Hardest words to pronounce
These are the words that defeat everyone, usually because they stack r and l sounds close together (rural, squirrel) or repeat similar syllables (anemone, phenomenon). The difficulty is motor coordination, not knowledge. Slow them right down, then speed up gradually.
Accent
15 words · advanced · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.
The words
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Hard consonant clusters
Strength, twelfths, sixths: dense consonant runs with no vowel to help. Hear them said cleanly.
Food words people mispronounce
Quinoa, gnocchi, bruschetta, acai: menu words that trip everyone up. Hear each one correctly.
Medical terms
Anaesthesia, ophthalmologist, angina: essential medical vocabulary said clearly and correctly.
Legal terms
Subpoena, plaintiff, voir dire, tort: courtroom vocabulary with unpredictable pronunciation.
Tech and programming words
Cache, GIF, Linux, tuple, SQL: developer vocabulary that even engineers argue about.
UK place names
Leicester, Worcester, Edinburgh: British place names that look nothing like they sound.
Keep practising
Browse every practice list, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.