US vs UK stress shifts
A group of mostly French-derived words is stressed on the first syllable in British English and the second in American, or the reverse. British says BALL-et and GA-rage; American says bal-LET and ga-RAGE. Listen for which syllable is longest and loudest in each accent.
Accent
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The words
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Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
Schwa sound words
The most common sound in English, hiding in every unstressed syllable. Learn to hear the schwa.
ER sound words
Bird, work, learn, turn: five spellings, one vowel. Hear the central ER sound in every accent.
Flap T words
Water, better, city: Americans tap the T like a quick D. Compare US and UK on every word.
Rhotic R words
Car, hard, farmer: Americans pronounce the R, the British do not. Hear both versions side by side.
Trap-bath split words
Bath, dance, can't: short flat A in America, long ah in southern England. Hear the split.
Keep practising
Browse every practice list, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.