Main Stress (ห)
Think of main stress as the "heartbeat" of a word. It is the strongest syllableโspoken louder, longer, and at a higher pitch. In the dictionary, it is marked with a high vertical line (ห) placed right before the stressed syllable.
/ษชmหpษห.tษnt/
This is an im-POR-tant decision.
๐
/bษหnษห.nษ/
I ate a ba-NA-na.
๐
Secondary Stress (ห)
Secondary stress is like a "backup singer" to the main stress. It is a weaker emphasis, usually found in longer words. It is marked by a lower vertical line (ห). It usually occurs two syllables away from the main stress.
/หษชn.fษหmeษช.สษn/
IN-for-MA-tion
๐
/หสn.dษหstรฆnd/
UN-der-STAND
๐
Consonant Clusters
A cluster is two or more consonants together without a vowel between them. They can be at the beginning (initial) or the end (final) of a word. A common mistake is adding an extra vowel sound (like "uh") between the consonants. Try to blend them together smoothly!
/striหt/
I walked down the street. (Don't say "suh-treet").
๐
/teksts/
She sent me three texts. (Blend the ending 's' and 't' together).
๐
Ending Consonants
In British English, final consonants are very important! Do not drop them (e.g., saying "ca" instead of "cat") and do not add an extra vowel (e.g., saying "cata").
Voiceless: Just air, no throat vibration (like /k/, /t/, /p/).
Voiced: Feel your throat vibrate (like /g/, /d/, /b/).
/bสk/
I read a book. (Stop the air sharply at the end).
๐
/dษษก/
The dog barked. (Feel the vibration in your throat).
๐