PRONUNCIATION

English is one of the most popular languages in the world and spoken in over 100 countries. No matter which part of the world you are traveling, you will always find someone who can speak and understand English. If it is not your first language, then it is imperative that you put in some extra effort to learn to speak English correctly.

I have met a lot of people who understand and speak English, but struggle with the pronunciation of the words. While sometimes they can get away with it, often the things are lost or misheard. 

People from non-English speaking countries who travel to different regions for work or vacation often find themselves in such situations. 

Not only should you learn the correct words and their meaning, but also its correct pronunciation. It will help you move forward in your career and leave a lasting impression.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Android apps to learn English pronunciation.

This neat little app will not only teach you how to pronounce words but also show you how and where to place your tongue to do it. When you download the app for the first time, it will ask you to choose your language. When you do, you will begin with how to pronounce vowels and consonants.

Clicking on a vowel or a consonant will reveal further options. A diagram shows the position of the tongue and lips when you speak with a detailed explanation. Also, there are some examples of words and phrases that you can listen to in the US and UK English accent. 

When you tap on Practice, you will see some words with missing letters. You have to type the correct word. There is a points and progress tracker to monitor your journey and keep you engaged.

On the downside, there is no way to type a particular word and hear its pronunciation. The app is free to download and use but comes with ads and in-app purchases for more examples and tests. 

Practice is how you can learn to pronounce words in English correctly. But how do you know that you are pronouncing words correctly? Either you talk and listen to self-correct yourself, or you use Speak English Pronunciation app.

While most features are similar to the English Pronunciation app, there is one key difference. It lets you record your voice so you can listen to the original pronunciation and how you pronounced it. Works well and allows you to practice even without a tutor. Your pronunciation will receive a rating in stars (1-5).

There is no test mode available but Speak English 

Pronunciation has diagrams with lip and tongue positions to guide you. Again, no way to type specific words to hear their pronunciation.

Speak English Pronunciation is free to download with ads and works offline too.

The two apps mentioned above on English pronunciation do not let learners enter specific words for the app to pronounce. This is where English Pronunciation: Offline app comes into the picture. I wish the app developers were more creative with the app names. 

The app is lite version measuring at under 3MB and allows you to enter words, phrases, and even entire sentences in the box. Tap on the speaker button to hear how the words are pronounced. You can listen to words on repeat by tapping on the speaker button, and it barely takes a second to respond.

There are only two other options available. Set Speech Rate will allow you to control the volume while Set Pitch will let you control the voice pitch making it sound deeper or lighter. Play around with it a few times to understand how they work.

This ad-supported app is free to use and works offline which is impressive considering its small app size.

You will have to sign up with Utter to start using it. The app's UI is more refined and looks professional. You will begin with Tenses course where an AI-powered bot will greet you. It will then guide you through an interactive chat where you have to choose answers from the given options.

There are different courses for distinct scenarios like when you are talking to friends about travels, office, work or giving a presentation. There are three levels — Beginner for everyday tasks like telling time, Intermediate for a casual discussion with friends, and Advanced for office and work space.

After covering the basics, the real test begins with pronunciation where you have to record your voice to answer real life questions. The objective of Utter is to help you prepare for any situation.

The first two lessons are free at each level. You will have to pay $2.49 via an in-app purchase. Utter is an engaging app that teaches not only how to speak, but also what to say in particular situations.

Elsa comes with a polished speech recognition software that will help you improve your pronunciation. I find the reminder feature useful where Elsa will schedule sessions for you.

The UI is beautiful and functional with topics ranging from customer service to taxi driver. Each topic comes with many lessons. When you launch a lesson, Elsa will guide you vocally and ask you to repeat certain contextual words and phrases. 

You will get instant feedback on your pronunciation and depending on your performance, will be asked to either repeat or continue with the lesson. Elsa will suggest tongue and lip movements if you are struggling to get a few words right. You can also listen to your pronunciation by tapping the ear button.

Elsa claims to have a vocabulary of around 2000 everyday words and phrases that should be enough for you to get by and begin learning on your own.

You get access to the first two modules of every lesson for free after which you can subscribe with a one-time in-app purchase of $79.99 or pay $29.99 for one year.

 

Learning to speak English correctly has become a necessary life skill no matter which part of the world you live. Whether you travel to a new country, chat with someone online or speak to a customer care executive, learning English can save you from a lot of hassles. As long as you pronounce words correctly, you don't have to worry about your accent.