Vowel Contrast: /a/ vs. /ʌ/

English learners often confuse the vowel sounds /a/ and /ʌ/. In this brief tutorial, we give you practice listening to the differences and tips on how to make these two similar sounds.

Consonant Contrast: /b/ vs. /p/

Some learners of English have trouble distinguishing between /b/ and /p/. Here we give tips for those students, especially speakers of Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, Korean, Spanish, and Turkish.

Narration: Alan Headbloom

Editor: Garrett Lessner

Vowel Contrast: /i/ vs. /ɪ/

Many ESL students have trouble distinguishing these two vowel sounds: /i/ and /ɪ/. Here we give you practice in hearing the difference.

Vowel Contrast: /ɛ/ vs. /æ/

Today, we continue to unveil the difference among the 15 vowel sounds of English. Here we focus on vowels #4 and #5, contrasting the differences and giving listening practice with pairs of words to distinguish /ɛ/ from /æ/.

Consonant Contrast: /b/ vs. /v/

This segment highlights the difference between the English consonants /b/ and /v/. We give you a chance to practice along with the video and listen to contrasting pairs of words.

Vowel #10

Alan teaches the pronunciation of Vowel #10 in American English: /ʊ/. He includes spelling patterns, exceptions, and sample sentences for practice.