Three ways to pronounce every English word correctly.

If learners rely solely on spelling, they are still likely to mispronounce words. Instead, they need to develop the habit of listening to and feeling the sounds when learning English.

Students often ask Moon: "Is there a way to look at a word and pronounce it correctly?" They're probably asking about English spelling rules. I'm not against spelling, but from a scientific standpoint, this method doesn't improve your listening and speaking skills.

Spelling English words can help you better understand how to break down words into syllables and how to identify letters that can be pronounced differently, but it has several limitations, such as:

- Remembering the rules is very difficult, and what's even more tiring is that every rule has exceptions. English has many loanwords from different languages around the world , such as Latin, German, French, etc., so they are essentially impossible to spell like Vietnamese. For example, words like comb, tomb, bomb... have completely different pronunciations.

- By focusing on applying rules, learners may overlook or underestimate the importance of listening and feeling the sounds. Meanwhile, if you want to speak English clearly, you need to listen to how the word is pronounced correctly. Relying solely on the written form to pronounce words means you're neglecting this "listening to speak" element.

- Spelling focuses solely on words and doesn't support other elements of pronunciation such as rhythm, intonation, reduction, and linking sounds. These other components are crucial for speaking naturally and improving your English listening skills.

Here are three effective and scientifically proven ways to practice English pronunciation:

- Exposure to a wide range of words through frequent English listening is crucial. Listening effectively combines pronunciation knowledge with the ability to identify stress and sounds within words. For example, you know that "comb" has the vowel /oʊ/, "tomb" has the vowel /u/, and "bomb" has the vowel /ɑ/ or /ɔ/. You already know how to pronounce these sounds accurately, without sounding "Vietnamese-ized," and can immediately recognize them when others pronounce them. This will give you confidence in your listening and ensure that your pronunciation is understood. If you rely solely on the written form, you'll likely mispronounce these words 90% of the time.

- Develop the habit of listening to and checking the pronunciation of unfamiliar, long, or difficult-to-pronounce words, instead of just relying on your subjective impression. When looking up words in a dictionary, it's best to know which sound each IPA represents; for example, how does the pronunciation of /ɪ/ differ from /i/? Also, ensure you pronounce the stress correctly in multi-syllable words; for example, which syllable of the word "innocent" has the stress. Furthermore, many online dictionaries now have a speaker button for audio samples; make sure you listen to the sample pronunciation of the word.

- Although you need to know IPA, you shouldn't just focus on reading the phonetic transcription. Instead, I always teach students to listen and feel the sounds to pronounce words correctly. For example, when pronouncing "sit" and "seat," the goal is to listen and feel the difference between the two words, so that the listener knows what word you're saying. Learning IPA is only supportive. With the right approach, you'll speak and listen correctly from the start. This is killing two birds with one stone.

Moon Nguyen (Moon ESL)

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