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Hard consonant clusters

English tolerates up to three consonants at the start of a word and four at the end, far more than most languages. Speakers of Spanish, Japanese and Arabic often insert a helper vowel or drop a consonant. Aim to run the consonants together with no vowel between them.


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The words

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Pin or bin, pat or bat. English P has a puff of air that B does not. Hear the pairs contrasted.
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The words almost everyone says wrong: espresso, sherbet, mischievous, prerogative.
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Rural, squirrel, anemone, sixth: the words native speakers themselves stumble over.
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Lead, read, tear, wind, bow: one spelling, two pronunciations and two meanings. Hear both.
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Think and sink, thin and tin, van and ban. Consonant contrasts that change the word entirely.
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Rendezvous, croissant, entrepreneur, faux pas: French words English kept and half-anglicised.
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Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.