Interactive International Phonetic Alphabet reference. Click any symbol to see its name, description, and example words.
Words that differ by only one sound — key for pronunciation practice.
| Native Language | Typically Difficult English Sounds | Common Errors |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | /v/, /b/ distinction, /ʃ/ (sh), /dʒ/ (j), /æ/ (cat), /ə/ (schwa) | v↔b confusion, "shob" for "job", "ket" for "cat" |
| French | /h/ (aspirated), /θ/ (th), /ð/ (the), /ŋ/ (sing), /r/ (English vs French r) | Silent h, "zat" for "that", "sink" for "thing" |
| German | /w/ (often sounds like /v/), /θ/, /ð/, vowel length distinctions | "Vould" for "would", "de" for "the" |
| Mandarin | /r/ vs /l/, /θ/, /ð/, final consonant clusters (jumped, asked), /v/ | "Lice" for "rice", "tink" for "think", simplifying clusters |
| Japanese | /r/ vs /l/, /v/ vs /b/, /f/ vs /h/, consonant clusters, final consonants | "Rove" for "love", "bery" for "very", adding vowels to clusters |
| Arabic | /p/ vs /b/, /v/, vowel sounds (/æ/, /ɪ/, /ʊ/), short vowel distinctions | "Bok" for "poke", inserting vowels between consonants |
| Korean | /f/ vs /p/, /r/ vs /l/ (but different from Japanese), tense/lax vowels | "Priend" for "friend", consonant clusters simplified |
| Portuguese | /h/ (not aspirated in Brazilian), nasal vowels (carry over to English), /θ/, /ð/ | Nasalising English vowels, "dat" for "that" |