English pronunciation practice for Hungarian speakers

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Hungarian language backgrounds

12 common English pronunciation problems

1. /ɪ/ as in "sit"

Fix problem Relax the mouth and keep sound short.

English sound /ɪ/ — "sit"

Common error /i:/ — "seat"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or /i:/ practice

2. /e/ as in "let"

Fix problem Keep tongue in fixed front central position.

English sound /e/ — "let"

Common error /eɪ/ — "late"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /eɪ/ practice

3. /æ/ as in "man"

Fix problem Move tongue to a lower front position.

English sound /æ/ — "man"

Common error /e/ — "men"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /æ/ practice

4. /ɔ:/ as in "bought"

Fix problem Tongue low, back & fixed. Jaws together.

English sound /ɔ:/ — "bought"

Common error /əʊ/ — "boat"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /ɔ:/ or /əʊ/ practice

5. /v/ as in "vet"

Fix problem Voiced. Friction with top teeth & bottom lip.

English sound /v/ — "vet"

Common error /w/ — "wet"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /w/ or /v/ practice

6. /w/ as in "west"

Fix problem Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide.

English sound /w/ — "west"

Common error /v/ — "vest"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /w/ or /v/ practice

7. /θ/ as in "thin"

Fix problem Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /θ/ — "thin"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /ð/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /t/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /d/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /s/ practice

8. /ð/ as in "clothe"

Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "clothe"

Common error /z/ — "close" /z/

9. /ð/ as in "they"

Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "they"

Common error /d/ — "day"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /ð/ or /d/ practice

10. /h/ as in "hot"

Fix problem Quickly push air from throat out of mouth.

English sound /h/ — "hot"

Common error "ch" in "loch"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /h/ or silent "h" practice

11. /ŋk/ as in "think"

Fix problem Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal.

English sound /ŋk/ — "think"

Common error /ŋ/ — "thing"

Practice materials
Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

12. /tʃ/ as in "chin"

Fix problem Unvoiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate.

English sound /tʃ/ — "chin"

Common error /dʒ/ — "gin"

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Non-native pronunciations of English: Hungarian L1