Doubt and debit:
The ‘b’ in ‘doubt’ has no sound, just like the ‘b’ in ‘thumb’ or ‘dumb.’ ‘Doubt’ has the same vowel sound as ‘out.’ It’s only one syllable.
The ‘b’ in ‘debit,’ on the other hand, is pronounced. It’s a two-syllable word, and the first syllable is stressed.
‘Pronunciation’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘pronounce’ or ‘bounce.’ The first vowel sound is the same as in ‘one’ ‘fun,’ or ‘done.’
I had an interesting conversation today about some commonly mispronounced words. Here are some of the highlights:
– country. The first vowel rhymes with one, not cow.
– our. It can rhyme with either hour or are. Listen to the people near you and copy their sound.
– month. It also rhymes with one, and be careful with the ‘th’ sound. Sometimes people say it with an ‘f’ sound on the end.
– bad sounds like mad, can, and cab. Bed sounds like red, head, and dead. Bad and bed don’t rhyme with each other.
Pronunciation can be tricky, but looking for rhyming patterns can make it easier to organize the sounds you want to say. Keep on practicing your speaking!
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