Ear training for English learners

Hear the difference between English words that sound the same.

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.

$4.99 one-time purchase No microphone required Works on iPhone and iPad

Can you hear the difference?

Round 1 of 2

Preview your hardest contrast

/ɪ/ vs /iː/

Hear the difference.

Now listen carefully. Which word did you hear?

This is 1 of 40+ English sound contrasts in Soundwise.

Ready to train your ear?

40+ English sound contrasts

Can your friends hear the difference?

It's hard to say a sound your brain can't hear yet.

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.

🇯🇵

Japanese Speakers

/r/ vs /l/

"right" vs "light"

🇨🇳

Mandarin Speakers

/θ/ vs /s/

"thin" vs "sin"

🇹🇭

Thai Speakers

/θ/ vs /t/

"thin" vs "tin"

🇪🇸

Spanish Speakers

/ɪ/ vs /iː/

"ship" vs "sheep"

The Real Problem

The listening gap

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.

How Soundwise works

Listen → Choose → Get feedback.

1

Listen

Pick a pair like ship/sheep, rice/lice, or fan/van. Hear a word spoken in clear English audio.

2

Choose

Pick the word you heard. No speaking, no microphone — just focused listening.

3

Get feedback

See whether you were right and replay the contrast. Practice until the difference becomes clear.

Practice common English sound pairs

Soundwise covers 40+ English sound contrasts. These pages explain common confusing pairs and show how to practice them in the app.

Short /ʊ/ vs long /uː/

/æ/ and /ɛ/ contrasts

/f/, /v/, /w/

/θ/ contrasts

Focused English Listening Practice

Personalized

Personalized to Your L1

Focuses on the specific sound pairs that challenge speakers of your native language

Multiple Languages

Multiple Languages

Interface available in 14 languages, with support for learners worldwide

English voice audio

English voice audio

Train with English audio so your ear adapts to real English sounds

Track Progress

Track Progress

See your perception accuracy improve over time with detailed charts and statistics

Quick Sessions

Quick Sessions

Practice a few English sound contrasts at a time.

Auto-Save Progress

Auto-Save Progress

Your results are automatically saved after every practice session

Evidence-informed learning techniques

Soundwise uses techniques commonly used in pronunciation training: minimal pairs, repeated listening, immediate feedback, and focused contrast practice.

  • Real English minimal pairs
  • Listen-and-choose identification practice
  • Immediate feedback after each response
  • Repeated exposure to difficult contrasts
  • Targeted practice by first-language background (14 L1 backgrounds)
  • English voice audio
  • Progress tracking by sound contrast
  • One-time purchase, no subscription
  • iPhone and iPad support

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Ready to hear the difference?

Start with one sound pair today.

Download Soundwise
$4.99 one-time purchase
No microphone required
iPhone and iPad