One of the easiest ways to improve your accent quickly is by learning to pronounce common words that you use regularly. First, you need to identify and learn to correct the pronunciation of your most commonly used words. Then you should practice a set of about 20-30 words every day for one week. Then, each week, you can start practicing a new set of words.
What are your most common words? Let’s start a list! Thoughts to get you started:
- The name of your workplace. What is your company’s name? Where do you work?
- Your career or job title. How do you answer the question, “What do you do for a living?”
- Names of people you work with. Think about your co-workers, your boss, your customers. People you interact with at work on a regular basis. Pronouncing names can be tricky, but important because it shows respect.
- Industry-related terminology. Words that you use in conversations with your colleagues and co-workers related to the work you do.
- Daily work conversations. Things you talk about in a typical day.
- Your town and where you live. The name of the city and state you live in and your street address. Notable business or landmarks near where you live and may use to describe your home neighborhood.
- Places you visit often. Places you will talk about with others. Think about your favorite restaurants, your gym, parks, stores, etc.
- All of your favorites. Your favorite sports, sports teams, movies, TV shows, foods, hobbies, etc.
- Brainstorm any other words that you say out loud in a typical day!
Now you know what words to practice! Practicing these personal common words will help your spoken English simply because of how often you use them. But what if you do not know how to pronounce the words in your list so that you can practice them correctly?
- Ask a friend. Rewrite the word the way it sounds to help you remember how to pronounce it.
- Use a text-to-speech app. I recommend naturalreaders.com. Keep in mind that these apps are best for single words when trying to learn pronunciation. Text-to-speech apps are not good at demonstrating the timing and rhythm of sentences which will affect the pronunciation of the words within the sentences. However, they can be very helpful for the pronunciation of single words.
- Ask your accent teacher. If you want more specific, personalized help learning to pronounce your common words, schedule a lesson with me!
Don’t forget to practice your set of words every day for one week! This will help you learn to master the pronuciation and begin to use it naturally in your conversations. Keep your list to 20-30 words per week, then move on to a new set of words.
If you liked this lesson and want more learning and practice, go to accents.pwspeech.com to record your free online accent assessment. I’ll be able to tell you exactly what you can do to personally improve your spoken English. In private lessons, I can offer personal feedback, answer your specific questions, develop a sequenced plan to build on what you’ve learned, and work on specific goals that most benefit you. I will help you devise and practice your personal list of common words.