not be spoken emphatically when you are
introducing a new piece of information. For example: "You know, I've only been
living in Beijing for the past three years, so I don't know the city as well as I know my
hometown."
The following audio recording shows you the two ways to say, "you know":
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=you+know&submit=Submit . When
introducing a new piece of information, the second way is the correct way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14. When and when not to emphasize the word, "some".
The word, "some" has two main meanings or usages:
1) "some" = "a few but not many" (or, "a little but not much") () and,
2) "some" = "a few of this group but not all" ().
2 Here is an example of "some" = "a few but not many" (or, "a little but not much").
"What did you see in the park?" "I saw some people, some dogs, some trees, some
grass and some flowers." When we speak a sentence like that, the "some" is not
emphasized and, in fact can be spoken very quickly in a short way that sounds like,
"s'm". Instead, it is the noun that follows the word "some" that is emphasized.
Here are some recordings: some , some money .
3 This second usage, where "some" = "a few of this group but not all", is spoken
with the word "some" emphasized because it has a contrast () meaning. For
example: "The topic of climate change is quite controversial at the moment. Some
experts even predict that the world is now starting to enter a prolonged cold period."
It is incorrect to speak that sentence with the emphasis on the word, "experts", i.e.,
"Some experts even predict ..." Here's a recording showing this usage: "some of us "
(but not all of us).
The following words also follow the same logic of this second usage: someday ,
somehow , some body , someone , someplace , something , sometime ,
sometimes , somewhere (= someplace). In these words, the prefix "some" has the
meaning of "a certain" or "a particular", such as "someday" = "a particular day, but I don't

know exactly which day."

The word, "somewhat " is spoken the same as these words but it can also be spoken this
way, "somewhat " (similar to pronunciation 1 or with equal emphasis on both words)
because the meaning is, "to some degree but not to a large degree".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15. When and when not to emphasize the word, "self".
The word (the suffix), "self" is used in the following words: myself, yourself, himself,
herself, itself and in the plural forms, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Sometimes the suffix, "self" (or "selves") is spoken with strong stress and sometimes it is
not.
4

When "self" and "selves" are not spoken with strong emphasis

"Self" and "selves" are not emphasized when these words are used in a reflexive way.
"Reflexive" () means the verb is reflected back onto the person or thing that is the
subject of the sentence, i.e., the person or thing who does the verb. For example: "He fell
over and hurt himself". In that sentence, the verb "hurt" is spoken with the strongest
emphasis; the suffix "self" in the word, "himself" is not emphasized.
Many verbs can be used reflexively. For example, there are many things you can do to
yourself such as hit yourself, hurt yourself, cut yourself, burn yourself, injure yourself,
help yourself, ask yourself, wash yourself, feed yourself, enjoy yourself, entertain
yourself, amuse yourself etc. In all these examples, the verb is spoken stronger than the
word "yourself", "myself" etc. [But English does not use "relax yourself" we simply
say, "I like to go for a long, slow walk to relax"; not, "I like to go for a long, slow walk to
relax myself".]
5

When "self" and "selves" are spoken with strong emphasis

The words "self" and "selves" are emphasized when the meaning is, "not done by
someone else". This is another example of contrasting stress.
Here are some examples:
"Who wrote that essay for you?" "Nobody! I wrote it myself."
"How do you like my new bookshelf? I made it myself."
A variation of the meaning, "not done by someone else" is "not with/by/for someone
else". When we say, "by myself", we are using this meaning. For example: "I prefer to
study by myself ." This means, "I prefer to study alone." Another example: "Who did you

go to the cinema with?" "Nobody. I went by myself." (= I went alone.)

If you say, "I made the bookshelf by myself" your meaning is, "I made the bookshelf
alone." (= There was nobody else with me; I was alone.) This is similar to, but not exactly
the same as, "I made the bookshelf myself." (= Nobody else made it. Or: Nobody else
helped me to make it.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16. Which word is stressed when you say, "drinking water", "a cleaning woman" or "a
travelling salesman"?
Many people make mistakes when they speak two-word combinations where the first
word ends with "ing". On a separate page, you will be able to learn the basic rules for this
pronunciation and you will be able to mimic many recordings.
This topic, which is really part of the topic, Word Combination Lists , is a little
advanced and is most suitable for students who are already at around Band 6 level, or
higher.
Go HERE to read the page.
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