Practice minimal pairs like ship/sheep, bit/beat, and right/light so your ear can catch the contrast before you try to say it.
Available on the App Store for $4.99. One-time purchase. No subscription.
Round 1 of 2
Hear the difference.
Now listen carefully. Which word did you hear?
This is 1 of 40+ English sound contrasts in Soundwise.
Many pronunciation problems start as listening problems. If your first language does not use a sound contrast, your brain may treat two English sounds as the same.
"right" vs "light"
"thin" vs "sin"
"thin" vs "tin"
"ship" vs "sheep"
Many pronunciation problems begin as listening problems. Soundwise trains your ear with focused minimal-pair practice before you try to fix everything through speaking drills.
Listen → Choose → Get feedback.
Pick a pair like ship/sheep, rice/lice, or fan/van. Hear a word spoken in clear English audio.
Pick the word you heard. No speaking, no microphone — just focused listening.
See whether you were right and replay the contrast. Practice until the difference becomes clear.
Soundwise covers 40+ English sound contrasts. These pages explain common confusing pairs and show how to practice them in the app.
Focuses on the specific sound pairs that challenge speakers of your native language
Interface available in 14 languages, with support for learners worldwide
Train with English audio so your ear adapts to real English sounds
See your perception accuracy improve over time with detailed charts and statistics
Practice a few English sound contrasts at a time.
Your results are automatically saved after every practice session
Soundwise uses techniques commonly used in pronunciation training: minimal pairs, repeated listening, immediate feedback, and focused contrast practice.
The core problem isn't your speaking - it's your perception. You can't pronounce sounds you can't hear. By training your ear first through listening exercises, speaking improvement follows naturally. No recording or speech analysis needed.
Regular practice with minimal pairs builds listening perception over time. Your brain needs repeated exposure to unfamiliar contrasts to start treating them as distinct — how quickly that happens varies by person and contrast.
Yes! The app includes targeted minimal pairs for speakers of Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Thai, Korean, Arabic, Vietnamese, and many other languages. The exercises adapt to the specific phonemic challenges of your L1 background.
Absolutely! Soundwise complements any English learning program. Think of it as specialized ear training that makes all your other practice more effective. Once you can hear the differences, speaking practice becomes much more productive.
Even advanced speakers often have perception blind spots from their L1. The app's adaptive algorithm will quickly identify your specific challenges and focus on those, making it valuable at any level.
Start with one sound pair today.
Download Soundwise