English Pronunciation Challenges

noun a word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different pronunciation and meaning, such as 'bow' (to bend) and 'bow' (a type of weapon)

adjective describing a word that has different pronunciations and meanings depending on context or usage

• The English language is full of heteronyms, words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and pronunciations.
• It's so confusing when you come across heteronyms in English, like 'bow' meaning both to bend and a type of weapon.
• I hate when I see heteronyms on a spelling test, it always trips me up.
• Heteronyms are like linguistic puzzles, where you have to figure out the pronunciation based on the context of the sentence.

noun a speech sound that begins like a stop (for example, [t]) but releases like a fricative (for example, [s])

• The phoneme /dʒ/ is an affricative sound in English.
• I find it difficult to pronounce affricative sounds correctly.
• Some people struggle with affricatives, but with practice, you can improve.
• Her words had a sharp affricative tone, cutting through the silence.