Speak Like a Brit: Unlocking the Secrets of British English Pronunciation

As you dive deeper and deeper in to the world of British English, and more specifically, British pronunciation, not everything is as it seems. With the huge amount of differences between different accents, dialects, and even production techniques, it can be proper confusing for you, especially if you are just getting started.

I get it. You want to be able to understand and communicate with British people confidently, but it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to British pronunciation techniques.

That’s why in this article, you are going to learn about some techniques and important points that will help you make sure you can speak like a Brit!

The first thing that you need to know about is how us Brits use the Schwa sound, as it is a proper important technique to master if you want to communicate like us!

The schwa sound is an unstressed, neutral vowel sound and it is usually represented by this IPA symbol: /ə/

It shows up in weak syllables and helps us to connect words as easily as possible. For example, the word “banana” – The second syllable is stressed, so the other 2 “a” sounds become a schwa, making it sound like “buh-NA-nuh” and not “BA-NA-NA”.

This sound shows up a lot in British English, so it is important that you get to grips with it as soon as you can!

In British English, a lot of accents are non-rhotic. This means that the “R” sound is not pronounced after a vowel, or at the end of a word.

For example, in the word “car” – the “R” sound is actually silent. It sounds like “Kaa”

This is quite different to American English as they would often pronounce this sound, but in the UK, most people don’t. So if you want to sound more British, you have got to drop that R!

This actually ends up causing quite a big difference in words that end “ER” – for example, brother, mother, sister, father, etc.

First of all, we don’t pronounce the R at the end of the word and the vowel sound usually ends up as a schwa sound. This means you hear things like mothuh, brothuh, sistuh, and fathuh.

This technique is not easy to master, but once you have mastered it, you will sound so bloody British, your mates will be convinced you are a Brit!

I will start this section by reminding you that not all British accents are the same and not all British people do this, but it is really common so you should know about it, especially if you want to live or work in the UK.

Have you ever noticed that British people often skip the “T” sound when speaking? They just kind of pause where the sound should be. Well, this is called a glottal stop.

A glottal stop is when the speaker blocks the airflow in their throat for a second when pronouncing certain words. It is usually when the “T” sound is followed by another consonant sound, however, in some accents, like mine, it also happens when the next sound is a vowel. That’s why I say “Bri’ish”, and not “British”

If you want to practice this sound, try this:

• Repeatedly say the “i” sound (like in the word “sit”) as quickly as you can.
• Continue this, but slow down until you can notice the little pause in between each sound.
• Learn to control the airflow in those little pauses between the sounds. 

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In the UK, there are lots of different accents, and they are often quite different from each other. Especially when you compare accents from the North to those in the South.

One thing that seems to confuse a lot of people who are learning British English is the different “A” sounds. Sometimes it is a long “A” like in car, and sometimes it is a short “A” sound like in bat. Which is correct?

Well, actually both of them are correct. It is all a matter of accent. In the North of the UK, where I grew up, bath and trap both have the short “A” sound so they rhyme.

However, in the south, bath has a long “A” sound, so it is pronounced “Baath” but trap keeps the short “A” sound like it does in the North.

Which one you decide to use depends on the accent you are trying to master. Just remember, they are both correct, in their own way!

Just like the bath-trap split above, there is a similar division when it comes to the sounds in foot and strut.

Once again, it depends on the accent, but it is something you need to be aware of. The amount of times people have told me that my pronunciation is wrong is proper crazy!

The difference comes in the “U” sound. In the North, it is common for foot and strut to have the exact same “U” sound in the middle. There is no difference for me when I say these words.

However, it is not the same in the South. Foot and strut don’t sound the same. The “U” in strut is actually a /ʌ/ sound and sounds a bit like the schwa sound we talked about earlier.

It can be really tricky to catch this at first, but with practice, you will get it and then you will be able to understand British people much more easily!

Now that you are familiar with some of the more advanced British English pronunciation techniques, you might be wondering about the best way to put them in to practice. Private lessons with me can be your key to success!

Work with me and get personalised guidance and focussed attention so you can make significant progress in your communication skills. I have worked with loads of language learners, just like you, and I am sure I can help you.

Why private lessons?

• Firstly, you will get individual attention allowing me to tailor the lessons to your specific needs and areas of improvement.
• In one-to-one sessions, you can ask any questions that you might have and seek clarification on anything you are struggling with.
• You can get feedback instantly on any issues that you may personally have and we can work on fixing them as quickly as possible
• You will also be able to practice regularly, which will help you build and maintain the skills needed for communication.

So if you are ready to take the next step towards mastering British English and unlock the doors to your best life in the UK, my private lessons will be an enjoyable and rewarding experience that will transform your language skills. Click the button below to get started.