As you continue learning a new language, you may be looking to tailor your accent to that of a native speaker. Taking this approach has its benefits, such as making your English more understandable by others.
If you are learning the English language right now, you may want to learn the American English accent. It is one of the most popular English accents to learn, which is a huge plus!
To help you, we have gathered the top 5 ways to improve your American accent. Make sure you practice so you can get the hang of it in no time!
1. Link Your Words
So when you are practicing your English with your online tutor, they may ask you to write down the text. This is a great way to take in the correct spelling of your word visually. When you do this, make sure you identify the ending of one word and the beginning of the next word. Because here is the rule that you have to apply moving forward:
Link your words when one word ends with a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel.
With this reliable advice, you will not only sound more natural but also seem like English is your Mother Tongue. A double win in our book!
2. Work on really hearing the ‘uh’ or ‘schwa(ə)’ sound
Another helpful tip that you need to practice in your speaking drills is the American English pronunciation of ‘uh’ and ‘schwa’.
Let us look at the ‘schwa’ sound, which improves your listening and help with your pronunciation. To properly make this sound, you may have to carry out mouth and tongue forms. However, with the right practice, you will definitely master this universally common sound in a flash.
Here are some great examples:
THE
Don’t say – Thee
Do Say – Thuh
IMPORTANT
Don’t say – ImporTANT (not ae, like apple)
Do Say – Importuhnt
3. Train your ears to hear the difference between the long and short vowel sounds
Another crucial tip that will naturally come to you as you continue to train your ears is the difference between short and long vowel sounds. Here, we call it two-tones, and it is a distinct aspect of the American English language. It can also be shown with a few simple examples. So feel free to say these words out loud or practice with your online tutor:
- Beet vs. Bit
- Sheet vs. Shit
- Bait vs. Bit
- Feet vs. Fit
- And so many more!
Make sure that you grasp the differences in pronunciation, or you will be left in a funny situation when you are speaking to someone! It will take some time to understand, but try not to feel disappointed. Just keep working at it.
4. Don’t forget your vowels
Many people mistake not understanding the foundation of the English language, which are consonants and vowels. By mastering the correct pronunciations of your vowels, your life will be so much easier.
Let’s give a few examples as a start:
- A sounds like ‘eh-eeeee’
- E sounds like ‘ee-eeeee’
The point is that it’s not one continuous tone; instead, it’s two-tone. Use this tip to cement your pronunciation skills further.
5. Learn the most commonly mispronounced words
As we know, In every language, there are a few words that are commonly mispronounced, even by native speakers. It would be best to practice the pronunciation of the American dialect not to make these common mistakes.
Here are few to help you get started:
- Salmon
- Comfortable
- Interesting
- Definitely
- Library
- Subtle
- Ask
- Wednesday
- Stomach
It would be nice if you have a trained professional to help you with this challenging practice. Because it would take some time to learn the correct pronunciation, then to perfect it. And having trained professionals to guide you will surely speed up the process. But hang in there, it will pay off in the end.
Practice Makes Permanent
Even though the common saying is ‘Practice Makes Perfect,’ we can also look at it that ‘Practice Makes Permanent.’ This can be viewed as both a good and bad situation if you choose to practice the incorrect of correct pronunciation, respectively.
If you need more help in preventing this, then don’t hesitate to let us know. We are eager to help! So contact us today, and we can get started on helping you master the American English pronunciation with a private tutor!
