+44 (0)20 7605 4123 Student Login

iPhone English: Sounds Pronunciation App

As part of our continuing review of smart phone technology, here is another useful application for learning English pronunciation.


The Sounds Pronunciation App. is created by Macmillan Education who produce a lot of well-known and popular materials for learning English.

Many of the students I meet on our courses have little or no knowledge of the phonemic chart and they find it difficult trying to learn how to use the phonemic chart, while also trying to learn English. One Arabic student once asked me why he had to learn another alphabet when he had enough problems using the English one correctly. I replied that understanding the phonemic chart would not only give him the ability to pronounce any word in English correctly, but would also help him deal with spelling words in English correctly.

The Pronunciation App has an interactive phonemic chart which allows users to press on the phonemic symbol and here the corresponding sound; it also gives an example word containing that sound.  In addition, you can look up words and how they are pronounced and written and record your pronunciation of the word for comparison in both American and British English. This is really cool as you get instant feedback on how your pronunciation compares with the correct native speaker pronunciation. You can also do exercises and tests which allow you to listen to words and type them in phonemic script, or translate words to or from phonemic script into the normal alphabet. The App keeps you scores and makes learning and using the phonemic script fun and interactive.

Overall, it’s an extremely fun way to learn the phonemic chart and I think it will be useful both in the classroom and on the move. Instead of making the phonemic chart another thing that you have to learn, try making it a fun way to develop your English pronunciation and spelling with this app. There’s a basic version which can be downloaded from the app store for free or the full version costs £3.99 but I think overall it’s probably worth investing in the full version as it offers a lot more options. I hope you found this review useful, let me know if you have any comments.

By Ben

Glossary

interactive - (adj.) exchanging information between a computer programme and a user

corresponding - (adj.) matching or connecting with what you have just mentioned

instant feedback  - (adj. + n. col.) immediate advice or criticism on your work

on the move - (exp.) while you are travelling or moving

version - (n.) a copy of something that is slightly different from another

All articles Next article

Post your questions and comments:

Why study at The London School of English?

  • Rated “Excellent” in over 450 independent client reviews
    Over 100 years’ experience
    Tailored training delivers clear results
    Memorable experiences in London, Canterbury or online
Find out more