Accent Reduction Tips for Sounding Like a Native Speaker

As an English language learner, you likely dream of the day you can converse without an accent. While accents add diversity and character, many learners wish to reduce theirs to connect better or blend in professionally. The good news is with dedicated practice, accent reduction is very achievable. Voccent is a modern platform for learning and practicing the language, using which you can bring your pronunciation as close as possible to the native speaker. Follow these proven tips to sound more like a native speaker.

Listen Extensively to Target Sounds

Accents arise when your native phonemic inventory influences new language pronunciation. To speak English without an accent, you must retrain your ear to recognize subtle sound distinctions. Extensive focused listening highlights target pronunciations to integrate into your speech instinctively.

Isolate challenging English sounds like “th” or r/l blends. Seek out minimal pair words differing by that one sound, and repeatedly play audio of native speakers saying these words. Absorb how the tricky sound differs from your language. Supplement with short daily listening sessions targeting the sound in conversational context. Gradually your brain will parse the distinction.

Master Proper Mouth Shape

Physically forming unfamiliar speech sounds proves difficult. But making the precise mouth, tongue, and lip shapes of natives makes reproducing sounds easier. Study an IPA chart to see exactly how your mouth should move for each English phoneme.

Practice vowels and consonants one by one until your mouth naturally forms the right posture. Say words slowly, consciously forming the mouth position. Use a mirror to self-check your shape as you repeat sounds. With patient repetition, your muscle memory will recreate the physiology for accurate pronunciation.

Sing or Rap Along

Reciting rhyming lyrics trains your mouth to hit the right sequence of sounds. The musical patterns make you aware of proper pronunciation in a fun way. Try rapping along to fast songs which insert challenging blends. Focus on catching every lyric. Slow down sections you fumble. Sing melodic pop songs attending to vowels and endings. This organic immersion teaches accent-free pronunciation.

Record Your Speech

Noticing your own accent patterns allows targeted improvement, but speakers lack objectivity about their speech. Recording yourself reading or conversing reveals pronunciation discrepancies. Critically examine your accent after. Does your intonation rise oddly or stress syllables inconsistently? Do certain words contain added vowels? Take notes then practice problem areas diligently. Rerecord periodically to check progress. Soon your accent gaps will fade.

Find a Pronunciation Coach

An expert coach tutors you individually on problem phonemes while monitoring progress. A specialist can diagnose your accent issues and design a personalized improvement plan. Send recordings for the coach to critique in detail. Book live sessions to practice sounds and phrases with instant feedback. Their keen ear and tone corrections will hone your pronunciation efficiently. Some coaches even teach native cadence and inflection.

In our app we simplify this process, because you already have words and phrases recorded by a native speaker, and all you need to do is listen and repeat.

Think in English

When speaking English, don’t mentally translate from your native language. This slow process makes you carry over pronunciations and structures. Immerse yourself in English through media, friends or activities. The more you think in English, the more your speech instincts will follow native patterns. Catch yourself translating, and refocus your thoughts into English mode. Soon direct English thought will become natural and accent-free.

Slow Down your Speech

Fast, casual speech obscures clear enunciation which can worsen accents. Slow your talking pace 10–20% while relaxing your articulation. Overpronounce tricky consonant blends like “st” or “nd”. Draw out vowel sounds in unstressed syllables like “the” which get shortened by native ears. Pausing briefly between words also clarifies diction differences native speakers distinguish. Allow your mouth to precisely hit all nuances at a measured speed.

Record and Compare

Beyond your own speech, analyze a native speaker’s recording. Note exactly how they form sounds and link words together. Isolate any tricky pronunciations. Then record yourself speaking the same passage. Critically compare the recordings, targeting accent differences you want to eliminate. Repeat problem phrases until your rendition matches the native version. Use visual waveforms to align timing and emphasis. This direct model will reshape your pronunciation precisely.

Shadow the Speech of Others

For real-time accent feedback, shadow a podcast, audiobook or video by simultaneously repeating the speech. Copy the speaker verbatim, matching their tone, rhythm and inflection. Keep pace while focusing intently on precisely imitating their mouth and tongue placement. Hone in on errors your ear catches. Shadowing builds new speech patterns directly from native role models. Do this daily vanishing your accent.

Use Tongue Twisters

These alliterative phrases like “red lorry, yellow lorry” train difficult sound combinations. Find lists targeting your personal pronunciation challenges: th, w/r, consonant blends, etc. Say each tongue twister slowly five times with perfect enunciation. Increase speed daily until you can effortlessly articulate the tricky phonemes in sequence. This drills the muscle memory and ear sensitivity needed to speak fluently without an accent.

Study Minimal Pairs

Compare similar words containing your problem sounds like “light” and “right.” Note exactly how your mouth forms the different phoneme. Say the pair repeatedly with clear enunciation as self-feedback. Hearing the minute sound distinction will cement the correct production. Make long lists and drill frequently. You will consciously correct future pronunciation errors.

Record Yourself Often

Frequently recording speech creates positive proof of your improving accent. Notice which errors fade over time with practice. Each session should sound subtly closer to native pronunciation. Save early recordings to appreciate your progress. Celebrate milestones like finally nailing “th” or silent syllables. These concrete gains will encourage you through occasional plateaus. Just keep recording and comparing.

Attend Live Pronunciation Classes

Specialty ESL classes target pronunciation directly. Expert teachers will demonstrate correct mouth positions and have you repeat tricky sounds in isolation. They’ll note your specific issues to address. Then you’ll practice words, minimal pairs, tongue twisters and dialogues out loud together. Interactivity with instant feedback accelerates learning. The group environment also builds confidence in your improving accent.

Consume Diverse Native Media

Expose your ear to varied native accents and speaking styles through films, radio, podcasts and more. Notice their pronunciation nuances. British, American, Canadian and Australian English have distinct cadences. Class, gender and ethnicity also impact speech patterns. Absorb this diversity which expands your phonetic awareness and recognition. Soon you’ll instinctively code switch your own accent appropriately.

Record Lessons For Later Review

Don’t let excellent classroom pronunciation training fade. Record all lessons and homework assignments. Replaying sessions engrains the material while commuting or exercising. Hear the teacher’s model pronunciation again while redoing their drills and minimal pairs. Have family members test you on vocabulary. Retention improves dramatically via this replay. Don’t lose progress by relying on memory alone.

Use Siri For Feedback

Tech assistants like Apple’s Siri provide free pronunciation help. Say target words and minimal pairs then ask “Did I pronounce that right?” Siri will reply yes or no. If no, repeat your attempt until Siri confirms correct pronunciation. The instant feedback lets you practice proper sounding without judgement. Say tongue twisters and short phrases to test sentence level pronunciation. Apps like Siri close skill gaps through accessible practice.

In conclusion, sounding like a native English speaker takes work but brings huge rewards. Focus on high frequency challenges for your language background. Isolate difficult sounds and mouth positions. Drill with recordings, apps and coaches monitoring your progress. Shadow fluent speakers and repeat spoken language models. Celebrate small wins that ultimately add up to the clear, natural pronunciation you seek. With persistent practice, the accent you were born with need not define your English speech permanently.

Read in our blog Why Multilingual Skills Are In Demand