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English pronunciation for Russian speakers

Russian meets English with a rich consonant system and one systematic difference at the end of words: Russian devoices final consonants by rule, English never does. Add the th pair, the w/v split, and English's crowd of vowels where Russian keeps fewer, and you have the whole map below.

None of it is exotic — each item is one head-to-head page away from being audible.

Nunzio never asks and never guesses where you are from — the app only compares the sounds you made against the sounds the sentence wanted, and this page would be exactly as true or as irrelevant for any one person. It is a reading map of where English and Russian usually meet, not a verdict about you.

Where the two maps differ

th” as in think, when it comes out as “s” as in sun

Russian has no θ, so think leans toward sink. Tongue tip between the teeth, continuous air, no voice.

Hear the pair side by side →

th” as in this, when it comes out as “z” as in zoo

The voiced th of this is the same position with the voice on — a buzz between the teeth, not behind them.

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w” as in water, when it comes out as “v” as in van

Russian в is the English v, so water wants to start with a v. English w uses no teeth: both lips round and glide.

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v” as in van, when it comes out as “w” as in water

The follow-on swap once w is learned: very is not wery. Spelled v means teeth on lip.

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At the end of a word, “d” as in dog, when it comes out as “t” as in top

Russian devoices final consonants — код ends in t. English bed keeps its d voiced to the very end.

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At the end of a word, “z” as in zoo, when it comes out as “s” as in sun

Same rule, same fix: eyes ends in a buzz, ice in a hiss, and English insists on the difference.

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ih” as in ship, when it comes out as “ee” as in sheep

English splits i into ship and sheep. The short 'ih' is laxer than и — closer to ы said quickly and lightly.

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a” as in apple, when it comes out as “eh” as in ten

Apple's vowel opens wider than э — the jaw drops further than Russian front vowels ask.

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ng” as in sing, when it comes out as “n” as in nose

Sing ends at the back of the mouth — a sound Russian never uses word-finally. No n, and no g released after it.

Hear the pair side by side →

Which of these are actually yours? That is the part no list can know.

Nunzio records you reading a sentence and scores every sound in it on your phone — nothing is uploaded — then names the one worth your next ten minutes. No list, no guessing: your recording. Nunzio — Accent Coach is coming to the App Store and Google Play.