Online Tools to help teach pronunciation

Have you ever wondered why even the most talented students sometimes hesitate to speak English? 

Despite knowing the grammar and being able to form sentences, something still holds them back. Most often the reason is pronunciation. 

Pronunciation is the key to confidence in conversation. It requires not only theoretical knowledge, but also practice and a special approach. 

With the advent of technology, it has become easier and more effective to work on pronunciation. 

So in this article, we will look at how online tools can help you overcome pronunciation difficulties.

Pronunciation often poses challenges for students because each language has its unique sound system. English, for example, contains sounds that are different from those in the student’s native language. 

For many learners, sounds like /θ/ or /ə/ may be unfamiliar, making pronunciation difficult. 

Additionally, interference from their native language can cause confusion. For instance, many Ukrainian students might mix up /θ/ with /s/ or /w/ with /v/.

One more reason why pronunciation can be difficult is that words are not memorised correctly. 

It happens that a student has been pronouncing a word incorrectly for a long time, with a mistake, and it is quite difficult to re-learn it. 

For example, I recall a pupil who had learnt the stress in the word "develop" incorrectly at school, and it took her a while to retrain herself to pronounce it properly. 

It can also be related to the focus on other aspects of the language, as students and even teachers often pay more attention to grammar and vocabulary than to pronunciation. 

YouGlish is an incredible online tool that uses YouTube videos to help your students memorise correct pronunciation.

All you need to do is type a word into the search box and the platform will automatically find many videos on the minute where the word is pronounced. 

The advantage of YouGlish is that students listen to the language as it is used in life, not in educational recordings.

Promova is an excellent tool that not only provides word transcriptions and accurate pronunciation but also includes detailed definitions. 

If you scroll further down, you’ll find that each word is paired with a YouTube video example, demonstrating how it is used naturally in conversation. 

I absolutely love this tool! It’s an all-in-one solution — just give it a try!

Sensay is a great tool for creating interactive assignments for students and teachers. 

The AI system gives instant feedback on correct pronunciation and intonation.

There are also ready-made suggestions for practising pronunciation by level. Thanks to this platform, you save time and monitor your students' progress, helping them to improve their pronunciation.

Forvo is an online platform featuring a wide range of English words with accurate pronunciation. 

Each word is recorded by native speakers, making it an excellent resource for working on your students' pronunciation. 

To get started, you just need to enter a word and the platform will give you not only its correct pronunciation, but also phrases using that word. 

British and American accents of English are represented in the service, so you can compare how words sound in different variants of English with your students.

Howjsay is another online tool that gives users the opportunity to hear the correct pronunciation of words in English.

The database includes terms, medical, technical, and scientific vocabulary. 

Howjsay is available both in a browser and as a standalone mobile app.

Say It is a mobile app available on iOS and Android platforms. 

It has been specifically designed to help users improve their English pronunciation. 

The free version provides access to a limited selection of words and phrases. 

You can enjoy a 7-day trial to explore all the app’s features. 

A paid subscription unlocks the full dictionary, additional exercises, and tests.

How To Pronounce provides audio recordings of native speakers pronouncing words in different accents. 

Users can enter any word or phrase and get an accurate transcription and audio. 

You can create quizzes for your students, they will pass them and get points. 

All in all, pronunciation is an important aspect to develop with students from the very beginning. 

The correct pronunciation will help them to be understood and feel more confident when speaking.  

And don't forget, the more often students listen and repeat after native speakers, the faster they will make progress. 

Use the tools discussed above regularly and practice pronunciation with your students!