Glossary

PROBLEMATIC WORDS OR SENTENCES

Fatal/Fetal (feɪtəl/fitəl)

The disease was fatal for the fetal development.

I tend to pronounce those two words in the same way so I worked to differentiate them in a same sentence.

Hurled (hɜrld)

The ball was hurled far away.

I used to say the “u” as a /u/ and not as a /ɜ/ as it is supposed to be.

Canada/Kanata

I live in Kanata next to Ottawa in Canada.

I tend to pronounce those two words in the same way which could create real confusion in a discussion.

A graduate/to graduate (grædʒuɪt/ grædʒueɪt)

I need to graduate to become a graduate student.

I had difficulties to make the difference between those two words.

Refuge/ Refugee (rɛfyudʒ/ rɛfyudʒi)

I was a refugee in this refuge.

I had difficulties to know which pronunciation needed to be used for each word.

Collar/Color (kɒlər/ kʌlər)

What is the color of this collar ?

I used to hear those two words exactly in the same way so it was very difficult for me to pronounce them differently.

Matter/Meter (mætər/ mitər)

The number of meters doesn’t matter.

I tend to pronounce those words in the same way when I speak fast.

Mountain (maʊntən)

I climbed this mountain.

The glottal stop is kind of difficult for me, especially in this word.

Word/World (wɜrd/ wɜrld)

There is no word to describe this world.

I have difficulties in clearly pronouncing the /l/ in “world” which makes it sound like “word”.

Warm/Worm (wɔrm/ wɜrm)

The worm feels warm in there.

I used to hear those two words exactly in the same way so it was very difficult for me to pronounce them differently.

Editor (ɛdɪtər)

I met her editor, he is really nice.

I sometimes have difficulties with the flapped /t/, probably because I am more used to the English accent than the American one.

Education (ɛdʒʊkeɪʃən)

What is your level of education ?

Most of the time, I forget to pronounce the /dju/ in education and I only say a /d/.

Meadow (mɛdoʊ)

The meadow is greener in the west.

I tend to pronounce /i/ instead of /ɛ/. 

Clothes (kloʊz)

Those clothes are ugly.

I find it difficult to link the “th” and the “s” in the word “clothes”.

Escape (ɪskeɪp)

I tried to escape but I failed.

I tend to pronounce “excape” instead of “escape”.

Receipt (rɪsit)

Did you give me my receipt ?

I am often pronouncing the /p/ in this word even if I know that it needs to disappear.

A record/To record (rɛkərd/ rɪkɔrd)

She needs a record. Can you record it ?

I had difficulties to know which pronunciation needed to be used for each word.

Toronto (Trono)

I am going to Toronto this summer.

The pronunciation of this word is very particular and was complicated to reproduce.

Lawn (lɔn)

The lawn is pretty soft here.

I tend to pronounce this word like the word “loan”.

Bilingual (baɪlɪŋgwəl)

I went abroad to become bilingual.

I tend to pronounce /ɪ/ instead of /aɪ/.

Muscular (mʌskyələr)

He is very muscular, it’s impressive.

I never know if I need to pronounce the /c/ or if it needs to be mute.

Autumnal (ɔtʌmnəl)

That is an autumnal weather.

I never know if I need to pronounce the /m/ or not.

Solemnity (sɒləmniti)

There was too much solemnity in this ceremony.

I never know if I have to tell /a/ or /e/.

Malignant (məlɪgnənt)

His attitude is so malignant.

I tend to pronounce it in the French way.

Furled (fɜrld)

The car furled into a bush.

I have difficulties in linking the /r/ and the /l/ together.

Humorous (hyumərəs)

This guy was amazingly humorous.

It was difficult for me to pronounce the /h/ at the beginning of the word.

Dishonest (dɪsɒnɪst)

Don’t be dishonest like that.

I used to pronounce the /h/ in the middle of the word.

Rehearse (rɪhɜrs)

He kept rehearsing this sentence all the time.

I tend to say /i/ instead of /ɜ/.

Heir (ɛər)

She is the heir of a famous family.

I just didn’t remember how to pronounce that word every time I had to use it.

Inherit (ɪnhɛrɪt)

She was glad to inherit from her grandmother.

I never know if I need to pronounce the /h/ in the middle of the word or not.

Vehicle (viɪkəl)

It was difficult for me to find a good vehicle to get there.

I never know if I need to pronounce the /h/ in the middle of the word or not.

To supper (sʌpər)

Are you going to supper with us tonight ?

I tend to pronounce that word like “super”.

Cupboard (kʌbərd)

I think the dishes you’re looking for are in the cupboard.

I used to pronounce it almost like two separate words : “cup” and “board”.

Customer (kʌstəmər)

The customer wasn’t happy when he saw the package in front of his door.

I had a professor in France who told me that I wasn’t supposed to pronounce the /t/ in this word, but it appeared to be false. Unfortunately, I always kept the habit to avoid pronouncing the /t/ in this word.

Schedule (skɛdʒul)

What is your schedule for next week ?

The pronunciation of this word is just not natural for me.

Seizure (siʒər)

The seizure of this document was too long for me.

I tend to say /ei/ instead of /i/.

Massage (məsɑʒ)

My back hurts, I think I really need a massage.

I tend to pronounce this word in the same way as the word “message”.

Vacuum (vækyum)

You can take the vacuum if you want.

I had a problem with the pronunciation of the two “uu”.

Stomachache (vækyum)

I need to buy medicine for my stomachache.

I used to pronounce it almost like two separate words : “stomach” and “ache”.

Artichoke (ɑrtɪtʃoʊk)

I love artichokes, especially on pizza.

I didn’t pronounce the /tʃ/ properly in the word.

STRATEGIES THAT CAN IMPROVE THESE PROBLEMS

-          Keep repeating those words in different contexts.

-          Ask a native speaker to have a discussion around those themes so I can place the difficult words in my conversation.

-          Write the new difficult words in a notebook with the phonetic alphabet (it helps me a lot to visualize the phonetic way to write the word)

-          Watch my series in English in order to hear the correct way to stress words in a sentence.