Shadowing Practice: 10 English words that you pronounce INCORRECTLY | British English Pronunciation + (Free PDF & Quiz!) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hello and welcome back to English with Lucy I've got a pronunciation video for you today and it's all about 10 words that you might be pronouncing incorrectly So, let's get started Ok so the first word is this one!
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How would you say it?
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it's not fru-it There are not two syllables there We actually pronounce this word 'fruit' fruit So many students make the mistake of saying 'fru-it' or fruiiiit, fruiiit But no, it's just fruit And fruit is my favourite food The next word we have is this one So many students actually pronounce this how they would pronounce it in their own language Probably the Italians and the Spanish more than anything But we pronounce this not cha-os not cha-os But chaos We almost add a 'y' sound 'chaos' It was an absolute chaos The same with the adjective form.. it was 'chaotic'.
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Ok, number three, we have...
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Now I remember learning to spell this word when I was at school and thinking 'wow, that's a crazy spelling' because it's so different to the pronunciation Now I've heard all different pronunciations for this word I've heard kuwew, I've head kyooyoo But really we just say 'queue', 'queue' one syllable, and everyone knows that British people love queueing, queue, to queue, there is a queue The verb and the noun as well Now on to number four and this one always makes me laugh when people say this cause it is really difficult to say. it is...
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this one Now I hear people say 'crips' I used to work in a cafe with a lot of foreign workers and they would always say 'Where are the crips?' and I'd be like 'crips? are you talking about crepes?' We say 'crisps' This 'sps' sound is very difficult for some people to say so you need to practice this in the mirror before you brush your teeth every night...crisps Ok number five is this one If you like cooking then you should have seen this word before And most people say resips or reseeps But it should be recipe So it's very irregular this word normally when an e is on the end we don't pronounce it but in this case we do recipe, three syllables OK, number 6, this one..
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OK, so many people pronounce this incorrectly.
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they want to say every syllable so they say com-for-ta-ble but really it's comfortable comfortable, so it's not com-for-ta-ble, it's just comf-t-ble OK, so we actually lose a syllable there.
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the same goes for number seven which is not veg-e-ta-ble vegetable not ve-ge-ta-ble vegetable vegetable similarly we have number 8 very important word, if you don't know this word then you're crazy cause it's a big part of my life I hear many people say 'cho-co-late' or cho-co-late...choco...choco but we say chok-lit chocolate So it's just 2 syllables and I understand it's quite hard for many people to pronouce but, you wanna speak English well you got to practice so chocolate...chocolate OK and my last two are days of the week so number nine...this one...
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not one of my favourite days of the week but it's very important to pronounce it correctly I always hear Tu-es-day tu-es-day When in reality it's Tuesday choose, like I want to choose what I'm having for breakfast this morning Tuesday, not tu-es-day, Tuesday and then the last one....
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Another day of the week not wed-nes-day....Wednesday not wed-nes-day...Wednesday So that's it for this pronunciation lesson I really hope it helped you and hopefully you can now pronounce these words more confidently You will need to repeat and practice again and again and again but that's part of learning a language so get started now!
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make sure that you connect with me on all of my social media it's all here and I look forward to seeing you in class very very soon! mwah!

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will enhance your English pronunciation skills by focusing on commonly mispronounced words. By listening to the correct pronunciation and practicing along, you will learn to articulate words such as 'fruit', 'chaos', and 'vegetable' accurately. This method is particularly beneficial for English-speaking practice as it allows you to compare your pronunciation with native speakers, making your learning journey more effective. Through the shadowing technique, you will not only improve your vocabulary but also gain confidence in speaking English naturally.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Fruit - pronounced as /fruːt/
  • Chaos - pronounced as /ˈkeɪ.ɒs/
  • Queue - pronounced as /kjuː/
  • Crisps - pronounced as /krɪsps/
  • Recipe - pronounced as /ˈrɛs.ɪ.pi/
  • Comfortable - pronounced as /ˈkʌm.fɪ.tə.bəl/
  • Chocolate - pronounced as /ˈtʃɒk.lət/
  • Tuesday - pronounced as /ˈtjuːz.deɪ/
  • Wednesday - pronounced as /ˈwɛnz.deɪ/

Practice Tips

To master the pronunciation of these tricky words, utilize the shadowing technique effectively. Start by playing the section of the video that covers a specific word. Listen carefully to how the speaker pronounces it. Then, pause the video and try to say the word out loud, mimicking the speed and rhythm of the speaker. Repeat this process a few times, focusing on accurate articulation. Given the pace of the video, which is clear yet concise, it allows for easy repetition without feeling rushed. This method provides an engaging way to learn English with YouTube while integrating the shadowspeaks concept of mirroring natural speech patterns. Remember, practice is essential—don’t hesitate to say these words in front of a mirror to improve your confidence in English speaking practice!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.