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English pronunciation for Vietnamese speakers

Vietnamese ends syllables with only a handful of sounds and never releases a final stop — English, inconveniently, loves elaborate word endings. That single difference produces most of the map below; the th pair and a couple of hiss distinctions do the rest.

A note on spelling: Vietnamese th is an aspirated t, which is why English th needs a genuinely new gesture, not a familiar letter.

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 Vietnamese usually meet, not a verdict about you.

Where the two maps differ

th” as in think, when it comes out as “t” as in top

Vietnamese th is a puffed t — English θ is something else entirely: tongue tip between the teeth, continuous soft air, no burst.

Hear the pair side by side →

th” as in this, when it comes out as “d” as in dog

The voiced th of this: same between-the-teeth position, voice on. Not the đ of đi.

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sh” as in shoe, when it comes out as “s” as in sun

In northern speech s and x merge toward s. English keeps see and she firmly apart — for sh the tongue pulls back and the lips round slightly.

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

English splits i in two: ship is short and relaxed, sheep long and tense. The short one is the new one.

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

Apple's vowel opens wider than ê or e — jaw down, tongue low and forward.

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

Vietnamese finals are never released, and an unreleased d sounds like t in English. Bed needs an audible, voiced ending.

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

English words can end in a buzz — eyes is not ice. The voice must survive to the very end of the word.

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At the end of a word, “v” as in van, when it comes out as “f” as in fun

Same voicing story with v: leave ends in a buzz, leaf in a hiss, and English speakers hear the difference instantly.

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.