These are the symbols you will see in a dictionary. Click any one to hear it. You do not need to memorize them.

Why this mattersThe first sound of your sentence

English begins words with consonant groups very freely: school, street, please, three, black. If your language does not, you will insert a small vowel before the group, and you will do it on the very first sound of your sentence, where listeners are paying most attention.

The words affected are common ones. School, student, study, start, stop, Spain, sport, speak. Adding a syllable to those marks the accent immediately.

What your language doesThe same repair, at the other end

The most common version is an added vowel before s plus a consonant. School becomes ischool, Spain becomes iSpain, speak becomes ispeak.

This is very strong in Spanish and Portuguese and appears in various forms elsewhere. If your language has no words starting with s plus a consonant, expect it.

Notice that this is the same problem as the last unit, at the other end of the word. Your mouth is inserting a vowel to make a legal syllable. Same rule, same fix, different location.

How to make itA running start, not a separate step

The s must attach directly to the next consonant with nothing in between. Start the s early and slide straight into the consonant that follows.

The picture: the s is a running start, not a separate step. Like a skater pushing off, the movement is already going when the word begins.

Try it this way. Hold the s: sssssss. Then, without stopping the air, snap the rest of the word shut: ssssschool. Then shorten the s until it is normal length.

Say itWord banks

S-clusters

Other beginnings

In a sentencePut it under pressure

Tongue twisters

Record and compareSee the shape of your voice

Pick anything above, then record yourself saying it. Your recording appears in red over the model in gray. You are comparing shapes, not chasing a score.