Intermediate tricky words
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.
Accent
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 lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
Hard consonant clusters
Strength, twelfths, sixths: dense consonant runs with no vowel to help. Hear them said cleanly.
WH words
What, where, who, whole: the WH spelling covers three different sounds. Hear which is which.
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.
Keep practising
Browse every practice list, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.