/s/ Group Sounds

English S-Sound Masterclass: /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/ Spanish features a single unvoiced sibilant sound (/s//s//s/), which means native Spanish speakers often default to using this single sound for all sibilants in English. Standard RP (Received Pronunciation / BBC English) uses four distinct sibilant sounds: Mastering these distinctions eliminates common misunderstandings and refines executive presentation … Leer más

Phonetic corrections for Spanish speakers

For Spanish-speaking professionals, mastering English phonetics requires breaking deeply ingrained muscular habits. Because Spanish has a relatively straightforward phonetic system, certain English vowel and consonant sounds frequently get confused or mispronounced. To help you correct these errors and elevate your professional spoken English, here is a practical breakdown of the most common phonetic traps Spanish … Leer más

English Word Stress & Intonation

What is word stress? All words with two or more syllables have one vowel sound stronger than the others: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etCETera. The syllables that are not stressed are «weak,» «small,» or «quiet.» Native speakers of English listen for the stressed syllables, not the weak syllables. If you use … Leer más

Mastering the Schwa Sound in English

Why is the schwa sound so essential for English learners who want to sound fluent? Perhaps it’s the way it drastically improves your sentence flow, making your conversations sound natural and effortless. Correctly pronouncing the schwa sound in English is an underutilised skill that significantly impacts your overall fluency. Practising it regularly is the best … Leer más

Pronunciation Errors Made by Spanish Speakers

For Spanish speakers, certain sounds in English present a significant hurdle. These are typically sounds that either do not exist in the Spanish phonetic inventory or do not naturally occur in specific positions within a word—particularly at the ends of words. Whether you are delivering an executive pitch, negotiating a contract, or presenting at an … Leer más

English Contractions & Relaxed Pronunciation

One challenging aspect of learning English is that there are different registers: we have spoken English and written English, formal English and informal English. Some words are okay in every register, but others are only okay in speech. Some only sound right in writing. Contractions are a big part of distinguishing between these different forms … Leer más

How to Pronounce /i:/ and /ɪ/ in English

For many Spanish-speaking executives and professionals, the biggest hurdle in English pronunciation isn’t the grammar—it’s the vowels. In Spanish, the letter «i» is consistent, clear, and singular. English, however, demands a distinction that does not exist in the Spanish phonetic inventory: the difference between the long, tense /i:/ (as in sheep) and the short, relaxed … Leer más

Noun vs. Verb Pronunciation in English

One of the most fascinating and frustrating challenges in English is encountering words that share the exact same spelling but change their stress pattern—and often their vowel pronunciation—depending on whether they function as a noun or a verb. These words are homonyms, but they are not homophones: they look identical on paper, but sound completely … Leer más

How to Pronounce the /sts/ Sound in English: A Guide for Spanish Speakers

If your native language is Spanish, you have almost certainly encountered a frustrating phonetic hurdle when trying to pronounce plural words or third-person singular verbs ending in /sts/, such as tests, artists, or specialists. In Spanish, consonant clusters at the end of words—especially three consecutive consonants like /s-t-s/—do not naturally exist. As a result, speakers … Leer más

English Silent Letters

Mastering English Silent Letters: Why They Matter and How They Transform Your Professional Pronunciation If you have ever wondered why native English speakers spell a word one way and pronounce it entirely differently, you are not alone. Non-native professionals often view silent letters as an annoying quirk of English orthography. However, far from being random … Leer más