Two sounds close enough to trade places: the “uh” of cup and the “ah” of father. Swap one for the other and a different word comes out — this page is how to keep them apart, in both directions.
Shorten the vowel and keep the tongue relaxed in the middle of the mouth, not low and far back.
“Too long, too deep, like a doctor said open wide! This vowel is a quick little grunt in the middle — uh! Short!”Nunzio, when he hears it
Open your jaw wider, pull the tongue low and back, and hold the vowel longer.
“This vowel is the big one, bello! Open the mouth, tongue back, and hold it — aaah, like tasting perfect ragù!”Nunzio, when he hears it
You cannot hear your own swap. That is the whole problem.
Nunzio records you reading a sentence, scores every sound in it on your phone — nothing is uploaded — and tells you which of these two actually came out. Nunzio — Accent Coach is coming to the App Store and Google Play.