English pronunciation practice that targets your problem sounds
Native speakers keep asking you to repeat yourself, but nobody tells you which sound is the problem. This prompt has your todo.is agent send short drills built for speakers of your first language, read your voice message back as a transcript, and show you exactly which words came out as something else.
The prompt
- Help me improve my English pronunciation. My first language is [YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE] and I want to sound clear in [WHERE YOU SPEAK ENGLISH]. I prefer [ACCENT] pronunciation. First list the sounds and stress patterns speakers of my language usually find hard. Then every day at [TIME], send me a 5-minute drill on WhatsApp: a voice note of you saying 8 minimal pairs or words, 3 sentences that use them, and simple mouth-position tips. I will reply with a voice message reading them. Transcribe what I said, show which words came out as a different word, and tell me what to change. Move to the next sound when I get 7 of 8 right twice in a row. On Fridays, test me on a short paragraph that mixes everything from the week.
What to change
- [YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE]: E.g. "Arabic", "Spanish", "Japanese". The drills target sounds that do not exist in your language.
- [WHERE YOU SPEAK ENGLISH]: E.g. "work meetings", "phone calls with customers", "my IELTS Speaking test".
- [ACCENT]: "American" or "British". Pick one for consistency; both are understood everywhere.
- [TIME]: E.g. "7:30" or "during my lunch break at 13:00".
Example result
- Your pronunciation focus (first language: Spanish)
- Spanish has 5 vowel sounds; English has around 12. Most of your misunderstandings will come from vowels, final consonants and word stress, not from grammar.
- • Short /ɪ/ vs long /iː/: ship / sheep, live / leave, fill / feel
- • /b/ vs /v/: berry / very, ban / van
- • Initial s + consonant: say "school", not "eschool"
- • Final consonants: "worked" ends in a /t/ sound, "played" in /d/
- • Word stress: deVELop, not DEvelop; PHOtograph but phoTOGraphy
- Day 3 drill: /ɪ/ vs /iː/
- Listen to the voice note, then read these back to me:
- • ship / sheep
- • bit / beat
- • fill / feel
- • live / leave
- • sit / seat
- • chip / cheap
- • hit / heat
- • will / wheel
- Sentences: Please fill the form before you leave. Is this seat cheap? We will live by the sea.
- Mouth tip: for /iː/ smile and hold the sound longer. For /ɪ/ relax your lips and make it short, almost like a quick "e".
- Your result
- • Clear: bit, beat, fill, sit, seat, hit
- • "ship" came out as sheep (twice). Keep it short and relaxed.
- • "live" came out as leave. Same fix.
- • Sentence 2: "Is this seat cheap?" was clear. Good linking in "Is this".
- Score: 6/8. We stay on this pair tomorrow with new words, then move to /b/ and /v/.
- Friday test
- A 40-word paragraph mixing this week's sounds. Read it once at normal speed, no practice first.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your first language, where you use English, your accent preference and a time.
- Send it to your todo.is agent on WhatsApp or Telegram, where you can listen and reply by voice in seconds.
- Play the voice note, then hold the microphone button and read the words back.
- Read which words were clear and which turned into other words, and say "slow the voice note down" if you need it.
Tips for a better result
- Record yourself and listen back once before sending. You will catch half the problems on your own.
- Practise word stress with your own job words. Send your agent a list of 20 words you use at work and ask for stress marks and a voice note.
- Exaggerate at first. Over-long /iː/ and very clear final consonants feel strange but settle into normal speech within weeks.
- Shadowing works: play a short sentence, then repeat it at the same time as the audio, three times in a row.
English pronunciation practice: FAQ
- How does the agent know if my pronunciation is right? It transcribes your voice message. When a word comes out as a different word ("sheep" instead of "ship"), a listener would likely hear it that way too. It is a practical check, not a phonetics lab analysis.
- Can I lose my accent completely? Most adults keep some accent, and that is fine. The useful goal is being easy to understand, which comes from clear vowels, final consonants and correct word stress.
- Should I learn British or American pronunciation? Either. Pick the one you hear most at work or in media and stay consistent. The drills work the same way for both.
- How long until I hear a difference? With 5 to 10 minutes a day, many learners notice clearer words within a few weeks. Fixing one sound at a time is faster than working on everything at once.
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