Pronunciation is the formation or production of single or multiple speech sounds within a word. One of the difficulties of English pronunciation is the highly irregular spelling of English words. Because English is not 'phonetic', how we pronounce a word can have no bearing on how it is spelled. This is where knowledge of phonetic symbols is invaluable. It enables the speaker to identify the individual vowel, consonant and diphthong sounds that feature in words. Each of these sounds has a symbol, and each symbol represents only one sound. On the other hand, each letter of the Alphabet can have more than one sound e.g. the letter 'a' is pronounced differently in each of the following words -'bath', 'baby' 'ball' and 'black'. A distortion of any of the vowel sounds in the above words causes ambiguity and delays comprehension. In addition to the meanings of words, all dictionaries provide the phonetic composition of each word.

Furthermore, the rhythm or 'music' of English is determined by the stress (or 'weight') we place on one of these sounds within a word, e.g. 'forGETful'. Accurate word stress maintains rhythm, reduces misunderstandings and contributes to correct intonation patterns.

The aim of good pronunciation is to eliminate confusion between speaker and listener. It is a significant feature of effective communication.