Why might ten bikes sound a little like tem bikes in natural American English? In this episode of The Accent Journey, we explore a common pronunciation pattern called nasal assimilation - the way the /n/ sound can shift toward /m/ before certain consonants.

You’ll learn why this happens, how your lips and tongue work together to make connected speech smoother, and how to practice this pattern without forcing it into every word.

In this episode, you’ll learn to:

• Understand why /n/ can sound more like /m/ before /p/, /b/, and /m/.
• Recognize this pattern in everyday phrases such as ten pens, green beans, and in Paris.
• Practice the sound in words, phrases, sentences, and a short dialogue.
• Use nasal assimilation naturally while maintaining clear, comfortable pronunciation.

Practice phrases

Before /p/: ten pens, green pepper, fun party, main point

Before /b/: ten bikes, green beans, brown bread, in Boston

Before /m/: ten men, green mountains, one more minute, in May

Practice passage: "Last spring, I spent ten days in Boston visiting a friend. We explored the city, walked through green parks, and stopped for lunch at a small restaurant near the main business district. One afternoon, we bought ten postcards and some brown paper for a project she was planning. In May, she hopes to visit me in Paris."

Follow The Accent Journey, hosted by accent coach Steven Nelson, for weekly episodes designed to help non-native speakers build clearer, more confident American English pronunciation - one sound and pattern at a time.

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The Accent Journey Podcast is brought to you by AccentFirst Speech Communication Services. Find us online at accentfirst.com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Visit us and leave a message at accentfirst.com/contact

Music: Vendredi - Hypnosis ( Free Download & Free Copyright ) by Vendredi is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The English “th” sounds can be challenging for many English learners. Words like think, this, three, and they may look similar, but they contain two different consonant sounds.

In this episode of The Accent Journey, we explore the difference between the voiceless /θ/ sound, as in think, and the voiced /ð/ sound, as in this. You'll learn how to position your tongue, control airflow, and use vocal-fold vibration to produce both sounds more accurately in American English.

We'll practice the sounds in individual words, contrasting pairs, sentences, tongue twisters, and the usual practice passage.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to position your tongue to produce both “th” sounds
• The difference between voiceless /θ/ and voiced /ð/
• How to avoid common substitutions such as think sounding like sink or they sounding like day
• How to practice “th” at the beginning, middle, and end of words
• How to produce both sounds naturally in connected speech

Practice Words

Voiceless /θ/: think, thank, thin, thick, three, thought, healthy, birthday, both, breath, month, strength.

Voiced /ð/: this, that, these, those, they, them, their, there, mother, brother, together, weather.

Practice Sentences

1. I think they should thank their mother.
2. Those three athletes are training together.
3. My brother said the weather would be warm on Thursday.
4. This method is more effective than the other one.
5. Both of them thought the meeting would last three hours.
6. These three things are more important than they might seem.

Tongue-Twister Challenge

Voiceless /θ/: Three thoughtful thinkers thought through three thousand theories.

Voiced /ð/: Those brothers gathered their things and went there together.

Both sounds: Those three brothers thought that their mother would be there on Thursday.

Practice passage: "Three months ago, my brother and I decided to spend a Thursday afternoon exploring a nature trail near our town. The weather was warm, and the path led through thick trees and across a small stream. We thought we would be there for an hour, but we stayed much longer. Together, we watched the birds, took photographs, and talked about the things we wanted to do next. It was one of those simple experiences that made the whole week feel better."

Follow The Accent Journey, hosted by accent coach Steven Nelson, for weekly episodes designed to help non-native speakers build clearer, more confident American English pronunciation - one sound and pattern at a time.

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The Accent Journey Podcast is brought to you by AccentFirst Speech Communication Services. Find us online at accentfirst.com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Visit us and leave a message at accentfirst.com/contact

Music: Vendredi - Hypnosis ( Free Download & Free Copyright ) by Vendredi is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

In this episode of The Accent Journey, we look at two-syllable words that change their stress depending on whether they are used as nouns or verbs.

You’ll learn why we say REcord as a noun but reCORD as a verb, PREsent as a noun but preSENT as a verb, and SUSpect as a noun but susPECT as a verb.

We’ll also look at several other common noun/verb pairs and practice hearing and producing the difference.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why many two-syllable nouns tend to have first-syllable stress
• Why many two-syllable verbs tend to have second-syllable stress
• How changing stress can change a word's meaning or grammatical function
• Common noun/verb pairs such as REcord/reCORD, PREsent/preSENT, PERmit/perMIT, and CONtract/conTRACT
• How to practice these words in natural sentences and conversations

Practice Dialogue

A: Did you record yesterday's meeting?

B: Yes, I recorded the whole thing.

A: Great. We need a record of what the client agreed to.

B: I'll send you the recording this afternoon.

A: Thanks. I'm also going to present the new proposal tomorrow.

B: Are you giving the presentation to the whole team?

A: Yes. And I have a present for Sarah afterward.

B: Nice. What's the present?

A: I can't tell you yet.

Practice Passage: "I keep a record of every important meeting, so I usually record the conversation when everyone agrees. Last week, I received a present from a colleague before I had to present our new proposal. We also signed a contract with a supplier, and the manager will contract another company if we need additional support. The police suspect that the suspect may have left the area, but they haven't released any details yet."

Follow The Accent Journey, hosted by accent coach Steven Nelson, for weekly episodes designed to help non-native speakers build clearer, more confident American English pronunciation - one sound and pattern at a time.

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The Accent Journey Podcast is brought to you by AccentFirst Speech Communication Services. Find us online at accentfirst.com. We'd love to hear your feedback. Visit us and leave a message at accentfirst.com/contact

Music: Vendredi - Hypnosis ( Free Download & Free Copyright ) by Vendredi is licensed under a Creative Commons License.