English Pronunciation: the 44 Sounds (BBC Learning English)
- Course audio
- Course audio: English
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 15 lessons
What you'll be able to do
- Produce the short and long vowel sounds of English
- Pronounce difficult consonants such as th
- Read phonemic symbols in a dictionary
About this course
BBC Learning English's pronunciation series takes the 44 sounds of British English one at a time. Each short video shows how to make a single sound, with example words: short vowels such as /ɪ/ in 'bid', /ʊ/ in 'foot' and /æ/ in 'trap', the schwa /ə/, long vowels like /iː/, and consonants such as /θ/ in 'think'. Seeing the mouth position helps learners whose first language has no equivalent sound. It suits anyone who is understood with difficulty or confuses similar sounds; follow it with connected-speech practice.
Before you start: No prior English needed beyond reading the alphabet
Syllabus
Sabaq lists the first 15 videos of this playlist; the rest continue on YouTube. Full playlist on YouTube
- 1👄 Short vowel /ɪ/ in ‘bid’, 'tip & ‘minute’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 2👄 Improve your pronunciation with BBC Learning English - Introduction
- 3👄 Short vowel /ʊ/ in ‘foot’, ‘put’ & ‘good’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 4👄 Short vowel /ʌ/ in ‘strut’, ‘mud’ & ‘love’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 5👄 How to say the schwa sound /ə/ in words like ‘the’, ‘of’ & ‘butter’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 6👄 THIS is how to say the English /æ/ sound in ‘trap’, ‘stamp’ & ‘back’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 7👄 Short vowel /ɒ/ in ‘lot’, ‘odd’ & ‘wash’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 8👄 Long vowel /iː/ in 'fleece’, ‘sea’ & ‘machine’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 9👄 Short vowel /e/ in ‘dress’, ‘head’ & ‘bed’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 10👄 Voiceless consonant /θ/ in 'thin’, ‘think’ & 'path’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 11👄 Long vowel /ɑː/ in 'father’, ‘start’ & ‘hard’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 12👄 Voiced consonant /d/ in 'did', 'dame', 'odd' and 'ladder' - English Pronunciation Tips
- 13👄 Long vowel /ɜː/ in 'nurse’, ‘stir’ & ‘learn’ - English Pronunciation Tips
- 14👄 Consonant /n/ in 'nice', 'funny' & 'son' - English Pronunciation Tips
- 15👄 Long vowel /uː/ in 'blue’, ‘two’ & ‘goose’ - English Pronunciation Tips
What to take next
Videos by BBC Learning English, played from their official YouTube channel. Subscribe on YouTube
Official upload by the teacher or institution on their own channel, shown with YouTube's embedded player.
Sabaq lists the first 15 videos of this playlist; the rest continue on YouTube. Full playlist on YouTube
Lessons last checked Oct 2026. Course summary and lesson structure by Sabaq.
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