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Difficult English words to pronounce

At intermediate level the errors move from basic sounds to consonant clusters and reduced syllables. Clothes is usually said as one syllable identical to close, and February commonly loses its first r. These are the words that mark the gap between good and fluent.


15 words · intermediate · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

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Words that separate advanced learners from native speakers: paradigm, epitome, hyperbole.
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Chauffeur, psychiatrist, colonel, sommelier: occupation names you need for introductions.
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Lacrosse, peloton, judo, pommel: sporting vocabulary with borrowed and irregular sounds.
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Meteorologist, drought, hurricane, chinook: weather vocabulary with awkward vowels.
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Though, through, tough, cough, bough: one spelling, seven sounds. English at its worst.
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Light, laugh, ghost, high: GH is silent, F, or hard G. Hear which each word takes.
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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.