Pronunciation
How To Tackle Silent Letters In Just About Any Language
Now you say it, now you don’t. Silent letters can trip you up when you’re learning a new language, but you don’t have to go in blindly.
Ask Babs: I Have A Crush On Someone, But He Doesn’t Speak My Language. How Do I Do This?
This month: Cupid attempts to shatter the language barrier. Also, how to avoid pronouncing “years” like “anuses” in Italian.
You’re Doing It Wrong: 4 Common Pronunciation Mistakes That All Language Learners Make
Whether you’re learning English as a second language or struggling to nail your French accent, there’s a wrong way to approach pronunciation, and it might be tripping you up.
Quiz: Do You Know How To Say The Most Mispronounced Words Of 2017?
If you tend to read the news instead of listen to it, some of these might be hard.
Ask Babs: I Corrected My Friend’s Pronunciation At Dinner, And Now He’s Mad. How Does One Keep It Classy In These Situations?
This month: walking the fine line between ‘smug jerk’ and ‘enabler of bad pronunciation.’ Also, a married person (shockingly) stresses about her in-laws.
What’s The Most Effective Way To Learn A Language?
There’s no definitive silver bullet, but these 4 best practices will get you pretty close.
Order Like A Gourmet: The Trickiest Dishes On The Menu In New York City
We all know how it feels to crave bœuf bourguignon at a swanky restaurant but not know how to pronounce it. Here, our experts show you how.
What Is The International Phonetic Alphabet?
Pronouncing English words like “hyperbole” or “plough” can give even native speakers trouble. The International Phonetic Alphabet started out as an attempt to help navigate these murky spelling waters, and became a project with global scope. It aims to reproduce all existing sounds in language.
7 Italian Words You’ll Struggle To Pronounce (If You’re Not Italian)
We chose the most difficult Italian words we could find and asked people learning Italian to pronounce them. Follow our pronunciation tips, and we bet you’ll do better than they did.
10 French Words You’ll Struggle To Pronounce (If You’re Not French)
French pronunciation can be hard for non-native speakers, as this video proves. But don’t worry! We’ve got plenty of pronunciation tips to make it easier.
Professional Captioners Reveal The Mispronounced Words Of 2016
Babbel commissioned leading U.S and U.K. organizations of captioning professionals to identify the words in 2016 that proved the most challenging for newscasters to pronounce correctly.
A Tale Of Two Dots — The History Of The Umlaut And The Diaeresis
What the heck are those mysterious dots hovering over words in the language you are learning? Don’t be alarmed — those funny little diacritic marks are umlauts (or diaereses), and they’re here to help.
8 Spanish Words You’ll Struggle To Pronounce (If You’re Not Spanish)
Have you ever wondered how to pronounce “armadillo” in Spanish? Or how to roll the tricky R? Follow these simple guidelines for pronouncing Spanish words, and you’ll be a pro in no time. How do you compare to the people in the video?
8 German Words You’ll Struggle To Pronounce (If You’re Not German)
We chose the most difficult German words we could find and asked people learning German to pronounce them. Here’s what happened, with pronunciation tips below.