Avoid These 10 Common Mistakes to Improve Your British Accent

Chances are, you might be getting at least one of those words wrong. I know because I’ve taught students from all over the world for over four years—and some words just kept popping up as the most commonly mispronounced.

In this lesson, I’ve put together 10 of those tricky words. I’ll break down what often goes wrong, explain why, and show you how to say them correctly in a standard British accent (Received Pronunciation).

Let’s dive in!

1. Tonight

❌ Wrong: Tunight

✅ Correct: Tonight /təˈnaɪt/

Many learners mistakenly add a "U" sound at the beginning, but there’s no /u/ after the "T." Instead, it starts with a schwa /tə/, not "tu."

Apply the same rule to:

2. Tomorrow → /təˈmɒrəʊ/ (not "Tumorrow")

3. Today → /təˈdeɪ/ (not "Tuday")

📌 Tip: If the word starts with "to" in British English and it's not stressed, it's often just a soft /tə/.

4. Performance

❌ Wrong: Performanz

✅ Correct: Performance /pəˈfɔː.məns/

In British English, the R is soft or silent, especially before a consonant. Don’t add a "z" at the end—just stick to the gentle "s" sound.

5. Iron

❌ Wrong: Eye-ron

✅ Correct: Iron /ˈaɪ.ən/

This one surprises a lot of learners. The R is silent, and it’s only two syllables: "Eye-un," not "Eye-ron."

6. Popcorn

❌ Wrong: Pop-corn (with a hard R)

✅ Correct: Popcorn /ˈpɒp.kɔːn/

Just like in “iron,” the R here isn’t pronounced. Instead, the vowel before it is lengthened. So it sounds more like “Pop-cawn.”

7. Country

❌ Wrong: Cauntry

✅ Correct: Country /ˈkʌn.tri/

The "ou" in “country” is pronounced /ʌ/, like in “cup” or “sun.” Not /au/ like in “cause” or “aunt.”

🎯 Focus on: The "uh" sound — Cuhntry, not Cauntry.

8. Pan

❌ Wrong: Pen

✅ Correct: Pan /pæn/

A subtle but important difference! Using an "E" sound changes the word entirely.

"Pan" rhymes with “man,” not “men.”

9. Recipe

❌ Wrong: Recip

✅ Correct: Recipe /ˈres.ɪ.pi/

This word trips up a lot of learners because of how it’s spelled. But the pronunciation is “Re-suh-pee,” with the stress on the first syllable. That final “-e” isn’t silent—it’s "pee"!

10. Lettuce

❌ Wrong: Let-toos, Let-yoos, or Lettuk

✅ Correct: Lettuce /ˈlɛ.tɪs/

The final "u" isn’t pronounced like “oo.” Just say “Lettis.” Short, simple, and to the point.

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