The Online English Pronunciation Course

* Shortlisted for the British Council ELTons Awards *

Interactive Learning

Tailored to Your Native Language

Learn Anytime, Anywhere

Online English Pronunciation Course

The Online English Pronunciation Course

* Shortlisted for the British Council ELTons Awards*

Online English Pronunciation Course

Interactive Learning

Tailored to Your Native Language

Learn Anytime, Anywhere

Learn about the course

  • Tailored to your native language
  • Train your speech muscles

  • Learn about vowels, consonants, rhythm + intonation

  • Get live support in the online classroom

  • Games, video lessons, mouth animations

  • Speak more clearly and more confidently

  • Tailored to your native language
  • Train your speech muscles

  • Learn about vowels, consonants, rhythm + intonation
  • Take part in live classes
  • Games, video lessons, mouth animations
  • Speak more clearly and more confidently

"an innovative and expertly-presented resource"
The British Council

Your teacher

Hi, my name’s Luke and I’m a British accent coach based in London. I have qualifications in languages, acting, teaching and phonetics and I’m a member of the International Phonetic Association.

I created this course because I was frustrated at the lack of high-quality teaching materials for contemporary British English pronunciation.

Since setting up my business in 2012, I’ve taught students from 90 different countries. I also lecture at the Summer Course in English Phonetics at University College London (UCL).

In 2017, I won UK Freelancer of the Year. You can find out more about me here.

Online Classroom

classes

As a course subscriber, you can join my online classroom sessions for free coaching.

You can ask me questions in the chat box, or just observe me teaching others. If you can’t attend, you can email me with any pronunciation queries you have.

Designed for You

designed for different languages

Different people will have different problems when approaching English pronunciation. For example, a Mandarin speaker will have very different challenges compared to a Spanish speaker.

For this reason, the course is designed according to your native language. It prioritises the sounds that will make the biggest differences to your accent. Comparisons are made between the sounds in English and the sounds in your native language.

Designed for native speakers of the following languages:

  • Arabic

  • Bulgarian

  • Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese)

  • Dutch

  • French

  • German

  • Greek

  • Hebrew

  • Hindi

  • Hungarian

  • Italian

  • Japanese

  • Korean

  • Persian

  • Polish

  • Portuguese (Brazilian/European)

  • Romanian

  • Russian

  • Spanish

  • Thai

  • Turkish

  • Ukrainian

  • Vietnamese

  • More languages will be added in the future

If you can’t see your native language, choose the my language isn’t listed option when signing up. You’ll get a course covering the major topics of English pronunciation that most English learners have problems with.

  • Arabic

  • Bulgarian

  • Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese)

  • Dutch

  • French

  • German

  • Greek

  • Hebrew

  • Hindi

  • Hungarian

  • Italian

  • Japanese
  • Korean

  • Persian

  • Polish

  • Portuguese (Brazilian/European)

  • Romanian

  • Russian

  • Spanish

  • Thai

  • Turkish

  • Ukrainian

  • Vietnamese

  • More languages will be added in the future

If you can’t see your native language, choose the my language isn’t listed option when signing up. You’ll get a course which covers the major topics of English pronunciation that most English learners have problems with.

Interactive learning

Learning pronunciation just became easier:

Interactive learning

Learning pronunciation just became easier with simple video lessons, clear audio and lots of practice materials.

(tap the pictures to find out more)

Watch Accent Videos

Video

Video lessons make it simple to see and copy new mouth positions, and understand new concepts.

Games

Games train your ears and help you understand how the English sound system works. 

Listen to Audio

Audio

Listen-and-repeat audio recordings for every sound in English. Plus sound comparisons (e.g. beat vs bit).

Options to slow down and speed up audio.

Train and Practise

Practice

Exercises for every sound in English and longer texts targeting specific sounds.

Community

Community

Chat to and practise with other students using the Community platform.

How Does It Work?

Designed according to the Improve Your Accent Method, the course guides you through the following stages:

The course is online so you can learn wherever and whenever you want!

1. Understand how the mouth muscles work

First you explore how the mouth works. Remember that speech is physical activity. It’s important to understand how the mouth muscles work so that you are able to change the way you speak.

2. Train the muscles

The course provides different physical exercises to make the mouth muscles stronger and more flexible. This will give you the control to create new sounds more easily.

3. Learn some IPA (phonetic) symbols

English spelling is confusing. It’s not easy to guess the pronunciation of a word from the spelling (e.g. the “b” in “debt” is not pronounced!)

By learning the difference between letters and sounds – and by using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) – the process of pronouncing words becomes much simpler.

Don’t worry if you want to avoid IPA symbols – they are not essential to improving your accent.

4. Focus on important topics

There are 20+ pronunciation topics that have been chosen and ordered according to your native language. Priority is given to sounds that will improve intelligibility (=people understanding you) and reduce the impression of a “foreign accent”.

Helpful comparisons are made between the sounds in English and the sounds in your native language.

5. Guidance on how to practise

The course gives clear instructions on how to practise and how to incorporate new sounds into your everyday speech.

6. Speak clearly & confidently!

After studying this course, you will have a deeper understanding of English pronunciation and you will be able to communicate more effectively in English.

Pricing

Choose between three subscription plans:

Monthly

£3999

Every 6 Months

£199
  • 1 month free compared to the monthly plan!

Annual

£349
  • 3 months free compared to the monthly plan!

The only difference is how often you make payment. The course content is the same.

Unsure which plan to choose?
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You can also get an assessment so you know what topics to focus on in the course. More information about this can be found here.

If your employer is paying for the course and requires an invoice/alternative payment method, please read the information in the last question here.

British Council Award Finalist

This course was shortlisted for the British Council ELTons awards. The British Council judges described the course as an innovative and expertly-presented resource which demystifies pronunciation for learners. More info here.

British Council Eltons

What do other learners say?

Here are some reviews from other learners:

What do the experts say?

All learners and teachers of English pronunciation will find this online course comprehensive, entertaining and easy to follow. With insightful video lessons, audio practice materials and animated diagrams, the course helps speakers of various languages conquer their weak points and improve their English pronunciation. I shall be recommending this course to all my students.

Professor Masaki Taniguchi

Professor Emeritus, Kochi University, Japan
~

All learners and teachers of English pronunciation will find this online course comprehensive, entertaining and easy to follow. With insightful video lessons, audio practice materials and animated diagrams, the course helps speakers of various languages conquer their weak points and improve their English pronunciation. I shall be recommending this course to all my students.

Professor Masaki Taniguchi

Professor Emeritus, Kochi University, Japan
~

This unique course is a game changer in the teaching of English pronunciation. The student will be happily clicking through the resources on the website, no doubt appreciative of the clean, elegant design but perhaps not fully conscious of the significant degree of passion and study that has gone into creating this resource. The site satisfies students by being carefully structured, interactive, and tailor made for speakers of different langua...

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Dr Shanti Ulfsbjorninn

Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Deusto, Bilbao
~

This unique course is a game changer in the teaching of English pronunciation. The student will be happily clicking through the resources on the website, no doubt appreciative of the clean, elegant design but perhaps not fully conscious of the significant degree of passion and study that has gone into creating this resource. The site satisfies students by being carefully structured, interactive, and tailor made for speakers of different languages. Its section on training the speech muscles include many amusing videos that might give students a sense of achievement and calm or delight through their silliness. But the real richness of the course is in the quality and abundance of mouth animations (beautifully stylised) and the pedagogically sound quizzes and games that are built into each part of the website. The videos are crystal clear and Luke’s bright, modern voice provides an excellent model of British English. The course is pedagogically excellent and available to students for a modest fee. Each component is replete with helpful sections that can be expanded with a click such as: ‘why am I learning this’ for the wayward, ‘I’m finding this hard’ for the bemused, and ‘reveal all the game answers’ for those who want to cheat. It is sure to be a valuable resource for a multitude of students.

Dr Shanti Ulfsbjorninn

Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Deusto, Bilbao
~

This is simply the best online British English pronunciation course I’ve seen! And it contains many additional goodies that learners will find extremely useful. It is a must buy!

Alessandro Rotatori

Specialist in English phonetics and author of books on medical English pronunciation

This is simply the best online British English pronunciation course I’ve seen! And it contains many additional goodies that learners will find extremely useful. It is a must buy!

Alessandro Rotatori

Specialist in English phonetics and author of books on medical English pronunciation

Questions?

Of course!

Sign up (no credit card details required) and you’ll get access to the course introduction and first lesson for free.

You’ll also be able to see all the lessons that are included.

Unlike other courses or textbooks, my course is organised according to your native language. This means you will concentrate on the most important aspects for you first (and don’t have to learn the parts that you can do already).

Uniquely, my course includes:

  • Speech muscle training
  • Muscle settings (exploring the overall sound of your voice and how you hold your speech muscles)
  • Modern English rhythm and intonation
  • Ear training games
  • Animations (to show you how sounds are made inside the mouth)
  • Click-for-IPA (by clicking the IPA button, you’re instantly able to see phonetic transcriptions)
  • Control audio speed (you can slow down audio to help you hear sounds more easily)

Additionally, my course explains how to make all the vowels and consonants in English. Advanced topics are also included, such as assimilation and elision. Further differences to other courses are that it:

  • Uses a sense-based approach.
    • For each new vowel or consonant, we explore how it feels in the mouth, what it looks like in the mirror, and how it sounds. This allows you to learn quickly and accurately.
  • Teaches contemporary British English pronunciation.
    • There’s no point sounding like the King (i.e. a very old-fashioned and posh form of English, which would sound humorous to a native speaker).

Your native language has a sound system that is different from the sound system of English. It is also different from the sound systems of other languages.

This means that a Mandarin speaker will have different challenges compared to a Portuguese speaker when learning English pronunciation.

Of course variation exists within each language: for example, there are many different varieties of Arabic. However, all speakers of a language will usually have similar challenges when approaching a language like English. Where necessary, reference is made to specific varieties (for example a sound that is more important for Brazilian Portuguese speakers to learn rather than European Portuguese speakers). In the course for Chinese learners, references are made to Mandarin and Cantonese.

When you log into the course, you will see a list of lessons. Your lessons have been designed and ordered to prioritise improving your intelligibility (i.e. people understanding you) and reducing the impression of a “foreign accent”. The lessons also include comparisons with words and sounds in your native language to help you understand why you pronounce English in a certain way.

If you grew up bilingual, you can change the native language in My Account at any time. Your lessons will automatically change.

If your language isn’t listed when signing up, choose the my language isn’t listed option and you’ll get a course which covers the major topics of English pronunciation that most English learners have problems with.

The online classroom is a group class for course subscribers only. You have the chance to ask questions, get 1-1 coaching/feedback from me, or watch other people being coached. The classes provide an opportunity to get live support.

Classes take place regularly (usually one hour per week on a weekday – but this depends on my schedule) and at different times (to suit different time zones). After subscribing to the course, you will be able to see the next dates and register by clicking Bookmarks -> Online Classroom in the sidebar.

The online classroom works on a first-come first-served basis. For coaching, each student will receive approximately 10 minutes. I can’t guarantee that I will have time to talk to everyone, but I will try to prioritise people who have not had a chance to speak to me before.

Technical Requirements

Access is through your internet browser so you don’t need to download any special software, but ensure your internet browser is updated.

If you’d like to chat via video you’ll need to use a computer or laptop (not a tablet or phone). Check your webcam/mic are working and that you have a good internet connection.

 

Privacy

The online classroom is open to all course subscribers. Your personal details (name, email, native language) will not be revealed to other attendees during the class. But if you post a question in the chat, your first name will be visible to other attendees.

Your webcam/microphone will be switched off by default when you enter. But if you choose to chat to me via video, then other attendees will be able to see/hear you and are likely to find out your first name and native language. Of course, you are free to watch other students being coached and learn from them.

The online classroom is not recorded or stored in the course in any way.

If you feel uncomfortable turning on your webcam, you can request to turn on your mic only.

The Community platform is an online space for course subscribers in which you can:

  • Find a buddy to practise and study with.
  • Get help and motivation from other students.
  • Read about others’ experiences.
  • Express your enthusiasm for English pronunciation, different accents, or phonetics/phonology.
  • Share interesting links.
  • Practise typing in IPA.
  • Make friends!

The course is suitable for adult learners with an intermediate or advanced level of English.

This depends on a number of factors, such as your current level, how quickly you learn and how often you practise.

The course is organised according to what will make the biggest differences first, which means that you don’t have to complete the whole course to make improvements.

Some students just need a few months, whereas others have been on the course for multiple years because they continue to get value out of it (e.g. from the live online classroom sessions and the new material I publish).

If you’re unsure, you could subscribe for one month to begin with and then see how quickly you progress and how much time you might want to subscribe for.

You can see the number of lessons and what is covered by signing up for the course here (no credit card required) and then going to the homepage. The lessons are different depending on your native language.

Speaking is a physical process – we move muscles to create speech sounds. In order to speak in a different accent, you need to re-train those muscles. You have been speaking the way you do since childhood, so it will take some time to change your muscle habits.

The amount of time it takes to improve your accent depends on:

1. Your native language (and how close the sound system/rhythm is to English)

2. How long you have been speaking English

  • Changing the way you speak involves breaking habits. If you have been speaking English with a strong foreign accent for a while, it may take longer to break those pronunciation habits.

3. Your current level of English pronunciation

4. How often you practise

5. How quickly your speech muscles adapt

6. Your identity and whether you like England!

  • Everyone (consciously or unconsciously) adjusts their voice according to who they speak to. If you identify with the person you’re speaking to, you’re likely to make your speech sound more like them. If you already have a strong sense of identity which you don’t want to change – or if you dislike the other person – then you’re likely to make your speech sound different to them.
  • This means that if you dislike English culture or can’t identify with English people, you’ll find it harder to change your accent.
  • If you don’t like the sound of English, you’ll find it more challenging to create English sounds because you don’t really want to sound English!

7. Your personality. If you’re positive, confident, open and willing to take risks, you’ll improve more quickly. Why? Because:

  • You’re more likely to socialise with native speakers and therefore practise new sounds.
  • You’ll find enjoyment in creating new, unfamiliar English sounds.
  • Your sense of identity is more fluid so you don’t mind sounding English.

Like all new skills, some people are naturally good at it, and others have to work harder. Most people will notice improvements after a few months.

To speed up the process, the course prioritises what will make the biggest and obvious improvements to your accent first.

Depending on the subscription plan you choose, you pay every month, every 6 months or every year. The course content is the same (you are just choosing how often to make payment).

It works out cheaper per month to take the 6-monthly/annual subscription rather than the monthly subscription. For example:

  • If you subscribe to the monthly plan (£39.99) for 12 months it costs £479.
  • But the annual plan costs £349. This is a saving of £130 compared to the monthly plan – essentially 3 months free (3 x £39.99 = £120).

You will only be able to register for the online classroom sessions and access the course materials while you have an active subscription.

If you want to switch from one subscription plan to another: (1) cancel your current subscription, (2) wait until it expires, (3) subscribe to a new plan.

You can pay using a credit/debit card or PayPal. If your employer is paying for the course and requires an invoice/alternative payment method, please see the final question on this page.

To cancel your subscription, click Account Settings -> My Subscription (in the course sidebar) and then click Cancel.

You must cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date to avoid being charged again. If you cancel your subscription, you will still have access to the course until your subscription expires.

You can find out when your next billing date is in My Subscription.

You will be learning the Standard Southern British English Accent (SSBE), which is based on the accent in South-East England. You may have also heard of this accent as Non-Regional Pronunciation (NRP) or Modern RP.

It is perceived as a neutral*, intelligible, and contemporary English accent. As well as being associated with education, prestige and wealth, it is also widely understood across the world. For these reasons, it is the best accent to learn.

You may have also heard of the terms Received Pronunciation (RP), BBC English, or Oxford English. These names tend to refer to a more old-fashioned English accent, but some people might use them to refer to a contemporary accent.

(* No accent can really be neutral, but many native British English speakers would perceive this as neutral, standard or “not having an accent”)

My course uses a sense-based approach: for each new vowel or consonant, we explore how it feels in the mouth, what it looks like in the mirror, and how it sounds. This trains you to understand whether you are making a sound accurately or not.

At the beginning of the course, you record a text which contains all the sounds in English. This acts as a benchmark recording. You can re-record the text after spending some time in the course to measure your improvement.

Additionally, there are games to test your learning and to check whether you can hear the difference between sounds.

Plus you can join me in my online classroom and ask for feedback. Or purchase detailed feedback here.

You access the course through your internet browser.

This means you can use it on your computer, laptop, tablet and phone.

You can find out about this service here.

Alternatively, you can ask me for some free advice in the online classroom.

Payment

If your employer can pay using the company credit card, then you can simply use this at the checkout on the My Subscription page.

  • Receipts will go to the email address that you registered with. If you need to change the email address, go to the My Profile page (note that this email address is also the one you use to log in).
  • Please make your employer aware that they are paying for a recurring subscription (i.e. payments will be taken every month/every 6 months/every year). If your employer does not want to pay for a recurring subscription, then cancel the subscription after making payment (you will still have access for the time you paid for).

If your employer cannot pay with a card, then it is possible to do a bank transfer. In this case, I will need to send an invoice beforehand (see below). Once payment is received, I shall set up your subscription manually. Of course, this subscription will not auto-renew: you will have access for the time that has been paid for.

Invoice/Receipts

If your employer requires an invoice before payment, please contact me with which subscription plan you would like to purchase and the details you need on the invoice, e.g. your name, company name, address, etc.

If your employer requires a receipt after payment, please check whether the receipt you receive automatically to your email is sufficient (please note I do not charge VAT and so there is no VAT number). If it is not sufficient, then contact me with what extra information needs to be on the receipt.

Persuasion

If your HR department requires you to write why this course is worthwhile, here is a template you can use:

This British Council award-nominated English pronunciation course is designed for learners of English who have a [your native language] background. The course starts by explaining how speech can be analysed into sounds before moving on to over 20 topics that help [your native language] speakers improve their clarity in English. It also includes exercises to train the speech muscles and games to improve listening skills. Furthermore, the subscription gives the learner access to regular live classroom sessions with a teacher who can give support and feedback. By the end of the course, the learner will be able to speak more clearly and confidently in English.

Contact

You can email me Luke@ImproveYourAccent.co.uk or use the form on my website here.

For more information, go to the Frequently Asked Questions page

FAQ