Lesson 0: The English Alphabet

Lesson 0: The English Alphabet – Sounds vs. Names

🎙 Voice:

Speed: 0.8×

Click a letter or press "Hear All Letters" to begin

Challenging for Bangla speakers

Easier to pronounce

📝 Names vs. Sounds — What's the Difference?

Every English letter has a name (how you say the alphabet — "ay, bee, see…") and a sound (how the letter is actually pronounced inside a word). These are often very different!

Example: The letter B is named "Bee" — but its sound in a word like bat is just a short burst: /b/. The name includes a vowel sound; the actual sound does not.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet): The symbols shown in slashes like /eɪ/ tell you the exact mouth shape and airflow for each sound — used the same way in every language.

Bangla guide: Each card also shows the closest Bengali approximation to help you connect the new sound to something familiar.

🎯 Focus Areas for Bangla Speakers

Sound	Why It's Hard	How to Fix It
A — /eɪ/	English A is a diphthong (two sounds gliding); often said as a flat Bengali আ	Start with /e/ then glide your lips into /ɪ/ — "eh-ee" said quickly = /eɪ/. Do not hold the vowel flat.
F — /f/	Bangla has no /f/ sound; often replaced with /ph/ (ফ)	Touch upper teeth to lower lip lightly and blow air — do NOT release with a pop
V — /v/	No /v/ in Bangla; usually replaced with /b/ (ব)	Same position as F above, but add your voice (hum while blowing)
TH — /θ/ and /ð/	Completely absent in Bangla; often swapped for /d/ or /t/	Place tongue tip lightly between your teeth and push air. Voiced = "the"; unvoiced = "think"
R — /r/	English R ≠ Bangla র; Bangla র is a tap/flap	Do NOT tap or roll. Curl tongue slightly back, do not touch the roof — let the air pass freely
W — /w/	No /w/ in Bangla; often said as /v/	Round lips tightly as if saying "OO" — then glide quickly into the next vowel. Keep it smooth, not a hard consonant
J — /dʒ/	English J is different from Bangla জ (which is closer to /z/)	Start with a /d/ sound, then push into /zh/ — say "d-zhay" fast: "Jay"
Y — /j/	Bangla speakers sometimes drop it or say it as /j/ (like জ)	Say a very quick "ee" sound before the vowel — "ee-es" = "yes"
T — /t/	English /t/ is unaspirated at end of words (not like Bangla ট or ত)	At start of words, add a small puff of air (aspirated). At end of words, stop the air abruptly — no puff
O — /oʊ/	English O is a diphthong (two sounds gliding); Bangla ও is a pure vowel	Start with /o/, then glide lips forward into a short /ʊ/ — "oh-oo" said quickly = /oʊ/

💡 Practice strategy: Start with the green letters to build confidence. Then tackle each red letter one at a time. Use the Speed control to slow playback down to 0.5× when learning a new sound. Record yourself on your phone and compare — your ear is your best teacher!

🔤 The English Alphabet: Sounds vs. Names

📝 Names vs. Sounds — What's the Difference?

🎯 Focus Areas for Bangla Speakers

Lesson 1: A to Z alphabet pronunciation in English

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