If you want to speak English more clearly one thing you absolutely MUST do is use stress and pitch to emphasize important words and syllables.

Native speakers listen for stress and pitch. When you say a word using stress and a slightly higher pitch, they know that word is important.

If you stress all words the same way, the native speaker doesn’t know what is important.  Your speech will sound too flat. Listens will probably become bored or disinterested (you’ve seen this in their faces, right?).
To see some Accent Reduction books on this topic click the link here.

To read related information on American English pronunciation click on the links below. The 0 means closed for comments.

Most of my clients including Spanish, Chinese and Indian language speakers pronounce the voiceless th as a /t/ sound and the voiced th as a /d/ sound. Since the ‘th’ sounds are used so frequently, it is a good idea to change this if you want to reduce your accent.

Here is a link to a lesson on the 2 ‘th’ sounds. At the end of the lesson is an audio practice activity that you can use to practice.
American English Audio Lesson-The TH Sounds

If you like the lesson, be sure to sign up for my free four week accent reduction course on the page. This is a free introductory accent reduction course with no obligations!

If you are a  Spanish speaker, here is one technique you can use to reduce your accent.

Words in Spanish do not typically end in a consonant clusters but English words frequently do. Since Spanish speakers are not accustomed to articulating consonant clusters (without vowels) at the end of words they frequently leave off a consonant sound.

One accent reduction technique to help with this problem is to use linking. Here is how it works:
When a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel, try to use the last consonant to link those words together.

Here are a few examples:
In the phrase We worked on it link the ‘d’ (which has a /t/ sound) to the ‘o’ so that it sounds like We work don it.

In the phrase I liked it link the ‘d’ (which has a /t/ sound) to the ‘i’ so that it sounds like I like tit.

In the phrase I loved it, link the ‘d’ to the ‘i’ so that it sounds like I love dit.

In the phrase I studied economics link the ‘d’ to the ‘e’ so that it sounds like I study deconomics.

The above phrases may look a bit silly when written like this but it represents the way we SAY them.

Don’t forget that leaving the last sound off a word will contribute to your accent!

One word final sound that many people fail to articulate is the past tense ed. Failing to pronounce the ed will definitely contribute to your accent!

Most of my students understand that American spoken English has 3 sounds for the past tense ed but they need to practice these sounds to make them more automatic.

Eva Easton has a nice page on her website that you can use to learn about and practice the 3 sounds of ed. Don’t forget to take the quiz at the end!

American English ed sounds

You can learn the rules for how to pronounce ed endings and much more with the book Mastering the American Accent with Audio CDs

My student, a project manager at an international communications company, said “but Susan, I can’t even hear the difference between these two sounds.”

It’s very common that non-native speakers can’t hear the subtle differences between American English vowel sounds. But native speakers can hear the difference and if you pronounce vowel sounds incorrectly it contributes to your accent and leads to breakdowns in communication.

So, if you can’t hear the difference between sounds such as /iy/ & /I/ (a big problem for many Spanish and Chinese speakers) how can you improve the way you say them?

The truth is that you probably need some help to get started.

An accent reduction coach can tell you exactly what sounds and patterns are contributing to your accent. A coach can teach you how to hear the difference between the vowel sounds in fit & feet and live & leave.

Once you become aware of these sounds (and how they are different) you will begin to notice them in your environment. You will hear native English speakers using these sounds and you will wonder why you never heard them before!

This happens all the time.

Shari from the American Accent Course says that students of accent reduction need

“to recognize and become aware of these new sounds in everyday life.  Then, after you start entering this new world of sound, you need to train your mouth and your brain to consistently use them. ”

I couldn’t agree more!

Professionals who are serious about improving the way they communicate in American English should consider working with an accent reduction coach or taking an online accent reduction course.

A coach or a course will teach you how to hear the difference between vowel sounds and how to articulate these sounds using the correct tongue placement and muscle movement.

Once you can hear the difference you must train yourself to articulate these sounds correctly with focused daily practice.

Here is an example. When I say my name, Susan, the first syllable is stressed so the vowel has a long high sound. The second syllable is reduced so the vowel has a schwa (uh) sound. Spelling using phonetic symbols my name would look like: ‘su:-zən.

The most commonly spoken English word is the and it is frequently mispronounced by non-native speakers because it starts with the troublesome voiced th sound. The phonetic symbol for the voiced th is /ð/. Using phonetic symbols it would look like ðə.

You  simply must learn to use the schwa vowel sound in order to reduce your accent!

One accent training book that provides lots of lessons on the schwa vowel sound is Mastering the American Accent. You can see the details and reviews at this link.
Mastering the American Accent with Audio CDs

We also connect words when the first word ends with a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound.
about it sounds like aboudit
passed out sounds like passdout

If you use liaisons like native speakers do your speech will sound smoother and less choppy to American listeners.

Ann Cook’s book American Accent Training does an excellent job of teaching you to use linking to improve your accent.

Here is some more information about how to improve your American English pronunciation using linking or liaisons.
Liaisons in American English

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.

Be careful when you pronounce the letter P. Portuguese speakers often pronounce the American English /p/ sound like a /b/ sound. This can be confusing to American listeners because when you do that:

pill sounds like bill

pull sounds like bull

poor sounds like boor

Peter sounds like beater

The /p/ and /b/ sounds are articulated almost the same way in spoken American English. To make both sounds place your lips lightly together and then push the air out of your mouth in a short burst.

The difference is that /p/ is a voiceless sound and /b/ is a voiced sound. When you make the /p/ sound you should not feel a vibration in your throat. When you make the /b/ sound you should feel a vibration in your throat.

The IPA symbol for the voiced th sound looks like this /ð/.

The IPA symbol for the voiceless th sound looks like this /θ/.

While both of these sounds cause problems for non native speakers of American English, the /ð/seems to be the most problematic.

The /ð/ is the sound you hear at the beginning of frequently used words such as the, this, that, those. You also hear this sound in the middle of many common words such as: mother, father, brother and rather.

To make the /ð/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching. Since this is a voiced sound you should feel your vocal chords vibrate when you make the sound. That vibration will extend all the way to your tongue.

Most people find that the /ð/ is not comfortable sound to make and it takes a lot of practice to get it right!

To make the/θ/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching lightly. When the air flows out of your mouth it should feel gentle.

The /θ/ is the sound you hear in words such as: thanks, Thursday, birthday and month.

To see a detailed articulation model for these sounds click below and choose Consonants–>Fricatives

American English Pronunciation: The Voiced & Voiceless Th Sounds