Accent Reduction Tips for Spanish Speakers

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Image via Wikipedia

One of the most problematic American English vowel sounds for Spanish speakers is the /iy/ sound as in the words cheap, meet & piece.

Spanish speakers often pronounce this sound as /ɪ/ so that:

• cheap sounds like chip
• meet sounds like mit
• piece sounds like piss

To articulate the /iy/ sound you should pull your lips back into a tense smile. The muscles in your face should feel tight or tense. Your tongue should be high and forward in your mouth.

Other words with the /iy/ sound include: feel, team, receive & these.

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