Pronunciation & IPA Lookup
Type any English word to see its phonetic (IPA) spelling, syllable count, and word stress — and hear it spoken aloud in a UK or US accent using your device's voices. Below, browse 119 words IELTS candidates mispronounce most, with the fix for each.
Commonly mispronounced IELTS words
Pronunciation is worth 25% of your Speaking band, and examiners hear the same errors constantly — extra syllables (“com-for-table”), wrong stress (“DE-velopment”), and spelling-led guesses (“pro-noun-ciation”). Each word below shows the British IPA and the specific mistake to avoid — type any of them into the tool above to hear the correct version.
Silent letters & dropped syllables30
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| comfortable | /ˈkʌmf.tə.bəl/ | Three syllables — “KUMF-tuh-bul”, not “com-FOR-table”. |
| vegetable | /ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/ | Three syllables — “VEJ-tuh-bul”; the middle “e” disappears. |
| interesting | /ˈɪn.trə.stɪŋ/ | Three syllables — “IN-truh-sting”, stress on the first. |
| different | /ˈdɪf.rənt/ | Two syllables — “DIF-runt”, not “dif-fer-ent”. |
| chocolate | /ˈtʃɒk.lət/ | Two syllables — “CHOK-lut”. |
| business | /ˈbɪz.nɪs/ | Two syllables — “BIZ-nis”; the “u” is not pronounced. |
| Wednesday | /ˈwenz.deɪ/ | “WENZ-day” — the first “d” is silent. |
| library | /ˈlaɪ.brər.i/ | “LY-bruh-ree” — don't drop the first “r” (“ly-bree”). |
| February | /ˈfeb.ru.ər.i/ | “FEB-roo-uh-ree” — the first “r” is often wrongly dropped. |
| receipt | /rɪˈsiːt/ | The “p” is completely silent — “ri-SEET”. |
| island | /ˈaɪ.lənd/ | The “s” is silent — “EYE-lund”. |
| debt | /det/ | The “b” is silent — rhymes with “get”. |
| muscle | /ˈmʌs.əl/ | The “c” is silent — “MUS-ul”, like “mussel”. |
| answer | /ˈɑːn.sər/ | The “w” is silent — “AHN-suh”. |
| salmon | /ˈsæm.ən/ | The “l” is silent — “SAM-un”. |
| iron | /ˈaɪən/ | “EYE-un” — the “r” is not pronounced as written. |
| hour | /aʊər/ | The “h” is silent — sounds exactly like “our”. |
| honest | /ˈɒn.ɪst/ | The “h” is silent — “ON-ist”; same in “honour”. |
| castle | /ˈkɑː.səl/ | The “t” is silent — “KAH-sul”; same in “whistle” and “listen”. |
| knife | /naɪf/ | The “k” is silent — “NIFE”; same in “knee”, “know”, “knock”. |
| climb | /klaɪm/ | The “b” is silent — “KLIME”; same in “comb” and “thumb”. |
| doubt | /daʊt/ | The “b” is silent — rhymes with “out”. |
| half | /hɑːf/ | The “l” is silent — “HAHF”; same in “calf” and “walk”. |
| cupboard | /ˈkʌb.əd/ | “KUB-ud” — the “p” disappears completely. |
| medicine | /ˈmed.sɪn/ | Two syllables in British English — “MED-sin”, not “me-di-cine”. |
| camera | /ˈkæm.rə/ | Two syllables — “KAM-ruh”; the middle “e” drops. |
| favourite | /ˈfeɪv.rɪt/ | Two syllables — “FAYV-rit”, not “fa-vo-rite”. |
| temperature | /ˈtem.prə.tʃər/ | Three syllables — “TEM-pruh-chuh”, not “tem-pe-ra-ture”. |
| secretary | /ˈsek.rə.tri/ | Three syllables in British English — “SEK-ruh-tree”. |
| restaurant | /ˈres.trɒnt/ | Two to three syllables — “RES-tront”, never “res-tau-rant” as spelt. |
Word stress traps20
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| development | /dɪˈvel.əp.mənt/ | Stress the second syllable — “di-VEL-up-munt”. |
| photography | /fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fi/ | “fuh-TOG-ruh-fee” — stress moves from “PHO-to-graph”. |
| economy | /ɪˈkɒn.ə.mi/ | “i-KON-uh-mee” — but “economic” stresses “NOM”: /ˌiː.kəˈnɒm.ɪk/. |
| political | /pəˈlɪt.ɪ.kəl/ | “puh-LIT-i-kul” — but “politics” stresses the first syllable. |
| advertisement | /ədˈvɜː.tɪs.mənt/ | British stress on “VER” — “ud-VER-tis-munt”, not “ad-ver-TISE-ment”. |
| entrepreneur | /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜːr/ | Stress the last syllable — “on-truh-pruh-NUR”. |
| hotel | /həʊˈtel/ | Stress the second syllable — “hoh-TEL”, not “HO-tel”. |
| event | /ɪˈvent/ | Stress the second syllable — “i-VENT”. |
| career | /kəˈrɪər/ | “kuh-REER” — stress the second syllable (compare “carrier”). |
| committee | /kəˈmɪt.i/ | Stress the middle — “kuh-MIT-ee”. |
| necessary | /ˈnes.ə.ser.i/ | Stress the first syllable — “NESS-uh-seh-ree”. |
| comparable | /ˈkɒm.pər.ə.bəl/ | Stress the FIRST syllable — “KOM-pruh-bul”, not “com-PAIR-able”. |
| preferable | /ˈpref.ər.ə.bəl/ | Stress the first syllable — “PREF-ruh-bul”. |
| employee | /ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː/ | “im-PLOY-ee” — stress usually on the second syllable. |
| management | /ˈmæn.ɪdʒ.mənt/ | Stress the first syllable — “MAN-ij-munt”, not “man-AGE-ment”. |
| purchase | /ˈpɜː.tʃəs/ | “PUR-chus” — the second syllable is weak, not “pur-CHASE”. |
| average | /ˈæv.rɪdʒ/ | Two syllables — “AV-rij”, stress on the first. |
| engineer | /ˌen.dʒɪˈnɪər/ | Stress the last syllable — “en-ji-NEER”; same pattern in “-eer” words. |
| volunteer | /ˌvɒl.ənˈtɪər/ | Stress the last syllable — “vol-un-TEER”. |
| afternoon | /ˌɑːf.təˈnuːn/ | Stress the last syllable — “ahf-tuh-NOON”. |
Noun–verb stress pairs10
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| record | /ˈrek.ɔːd/ n · /rɪˈkɔːd/ v | REC-ord (the noun: a world record) vs re-CORD (the verb: to record audio). |
| present | /ˈprez.ənt/ n · /prɪˈzent/ v | PREZ-unt (a gift; the present time) vs pri-ZENT (to present findings). |
| produce | /ˈprɒdʒ.uːs/ n · /prəˈdjuːs/ v | PROD-yoos (farm produce) vs pruh-DYOOS (to produce goods). |
| object | /ˈɒb.dʒɪkt/ n · /əbˈdʒekt/ v | OB-jikt (a thing) vs ub-JEKT (to disagree). |
| conduct | /ˈkɒn.dʌkt/ n · /kənˈdʌkt/ v | KON-dukt (behaviour) vs kun-DUKT (to conduct research). |
| contract | /ˈkɒn.trækt/ n · /kənˈtrækt/ v | KON-trakt (a legal agreement) vs kun-TRAKT (to shrink). |
| permit | /ˈpɜː.mɪt/ n · /pəˈmɪt/ v | PER-mit (a work permit) vs puh-MIT (to allow). |
| import | /ˈɪm.pɔːt/ n · /ɪmˈpɔːt/ v | IM-port (the goods) vs im-PORT (the action) — key Task 1 vocabulary. |
| export | /ˈek.spɔːt/ n · /ɪkˈspɔːt/ v | EX-port (the goods) vs ex-PORT (the action). |
| increase | /ˈɪŋ.kriːs/ n · /ɪnˈkriːs/ v | IN-crease (an increase in sales) vs in-CREASE (sales increased) — constantly needed in Task 1. |
Tricky vowels & consonants24
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| environment | /ɪnˈvaɪ.rən.mənt/ | “in-VY-run-munt” — four syllables, don't skip the “ron”. |
| pronunciation | /prəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | “pruh-nun-see-AY-shun” — no “noun” in it (not “pro-NOUN-ciation”). |
| colleague | /ˈkɒl.iːɡ/ | “KOL-eeg” — two syllables, stress on the first. |
| queue | /kjuː/ | Just “KYOO” — four of the five letters are silent. |
| suit | /suːt/ | “SOOT” — rhymes with “boot”, not with “sweet”. |
| fruit | /fruːt/ | “FROOT” — one syllable; the “i” is silent. |
| juice | /dʒuːs/ | “JOOSS” — one syllable. |
| women | /ˈwɪm.ɪn/ | “WIM-in” — the “o” sounds like “i”; compare “woman” /ˈwʊm.ən/. |
| clothes | /kləʊðz/ | One syllable — “KLOHTHZ”, not “klo-thiz”. |
| months | /mʌnθs/ | One syllable ending in “nths” — practise the /nθs/ cluster. |
| world | /wɜːld/ | “WURLD” — one syllable; don't add a vowel (“wor-uld”). |
| heart | /hɑːt/ | “HAHT” — rhymes with “art”, not with “hurt”. |
| height | /haɪt/ | “HITE” — rhymes with “light”, not with “weight”. |
| foreign | /ˈfɒr.ən/ | “FOR-un” — the “g” is silent. |
| southern | /ˈsʌð.ən/ | “SUTH-un” — the vowel changes from “south” /saʊθ/. |
| enough | /ɪˈnʌf/ | “i-NUF” — the “gh” sounds like /f/. |
| through | /θruː/ | “THROO” — compare “though” /ðəʊ/, “thought” /θɔːt/, “tough” /tʌf/. |
| thorough | /ˈθʌr.ə/ | “THUH-ruh” (British) — two syllables, unlike “through”. |
| recipe | /ˈres.ɪ.pi/ | Three syllables — “RES-i-pee”, never “re-SEEP”. |
| vehicle | /ˈviː.ə.kəl/ | “VEE-i-kul” — the “h” is silent. |
| stomach | /ˈstʌm.ək/ | “STUM-uk” — the “ch” sounds like /k/, and the “o” like “u”. |
| ache | /eɪk/ | “AYK” — rhymes with “cake”; the “ch” is /k/. |
| choir | /kwaɪər/ | “KWY-uh” — completely irregular; nothing like “chair”. |
| suite | /swiːt/ | Pronounced exactly like “sweet” — a hotel suite, not “soot”. |
Easily confused words8
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| dessert | /dɪˈzɜːt/ | de-ZERT (the sweet course) vs DEZ-ut /ˈdez.ət/ (the Sahara desert). |
| quiet | /ˈkwaɪ.ət/ | Two syllables — “KWY-ut” (silent), vs one-syllable “quite” /kwaɪt/. |
| lose | /luːz/ | “LOOZ” with a /z/ (to lose a game) vs “loose” /luːs/ with an /s/ (not tight). |
| leave | /liːv/ | Long /iː/ — “LEEV”, vs short “live” /lɪv/. Vowel length changes the word. |
| work | /wɜːk/ | “WURK” with /ɜː/, vs “walk” /wɔːk/ with /ɔː/ — a classic mix-up in Speaking. |
| cheap | /tʃiːp/ | Long /iː/ — “CHEEP”, vs short “chip” /tʃɪp/. |
| full | /fʊl/ | Short /ʊ/ — “FUL”, vs “fool” /fuːl/ with long /uː/. |
| soup | /suːp/ | “SOOP” with /uː/, vs “soap” /səʊp/ with the “oh” diphthong. |
Numbers & dates7
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| thirteen | /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/ | Stress the END — “thir-TEEN”, vs “THIR-ty” /ˈθɜː.ti/. The -teen/-ty stress difference prevents costly Listening mistakes. |
| forty | /ˈfɔː.ti/ | “FOR-tee” — and note the spelling has no “u”, unlike “four”. |
| fifth | /fɪfθ/ | One syllable ending in /fθ/ — practise “fifth floor”. |
| twelfth | /twelfθ/ | The /lfθ/ cluster — “TWELFTH”; don't drop the “f”. |
| eighth | /eɪtθ/ | “AYT-th” — a /t/ then /θ/ together. |
| Tuesday | /ˈtʃuːz.deɪ/ | “CHOOZ-day” in British English — not “TOOS-day”. |
| twentieth | /ˈtwen.ti.əθ/ | Three syllables — “TWEN-ti-uth”; needed for saying dates. |
-ed endings & final clusters8
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| walked | /wɔːkt/ | One syllable — the “-ed” is just /t/ after voiceless sounds. |
| developed | /dɪˈvel.əpt/ | Three syllables — “-ed” is /t/, not “de-vel-op-ed”. |
| asked | /ɑːskt/ | One syllable — “AHSKT”; don't say “ask-ed”. |
| decided | /dɪˈsaɪ.dɪd/ | After “d” or “t”, “-ed” IS a full extra syllable — “di-SY-did”. |
| used to | /ˈjuːst tuː/ | In “I used to…”, it sounds like “YOOST”, with /t/ not /d/. |
| watched | /wɒtʃt/ | One syllable — “-ed” is /t/ after /tʃ/; “WOCHT”, not “watch-ed”. |
| planned | /plænd/ | One syllable — “-ed” is /d/ after voiced sounds. |
| wanted | /ˈwɒn.tɪd/ | Two syllables — after “t” or “d”, the “-ed” is a full /ɪd/ syllable. |
Academic & exam words12
↑ All sections| Word | IPA (British) | How to say it right |
|---|---|---|
| academic | /ˌæk.əˈdem.ɪk/ | Stress on “DEM” — “ak-uh-DEM-ik”. |
| certificate | /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kət/ | “suh-TIF-i-kut” — the noun ends in /kət/, not “Kate”. |
| graduate | /ˈɡrædʒ.u.ət/ | The noun ends in “-ut” /ət/; the verb ends in “-ate” /eɪt/. |
| percentage | /pəˈsen.tɪdʒ/ | Stress the second syllable — “puh-SEN-tij”. |
| statistics | /stəˈtɪs.tɪks/ | “stuh-TIS-tiks” — stress the middle syllable. |
| society | /səˈsaɪ.ə.ti/ | Four syllables — “suh-SY-uh-tee”. |
| opportunity | /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nə.ti/ | Stress on “TU” — “op-uh-TYOO-nuh-tee”. |
| particularly | /pəˈtɪk.jə.lə.li/ | Five syllables — “puh-TIK-yuh-luh-lee”; don't drop “-ly” syllables. |
| university | /ˌjuː.nɪˈvɜː.sə.ti/ | Stress on “VER” — “yoo-ni-VER-suh-tee”. |
| literature | /ˈlɪt.rə.tʃər/ | Three syllables in British English — “LIT-ruh-chuh”. |
| laboratory | /ləˈbɒr.ə.tri/ | British stress on the SECOND syllable — “luh-BOR-uh-tree” (American: “LAB-ruh-tor-ee”). |
| thesis | /ˈθiː.sɪs/ | “THEE-sis” — starts with the /θ/ of “think”, not /t/. |
How to read IPA symbols
Each IPA symbol is exactly one sound. The mark ˈ goes before the stressed syllable, and ːmeans the vowel is long. These are the symbols you'll meet most often, each with a word that contains the sound.
Short vowels
Long vowels
Diphthongs
Tricky consonants
Frequently asked questions
What is IPA and why is it useful for IELTS?+
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system where each symbol represents exactly one sound, so /ˈkʌmf.tə.bəl/ tells you precisely how 'comfortable' is spoken — something English spelling often hides. Every good learner's dictionary uses it, and reading it lets you check any word's pronunciation yourself instead of guessing from the spelling.
How much does pronunciation affect my IELTS Speaking score?+
Pronunciation is one of the four Speaking criteria, worth 25% of your Speaking band. Examiners assess how easy you are to understand: individual sounds, word stress, sentence stress, and intonation. You do not need a native accent — you need to be clearly intelligible, with stress in the right places.
Should I use a British or American accent in IELTS?+
Either — both are fully accepted, as are Australian and other standard accents. What matters is consistency and clarity, not which accent you choose. That's why this tool offers both UK and US audio: pick one model and stick with it.
What is word stress and why does it matter so much?+
English words have one syllable pronounced more strongly than the rest — deVELopment, not DEvelopment. Wrong word stress is the single most common reason examiners find candidates hard to understand, because native listeners rely on stress patterns to recognise words. The stress marker (ˈ) in IPA comes right before the stressed syllable.
What is the schwa /ə/ sound?+
The schwa is the most common sound in English — the weak 'uh' in 'about', 'teacher', and 'from' in fast speech. Unstressed syllables usually reduce to schwa; pronouncing every written vowel fully ('com-FOR-ta-ble') is what makes speech sound unnatural. Mastering the schwa instantly makes your rhythm more English.
How can I improve my pronunciation for IELTS?+
Work in this order: word stress first (biggest impact), then the sounds that don't exist in your first language (often /θ/, /ð/, /w/ vs /v/, or vowel length), then sentence rhythm. Listen, repeat aloud, and record yourself — comparing your recording to the model is the fastest feedback loop available for free.
Hear it, say it — then get scored on it
Take a live IELTS Speaking test with Worddemy's AI examiner and get feedback on your pronunciation against the official band descriptors. The free plan needs no card.