Pronunciation of difficult words
A)Written, but not spoken:
1) " t "
to fasten, to soften, to hasten, mustn't, to hustle, bustle, to wrestle,
to rustle, thistle, to christen, Christendom, christening;
But: fast, soft, haste, must, Christianity, Christ;
2)" b "
to climb, climber, to bomb, bomber,plumber, plumbing, thumb, dumb, numb,
lamb, limb, comb, womb, tomb, doubt, debt, debtor, subtle, subtlety;
3)" p "
psychology, psychological, psychiatrist, psychic, psychopath, psyche, receipt, excerpt, psalm, pneumonia;
4)" l "
calm, palm, psalm, salmon, qualm [ ], calf, chalk, walk, talk;
5)" k "
knight, to knock, knocker, knot, knob, knife, knitwear, to knit, knee, to kneel, Knickerbocker, knickers, to know, knew, known, knowledge, knuckle;
6)" w "
to wrap, to wrestle, wrestling, wrist, wrath [ ], wreath, wreck, to wriggle,
playwright, wrangler, to wring, wrong, wrinkle, to write, wren, wrench, wretched, sword,
7)" c "
muscle, disciple, adolescent, adolescence
8)" s "
aisle, island, viscount
9)" h "
honest, honesty, honorary, honour,
10)" i "
fruit, suit, bruise, cruise, pursuit B.E. [ ], A.E. [ ]
But: suite
B)The same spelling, different pronunciation:
1) tough [ ], rough, thorough, dough [ ], plough [ ], drought [ ],
hiccough [ ], cough [ ]
2) to lead [ ], to treat, lead [ ] (Blei), unleaded, threat, dreadful, to tread,
sweat, sweater, heather, breast, endeavour, breath, to breathe [ ],
to bear [ ], pear, to tear, tear [ ] Träne, beard, to hear, heard [ ],
hearth [ ], heart [ ],
C)Tricky pairs
to admire, admirable, admiral
to bow [ ], bow [ ] (Verbeugung), bow [ ] (Bug), bow [ ] (Bogen)
clothes [ ], cloth [ ],
to pray [ ], prayer [ ], mayor, ozone layer, major [ ]
drought [ ], draught beer [ ], a game of draughts [ ]
court [ ], courteous [ ], by courtesy of, curtsy
height [ ], weight [ ]
parliament [ ], marriage [ ], carriage
wont [ ], want, grand, grant [ ]
wounded [ ], wound [ ] (Wunde), wind, wound, wound [ ]
wild [ ], wilderness [ ]
monkey [ ], monk, donkey [ ]
desert [ ] (Wüste), dessert [ ] (Nachtisch), to desert [ ]
archbishop [ ], architect [ ], monarch [ ], monarchy,
country [ ], county [ ]
face [ ], surface [ ], preface
to wander [ ], to wonder [ ]
singer[ ], finger [ ], anger [ ], single [ ]
school, scholar, scholarship, scheme [ ]
police, machine [ - ' -] [ ]
sovereign [ ], sovereignty,
plague [ ], vague, ache, ague [ ], stomach [ ], spinach [ ]
plaid [ ], plaint [ ], plait [ ]
wallet [ ], mallet [ ]
to owe, awe [ ]
woman, women [ ]
butcher ! [ ], cushion, bush, pulpit, bull, pudding
ally [ ], alley [ ]
the refuse [ ], to refuse [ ]
serial [ ], cereal [ ]
pastry [ ], pasture [ ]
wary [ ], weary [ ]
to sew [ ], to sow [ ]
gone [ ], gone [ ], none [ ]
D) Tricky words
ado, anxiety, atheist, amateur, aunt, bald, bathing suit, biscuit, canal, choir, closet, colleague, curry, clergy, convenient, to devour, diaper, diet, evil, fiery, fierce, forehead, foreigner, gauge, glove, hygiene, item, jewel, jewellery, journalist, lather, leopard, lieutenant, loyalty, martyr, metaphor, ogre, oven, to shove, perfume, pigeon, to pour, privy, purpose, recipe, to refer, sewage, starry, tongue, weird, x-ray, yacht, to yield, wicked, Whitsun,