Bringing pronunciation into your English lessons: A practical checklist

Pronunciation is often the overlooked piece in our lessons. As teachers, especially non-native teachers, it's sometimes difficult to give it the attention it deserves. To help a little, I've put together this checklist of pronunciation concepts that we can try to cover. I hope it inspires you to include a little extra pronunciation into your lessons this year.

1. Pronunciation of sounds within words

   
   

Probably the most obvious of pronunciation studies is the individual sounds in words (but it's certainly not the only one - read on for more).

So, let's start with some facts: English has 26 letters in its alphabet but 44 distinct sounds. This makes it a language with a deep orthography.

Orthography: the conventional spelling system of a language. It describes how sounds are represented by letters and how written forms relate to spoken language.

Deep orthography: a spelling system where the relationship between sounds and letters is not close or predictable.

In languages with a deep orthography, the same sound can be spelled in different ways, and the same letter or letter group can represent different sounds. Think about learners who acquire English through speaking first, like native speakers. They often struggle with spelling because the words aren’t what they seem when they hear them. Non-native learners notice the same mismatch in reverse: reading doesn’t always tell them how to speak.

By the way, vowels are a big part of the problem here since we have only 5 for spelling but 20 in our sound system.

Focusing on individual sounds in words can help. Are you covering this in your lessons? Do you have a pronunciation chart in your classroom? Do you encourage students to check phonetic script in a dictionary and reference the chart to ensure pronunciation is accurate.

Example:

chocolate /ˈtʃɒklət/

tʃ like church

ɒ like hot

k like key

l like look

ə like ago

t like ten

2. Syllable stress within words

Which syllables do your students naturally stress? English word stress is rarely clear from spelling alone, and this is where many confident speakers still sound slightly off.

Three syllable words are a useful place to start because they show clear contrast:

Stress on the first syllable: ANimal CAbinet

Stress on the middle syllable: baNAna poTAto

Stress on the last syllable: engiNEER refuGEE

A simple way to check syllable stress is to look in a learner’s dictionary. Stress is usually indicated with an apostrophe before the stressed syllable, rather than a dot.

For example:

chocolate /ˈtʃɒk.lət/

engineer /.en.dʒɪˈnɪə/

Some examples of words which are frequently mispronounced include:

• timetable

• certify / certificate

• analysis

• academic

• develop / development

These words appear often in lessons, exams, and staffroom conversations. Small corrections here can make a noticeable difference to how natural a speaker sounds.

3. Word stress within sentences

Did you know? English is a stress-timed language. Content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are stressed, while grammar words (determiners, prepositions, pronouns conjunctions) are weakened.

Many other languages (including French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Turkish) are syllable-timed, giving roughly equal weight to each syllable.

Our stress-timed rhythm means that learners often pronounce every syllable equally, which sounds unnatural in English. Using stress correctly helps both clarity and fluency.

Try this exercise:

• Cats chase mice.

• The cats chase mice.

• The cats chase the mice.

• The cats are chasing the mice.

• The cats will be chasing the mice.

  
  

Because there are 3 content words in all of these sentences, there should consistently be three stressed syllables? That’s the rhythm of English.

4. Linking sounds

Linking helps English sound natural. You may not be ready to teach these patterns, and your students might not be ready to think about this level of detail yet, but many higher-level students, including teachers, miss these patterns in their speech.

There are four main types of linking to think about. Here are some examples, with phonetic script:

• Connecting sounds (catenation): look at it → /lʊkət ɪt/ (The /k/ sound of look links smoothly into the /ə/ of at.)

  Changing sounds (assimilation): would you → /wʊdʒuː/ (The /d/ in would changes to /dʒ/ when followed by the /j/ of you.)

• Inserting sounds (intrusion): law and order → /lɔːr ənd ˈɔːdə/ (An extra /r/ sound appears between vowels.)

• Dropping sounds (elision): next door → /nekstɔː/(The /t/ in next is dropped before the /d/ in door.)

  
  

Even if you don’t explicitly teach linking, recognising it improves your own pronunciation and understanding.

5. Intonation

   
   

Intonation is the music of English. It signals question types, emotions, emphasis, and meaning.

Examples:

• Open vs closed questions

• Question tags

• Showing contrast or surprise

  
  

Encourage students to pause in chunks rather than word by word. It keeps their focus on communication and natural rhythm.

6. Schwa

The schwa deserves special attention because it is such a central part of English pronunciation. Schwa sound plays a huge role in the rhythm and natural flow of English speech. Students should definitely be aware of it, and it should be included in your lessons.

The schwa fact file:

• Schwa /ə/ is the most common sound in English.

• It is what makes English sound “English.”

• It's the only sound in English which has its own name - 'schwa'.

• It is always unstressed.

• It can be made with any vowel letter, including y. (banana, problem, pencil, parrot, supply, pyjamas)

• It is a weak, easy, lazy sound to make.

7. Challenges specific to your students (and you)

Every learner’s native language interacts with English differently. Are you aware of the sounds your students find most challenging? Which English sounds don’t exist in your language? Which of the other features of pronunciation listed above aren’t present / the same in your first language?

It’s worth practising these deliberately with your students. Observing and addressing the areas of pronunciation that don’t map naturally from their language helps learners sound more fluent and accurate.

8. Pronunciation patterns

   
   

Some areas of pronunciation are tied to grammar, and it’s worth highlighting these patterns with your students. For example, -ed suffixes (regular past verbs and adjectives) have three different pronunciations, and -s suffixes (plural nouns and third person singular present simple) have two or three pronunciations too. Being aware of these patterns and practising them explicitly helps learners use English more accurately and sound more natural. It also gives them tools to predict pronunciation rather than guessing each time.

Final Tips

• Pronunciation is physical. If a sound doesn’t exist in your language, it won’t feel natural straight away.

• Pay attention to lips, tongue, and jaw placement.

• Use a mirror or record yourself on camera. Audio recordings alone can miss visual cues.

• Treat it like any physical skill: consistent, deliberate practice leads to improvement.