Before we move on to the right apps, it might be useful to keep these tips and tricks in mind:
Record yourself while you speak. Sometimes, we don’t know exactly how we sound until we carefully listen to our own voices. So when you’re practicing pronunciation, record yourself and then compare that with the learning material.
Make your learning social. Pronunciation isn’t like spelling or grammar. You can’t expect to memorize certain rules and magically be able to pronounce everything the right way. You need to speak more often and get feedback from the people you speak to, in English.
Supplement pronunciation apps with other English content. The more exposure to English that you get, the better. So when you aren’t using your English pronunciation app, watch English television shows and follow the news on BBC, paying attention to the way people speak.
Replay videos again and again. You won’t be able to memorize how a word is pronounced just by listening to it once. So replay your audio or video materials over and over until you’re confident you’re getting it right.
Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): The IPA is a pretty useful thing to learn, especially for non-native speakers. As you can see on the IPA chart, different sounds are represented by particular letters and symbols. Once you know the chart by heart, you’ll be prepared to pronounce any word.
There are several English pronunciation apps out there, which might make it difficult for you to choose the right one. I’ve made a list of seven powerful apps that you can browse through and pick from, based on your needs, goals and budget.
This app is made by the British Council, which is known for its English learning courses throughout the world.
The app has a phonemic chart that allows you to tap any symbol in the chart to hear how it’s pronounced. It also shows three example words for each sound.
The chart in this app is arranged according to the shape our mouths make for each particular sound.
This app is made specifically for American English and categorizes the sounds according to the different kinds of vowels and consonants used in American English.
The sounds are organized by category, such as “short vowels.” Under each category, the app describes how to move your mouth and tongue to produce the sound accurately.
The app has a list of commonly used words in American English. It also allows you to store important words.
How cool would it be to have a private English tutor who points out all your pronunciation issues and patiently helps you improve your accent?
Well, there’s an app that lets you do just that. Focused on American English, ELSA Speak comes with speech recognition technology that’ll help you correctly pronounce common English words and phrases.
You can even create your own pronunciation curriculum by choosing certain challenges and topics, as well as tracking your progress.
This app has a unique learning technique that’s especially great for visual learners.
If you’re not very confident about judging your pronunciation by listening to your recorded voice, then maybe looking at a visual representation of your voice might help.
This app generates a picture of the sound wave created when you speak a word. All you have to do is compare the visual sound wave of your voice to the sound wave produced by a native speaker.