/ə/
This page teaches controlled sound targets from our reviewed catalogue. It does not claim one universal whole-word IPA transcription: the sounds in a word can vary by speaker and target variety.
Schwa. Most common sound in English. Tongue relaxed in the middle. Always unstressed.
Common slip: Learners over-pronounce. The schwa is *weak* — don't stress it.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →These synthesized voices are repeatable reference points, not a claim that every British or American speaker uses one identical form.
“about”
“about”
Open practice with “about” already filled in. Automated feedback is an estimate for practice, not a clinical or expert diagnosis.
Real recordings from our search library that contain “about”.
Public domain
““More and more,” Taylor said, “higher ed is worried about graduation not just about admission.”
General American
From "What International Students Should Know about SAT and ACT" (2024). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “What International Students Should Know about SAT and ACT”
Open this clip in General American: “More and more,” Taylor said, “higher ed is worried about graduation not just abCreator video
“what about voiced what about a voiced”
RP
From English with Lucy (opens in a new tab) — “How to Learn a British Accent (Modern RP)” · 842s
Open this clip in RP: what about voiced what about a voicedCreator video
“So, what about prominence?”
All British
From Oxford Online English (opens in a new tab) — “English Pronunciation Secrets — 5 Tips” · 277s
Open this clip in All British: So, what about prominence?Creator video
“we speak. Forget about it.”
New York
From Emily Frances (opens in a new tab) — “New York Accents, A Movie” · 5s
Open this clip in New York: we speak. Forget about it.Creator video
“a little bit about what multicultural”
Cockney
From Eat Sleep Dream English (opens in a new tab) — “Learn Stormzy's Accent — Multicultural London English” · 42s
Open this clip in Cockney: a little bit about what multiculturalPublic domain
“You are learning about how strongly they feel about something. And that's the end of this really long report!”
General American
From "Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners" (2017). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners”
Open this clip in General American: You are learning about how strongly they feel about something. And that's the enSearch our indexed caption corpus for real-context examples. Coverage varies by word and accent, so the results page may have no matching clip.
Search clips for “About”