We All Have Accents
First things first – having an accent is totally normal. Everyone has one. Even native English speakers have accents. Someone from Texas sounds different from someone from Boston, and both sound different from someone from London.
But yeah, there are some pronunciation patterns that can make communication harder. I’m going to share the most common ones I hear, plus some tips that actually help.
The TH Sound Problem
This is probably the #1 issue for non-native speakers. English is one of the few languages with this sound, so if you didn’t grow up hearing it, your brain literally doesn’t recognize it as important.
Common mistakes:
- “Think” becomes “Tink” or “Sink”
- “That” becomes “Dat” or “Zat”
- “Three” becomes “Tree” or “Free”
How to fix it:
Stick your tongue between your teeth. Yeah, it feels weird. Do it anyway. Blow air past your tongue. That’s the TH sound.
Practice words: think, thank, this, that, through, three, mother, brother
Do it in front of a mirror at home. Don’t worry about looking silly – you’re learning!
The V and W Mix-Up
Some languages don’t have both V and W sounds, so people swap them.
Common mistakes:
- “Very” sounds like “Wery”
- “West” sounds like “Vest”
- “Vowel” sounds like “Wowel”
How to fix it:
For V: Your top teeth touch your bottom lip. Vibrate your vocal cords.
For W: Round your lips like you’re kissing. No teeth involved.
Practice pairs: vine/wine, vest/west, vet/wet, very/wary
The R Sound
English R is weird. Really weird. Different languages do R totally differently.
Common mistakes:
- Rolling the R (sounds too Spanish/Italian)
- Making it sound like L
- Skipping it entirely at the end of words
How to fix it:
American R: Curl your tongue back slightly. Don’t touch the roof of your mouth. It’s more of a vowel sound than a consonant.
Practice words: right, red, around, sorry, very
Fun fact: British English drops R at the end of words (they say “cah” not “car”). So which R you use depends on which accent you’re going for.
The L Sound
English actually has TWO L sounds, and nobody tells you this!
Light L (at the start):
Tongue touches right behind your front teeth.
Examples: light, love, lake
Dark L (at the end):
Tongue pulls back, sounds more like “ul.”
Examples: fall, call, will
Many non-native speakers use the light L everywhere, which sounds a bit off to native speakers.
The Short I vs Long E
This trips up SO many people.
Common mistakes:
- “Ship” sounds like “Sheep” (awkward in some contexts!)
- “Sit” sounds like “Seat”
- “Bit” sounds like “Beat”
How to fix it:
Short I (sit): Relaxed, quick sound
Long E (seat): Smile big, stretch it out
Practice pairs: sit/seat, bit/beat, hit/heat, fill/feel, ship/sheep
Yeah, that last one matters. Be careful.
Word Stress Problems
English is a stress-timed language. That means some syllables are LOUD and some are quiet. Getting this wrong makes you harder to understand.
Common mistakes:
- REcord (noun) vs reCORD (verb) – same word, different stress
- PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy, photoGRAPHic – stress moves around
- Stressing every syllable equally (makes you sound robotic)
How to fix it:
Listen to native speakers. Notice which syllable they make louder. Copy that.
Tip: In most 2-syllable nouns, stress the FIRST syllable. In most 2-syllable verbs, stress the SECOND syllable.
The Schwa Sound (ə)
This is the most common sound in English, and nobody teaches it properly!
It’s that lazy “uh” sound in unstressed syllables:
- About = uh-BOUT
- Again = uh-GEN
- Sofa = SO-fuh
Non-native speakers often pronounce every vowel clearly, which makes them sound too formal or “textbook-ish.”
How to fix it:
Lazy up those unstressed vowels! Make them quick and unclear. That’s correct in English.
Silent Letters
English loves silent letters. Non-native speakers often pronounce them all because, well, they’re there!
Common mistakes:
- Saying the K in “know” or “knife”
- Saying the P in “psychology” or “pneumonia”
- Saying the L in “salmon” or “calm”
- Saying the B in “doubt” or “subtle”
How to fix it:
There’s no rule. You just have to memorize which letters are silent in which words. Sorry.
The CH Sound Confusion
Different languages use CH differently:
- English: chair, chocolate (like TCH)
- Spanish: chico (like SH)
- German: Bach (like clearing your throat)
- Italian: bruschetta (like K)
Make sure you’re using the English version in English words!
Numbers!
Lots of people mix these up:
Thirteen vs Thirty:
Thirteen: thirTEEN (stress at the end)
Thirty: THIRty (stress at the start)
This matters! Especially when talking about money or time.
Practice all of them: 13/30, 14/40, 15/50, 16/60, 17/70, 18/80, 19/90
Linking Words Together
Native speakers don’t… talk… like… this. We smoosh words together.
Examples:
- “Want to” → “Wanna”
- “Going to” → “Gonna”
- “Got to” → “Gotta”
- “What are you” → “Whatcha”
- “Did you” → “Didja”
You don’t HAVE to speak like this, but understanding it helps with listening comprehension.
What Actually Helps
1. Record yourself speaking
Compare it to a native speaker saying the same thing. Where’s the difference?
2. Shadow native speakers
Play a video, pause after each sentence, and repeat it exactly how they said it. Copy their rhythm and intonation, not just the words.
3. Use minimal pairs
Practice words that sound similar: ship/sheep, bad/bed, cap/cup. These help train your ear.
4. Don’t try to have zero accent
That’s not the goal. The goal is clear communication. A slight accent is fine – interesting, even!
5. Ask for feedback
Tell people “I’m working on my pronunciation. Can you let me know if I say something unclear?” Most people are happy to help.
The Honest Truth
Native English speakers have different accents from each other, make pronunciation mistakes, and mumble constantly. We’re not perfect either.
If someone gives you a hard time about your accent, that’s their problem, not yours. As long as people understand you, you’re doing great.
Also, learning to speak another language is HARD. The fact that you’re trying puts you ahead of most native English speakers, who usually only speak one language.
Keep practicing, don’t be shy about speaking, and remember – mistakes are how you learn. Every native speaker you hear was once terrible at English too. We just had a head start.
One Last Thing
Some pronunciation mistakes are more important than others. Getting TH sounds wrong might make you sound foreign, but people will still understand you.
But mixing up “ship” and “sheep”? Or “beach” and… the other word? Yeah, focus on those first. Save yourself some awkward moments.
You’ve got this! Just keep talking, keep listening, and be patient with yourself. Pronunciation improves with time.