Follow the stress
за́мок / замо́кcastle / lockOne stressed syllable can change the meaning. Say the stressed vowel more clearly; listen for the quieter vowels around it.
Russian pronunciation practice
Listen for word stress, unfamiliar sounds, and hard and soft consonants.
Read the step-by-step guide ↗02 / TUNE YOUR EAR
Letters are the start.
Sound is the next step.
Four patterns to listen for. Take your time with unfamiliar sounds; English pronunciation guides are approximations.
Watch the look-alikes
В · Н · Р · С · У · Хv · n · r · s · oo · khFamiliar shapes can hide new sounds. Russian Р is a tapped or rolled r, and С always sounds like s. Read нос as “nos,” meaning nose.
Hear hard and soft
брат / братьbrother / to takeA soft consonant has the middle of the tongue raised toward the roof of the mouth. The soft sign ь has no sound of its own.
Notice unstressed vowels
вода́ → va-DAHwaterAn unstressed о often sounds closer to а. Learn the spelling and the spoken form together; English guides are only approximate.