Question 1

How do I pronounce a word correctly in English?

Accepted Answer

Type the word into the box above and press the speaker button. You'll hear a natural-sounding voice say the word, see its IPA phonetic transcription, and get a syllable-by-syllable breakdown showing which part of the word to stress. Listening a few times and repeating out loud is the fastest way to lock in the correct pronunciation.

Question 2

Can I compare American and British pronunciation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pick a word, listen in American English, then switch the accent to British and play it again — the audio regenerates instantly with the new accent. You can also try Australian and Indian English to hear how the same word shifts across all four accents.

Question 3

Is this pronunciation tool really free?

Accepted Answer

Completely free, with no sign-up and no daily limits. Search as many words as you like, in any accent, at normal or slow speed.

Question 4

What is the IPA transcription shown under each word?

Accepted Answer

IPA stands for the International Phonetic Alphabet — a standard system where each symbol represents exactly one sound. Once you can read IPA, you can pronounce any unfamiliar word from a dictionary without ever hearing it. Our IPA guide in the blog walks you through the most common symbols.

Question 5

Why does the tool show syllables with different colors?

Accepted Answer

English is a stress-based language, and putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable is the most common reason a correctly-spoken word still sounds off. The colored chips show you exactly which syllable carries the primary stress, which carries secondary stress, and which stay light and quick.

Question 6

Does it work for names and rare words?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Even if a word isn't in the dictionary, the tool will still generate audio for it, so you can hear how a name, brand, or technical term is most naturally read aloud in your chosen accent.

Question 7

Which accents does the tool support?

Accepted Answer

Four English accents: American (en-US), British (en-GB), Australian (en-AU), and Indian (en-IN). Each accent offers both a male and a female voice, and every voice can speak at normal or slow speed.

Question 8

How accurate is the audio?

Accepted Answer

The audio is generated with modern neural text-to-speech voices — the same class of voices used by major navigation and assistant apps. For standard vocabulary it matches dictionary pronunciations closely. For very new slang or unusual proper nouns, treat it as a strong, natural reading rather than an official ruling.

Question 9

Can I slow the pronunciation down?

Accepted Answer

Yes — switch the speed control to 'slow' and the word is spoken at roughly two-thirds pace, which makes individual sounds and syllable boundaries much easier to catch. It's the single most useful setting for shadowing practice.

Question 10

What do the colored syllable chips mean?

Accepted Answer

They are the word's pronunciation breakdown. The solid teal chip is the primary stressed syllable (say it loudest and longest), the amber chip marks secondary stress, and the gray chips are unstressed syllables that should stay short and light.

Question 11

Where do the definitions and examples come from?

Accepted Answer

Meanings, example sentences, synonyms, and antonyms come from open dictionary datasets. They're provided as learning context alongside the audio, not as a replacement for a full dictionary.

Question 12

Do I need an account or is there a word limit?

Accepted Answer

No account, no limit. The tool is free and unlimited on every device.

Question 13

Does it work on mobile?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the site is fully responsive and the audio plays on iOS and Android browsers. If you hear nothing on iPhone, check the silent-mode switch on the side of the device.

Question 14

How should I practice with this tool to actually improve?

Accepted Answer

Use the listen–read–repeat loop: play the word, read the IPA and stress chips while listening again, then say it out loud three times. Five new words a day with this loop beats an hour of passive listening. Our guides section has structured routines for stress, silent letters, and accent differences.

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