Sounds Archives - Rachel's English

This large collection of videos is broken up into subcategories, which you can find under 'Videos' in the main menu. Study the vowel, diphthong, and consonant sounds of American English, as well as the International Phonetic Alphabet and letters.

The American English “X”: 4 distinct sounds

YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video. The American English “X” requires that speakers know and use four specific sounds. I’ll show you lots of examples of each, using vocabulary words (and their IPA) to break down this complicated lesson … [Read more...]

How to pronounce three difficult clusters: -sks, -sts & -sks

If you’re learning English it’s important to include American accent training in your studies. In this video I show you accent training exercises that you can use to pronounce three of the most difficult consonant clusters in American English: -sks, … [Read more...]

Difficult Words with R and L

You’ll get an English pronunciation lesson for advanced students in this video. You’ll learn the pronunciation of words containing R and L—two of the most difficult sounds in the English language. YouTube blocked? Click here to see the … [Read more...]

P Sounding like B in Words like PEPPER

Lots of students ask me if the P should be turned into a B for words like ‘pepper’, ‘spoon’, etc. My answer is NO – find out why! Playlist that goes over all the sounds of American English: … [Read more...]

English Sounds – L [l] Consonant – How to make the L [l] Consonant

Learn the Sounds of American English! This video covers the L [l] Consonant.Perfect your American Accent! Buy the whole set of videos, the Sounds of American English, here: https://rachelsenglish.com/sounds YouTube blocked? Click here to … [Read more...]

How to make the R [ɹ] Consonant

Learn the Sounds of American English! This video covers the R [ɹ] Consonant. Perfect your American Accent! Buy the whole set of videos, the Sounds of American English, here: https://rachelsenglish.com/sounds YouTube blocked? Click here to … [Read more...]

Learn the Phonetic Alphabet

Alpha, bravo, Charlie: each letter of the alphabet has a target word to increase understandability in spelling. Learn the target words in the NATO phonetic alphabet to make spelling out names, address, confirmation numbers, and more much … [Read more...]

How to Pronounce AIR words: care, share, fair, etc

Words with EH+R are harder to pronounce than you would think. This video helps you understand what changes in the EH vowel when it’s followed by R. Want to learn more about R-controlled vowels? Check out the whole video by joining … [Read more...]

BR Consonant Cluster

Learn how to make the BR consonant cluster (also called a consonant blend) and get a handle on words like bring, break, broken, brass, brother. YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video. Video Text: In this American English … [Read more...]

Why we need the IPA

Learn why we need the International Phonetic Alphabet: words that looks like they should rhyme don’t rhyme, heteronyms and homophones are common. English is not a phonetic language, and the IPA helps us know exactly what sound we’re talking … [Read more...]

Vowel and Diphthong Comparison

Do some of the vowels or diphthongs of American English sound the same to you? See the difference in this Comparison of Vowels and Diphthongs. Perfect your American Accent! Buy the whole set of videos, the Sounds of American English, here. YouTube … [Read more...]

How to Pronounce WANTED

Have you noticed Americans drop the T in WANTED so it sounds like ‘wan-id’? Learn how to sound more natural when using ‘wanted’, ‘want it’, and ‘want’ in a sentence. YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video. Video Text: I've wanted to make … [Read more...]