One of the biggest differences between the British and the American accents is that Americans always pronounce the letter R. In England the words “load” and “lord” would sound very similar since the R tends to be silent before another consonant. It’s also silent at the end of a word in British English. If you first started studying English outside of the United States, chances are you are creating the British R. Take a look at this short video lesson that I just posted on YouTube yesterday. I think it will help you. I find that the majority of my students are not pronouncing this sound correctly when they first come to see me for accent reduction lessons.
Recent Posts
- “Hey”, “Hi” or “Hello”? Choosing the Right Greeting for Professional English in the Workplace
- The Top 5 Pronunciation Challenges Non-Native Speakers Face in the Workplace
- 15 Reasons to Take One-on-One Accent Reduction Lessons
- 4 Tips to Improve Your American Accent Fast
- Tips for apologizing in English at work
Archives
- September 2025
- August 2025
- May 2025
- January 2022
- July 2019
- April 2019
- January 2018
- September 2016
- December 2015
- January 2015
- May 2014
- March 2013
- September 2012
- August 2012
- June 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
Hello Lisa, I find one of the biggest differences between the British and the American accents is how “can’t” is pronounced which I also find the trickest for us trying to learn the American accent. I just can’t really tell the American “can’t” from the American “can”. So I have to say the British “can’t” instead so as to avoid confusion even though I know it sounds awkward when I am trying to imitate the American accent. Could you please give me some tips on how to cope with it? Thanks so much!
Hello Lisa, its me Alex again. I have one more question about the American accent – I have ordered your book on amazon.com but it has not come yet so I am not sure if it is already mentioned in your book. Anyway, is it true that the final “t”s on words are always not released?
Thanks!
Hi Alex,
I answered one of your questions in a new post and will also get to answering the “can” and “can’t” issue soon. By the way, I also discuss these words in my book.
Hi Lisa, thank you so much and I just can’t wait to get your book!
Hello, Lisa! It's Paul. Thank you very much for your lessons. They are very helpful and I must admit when you are really involved in this then it's easy to pull all linguistic barriers off. Anyway, I have one little question. Most people say and write that all Americans ALWAYS pronounce the "R" sound. But it seems to me that in such words as "for", "clearly", "farther, "further" and others, the "R" sound is not pronounced (or I can't hear it), i.e. reduced to, let us say, a kind of British traditional pronounciation. And it especially occurs in a very quick speech. What do you think about this issue? Thank you!
Paul,
Yes, when speaking quickly, sometimes Americans do drop the R.(unless they are speaking with a regional dialect. For example, Boston.) It's generally just lazy or sloppy speech. Certain sounds that require the mouth muscles to move a lot can be omitted. The R requires a tense tongue. Other times the "b" sound can disappear. For example when people say "probly" instead of "probably."
That's interesting that some people think the 'r' is dropped in words like for, farther, further, etc. I'm a native speaker with a hybrid California/Midwestern accent (more Midwestern than California), and I'm certain I never drop the 'r' in those words. I'm not used to hearing anyone drop it, except on the East Coast, where non-rhotic (r-dropping) accents are common. Are there any rhotic (r-pronouncing) accents in which speakers sometimes get "casual" enough to start leaving out r's?