How to Say Hard English Words: Free Pronunciation Guides

You’ve got a word in front of you, and you want to know how to say it. Maybe it’s in an email, a menu, a textbook or a conversation you’re about to have. You don’t want a long lesson. You want the answer, and then, if you’re curious, a way to get better at all the other tricky words too. That’s what this page is for. Here you’ll find a quick method for how to say any English word, instant answers for 24 of the most-searched tricky words, and a guide to everything else on this site, from sounds and stress to food names, place names and accents.

How to say any English word in 5 steps

This takes about a minute per word, and it works on almost any word.

1. Hear it. Type the word into a tool and listen three times without speaking.
2. Slow it down. Listen once more at a slower speed, so you catch every sound.
3. Check the IPA. Find the stress mark (ˈ), which sits before the strongest syllable. If IPA is new to you, see how to read IPA.
4. Say it aloud. Repeat it five times, then in a sentence.
5. Record yourself. Compare your recording with the audio.

If you don’t have time for all five, even steps 1 and 4 (listen, then say it) make a big difference. For the full explanation, see our guide to pronunciation audio online.

Want to hear how this sounds right now? Type any word into the Free Pronunciation Tool and listen to it in 4 accents.

Quick answers: how to say 24 tricky words

Here are the pronunciations people search for most (American IPA). Click through for the full guide on each topic.

For anything not on this list, type it into the tool and hear it straight away.

How to say it: guides by topic

Hard words by type

These guides cover words that people most often get wrong, grouped by what makes them tricky.

• Commonly mispronounced words: Wednesday, library, comfortable and more
• How to pronounce the longest word in English: a 45-letter word, step by step
• How to pronounce food names: gnocchi, croissant, quinoa and 30+ menu words
• How to pronounce medical words: pneumonia, esophagus, cholesterol and more
• How to pronounce place names: Leicester, Edinburgh, Arkansas and Beijing
• How to pronounce brand names: Hermès, Porsche, Xiaomi and Nike
• How to pronounce animal names: koala, lynx, chameleon and hippopotamus
• How to pronounce famous names: composers, artists, thinkers and scientists
• How to pronounce Bible names: Nebuchadnezzar, Habakkuk and Gethsemane

Sounds and rules

If you want to understand why words sound the way they do, start here.

• How to read IPA: the symbols that show how words sound
• How to pronounce th: the voiceless and voiced “th” sounds
• Minimal pairs in English: ship vs sheep and other tricky pairs
• Silent letters in English: why knife starts with a K
• Word stress in English: which syllable to stress
• The schwa sound: the most common vowel in English
• How to pronounce -ed endings: walked, played and wanted
• How to pronounce s endings: cats, dogs and buses

Tools and practice

Find the right way to check words and practise them every day.

• Pronunciation audio online: hear any word for free
• Pronounce English words online: word lists by type
• Word pronouncer: a quick way to check one word
• Pronunciation helper English: a tool, a method and feedback
• English pronunciation online (free): a complete guide with a 4-week plan
• How to practice English speaking alone: 9 easy methods
• How to reduce your accent: 7 practical steps

Accents

• American vs British pronunciation: 20 key differences
• Indian English pronunciation: how it differs from American English

For parents and teachers

• English pronunciation for kids: fun ways to teach sounds

Grammar you can hear

• Simple present tense: rules, examples and how it sounds
• Simple past tense: rules, examples and how it sounds

Where to start

Not sure which guide to open first? Pick the path that fits you.

Quick fix. You just need one word right now. Type it into the tool, listen three times, check the IPA and say it out loud.

Fix a sound. You keep getting the same sound wrong, like “th” or “r.” Start with how to pronounce th and minimal pairs in English.

Build a habit. You want to improve steadily. Follow the free four-week plan in English pronunciation online (free), and practise ten to fifteen minutes a day.

How to say words online: three useful habits

Whether you’re using a pronunciation tool or a dictionary, a few habits make the pronunciation of words online much more useful.

1. Listen more than once. Your ears need repetition.
2. Always say the word out loud. Listening alone doesn’t train your mouth.
3. Keep a word list. Write down each word you look up, and review it once a week.

And if you’re wondering how to pronounce online words that nobody has recorded, such as names or new terms, a text-to-speech tool like our word pronouncer can read them aloud. For important names, check with a person if you can.

Mistakes to avoid

• Guessing from the spelling. English spelling is an unreliable guide to sound.
• Checking a word but never saying it. Say it out loud.
• Learning too many words at once. Five a day is plenty.
• Switching accents mid-sentence. Pick a target and stay consistent.
• Trusting only one source for names. Check a dictionary or a person.

Questions people ask

How do I say a word I’ve never seen before?

Break it into syllables, find the stressed one, check the IPA and listen to the audio. A pronunciation tool or dictionary will give you all of these quickly.

How do you say “quinoa”?

KEEN-wah, in IPA /ˈkiːnwɑː/.

How do you say “February”?

FEB-yoo-air-ee, in IPA /ˈfebjueri/. Some people say “FEB-roo-air-ee,” and both are common.

What’s the best way to learn how to say hard words?

Use a short routine: listen, slow it down, check the IPA, say it aloud and record yourself. Then repeat it every day with new words.

Is there a free way to hear any word?

Yes. Many dictionaries offer free audio for listed words, and free text-to-speech tools let you hear any word or sentence. You can try ours at the top of this page.

Which accent should I learn?

Whichever you’ll hear and use most. See American vs British pronunciation to compare.

Try one word now

Pick a word you’ve been unsure about. Type it in, listen three times, check the IPA and say it five times. That’s the fastest answer to “how to say,” and it only takes a minute.

Want to hear how this sounds right now? Type any word into the Free Pronunciation Tool and listen to it in 4 accents.