When it comes to English learning, we have to address one of the most important skills – pronunciation. However, this skill remains a pitfall of many Vietnamese students. So what are the possible ways for you to improve your speaking? Here 7 English speaking tools to help you rack up a new level!!!
CoolSpeech
If you are a beginner, want to practice English Listening – Reading, CoolSpeech English reading tool is the fit choice for you. To listen to any text, you just need to paste the red paragraph into the program window, then select the Voice item to choose the appropriate voice. Coolspeech’s audio is all recorded by native speakers at slow speed, so it’s very easy to listen to.
Pros:
- Simple and intuitive interface, easy to use
- Diverse native voice audios for users to choose from
- Easily adjust reading speed with fast and slow mode
Cons:
- Simple features, not a must-have to users
- Does not support recording and scoring users’ pronunciation
Free NaturalReader
True to its name, Free NaturalReader is a free English speaking tool that allows users to convert English texts into native speakers’ voices. This tool is easy to apply and can convert many document formats from PDF, Microsoft Word, Website, Email,… The application is also capable of converting written documents into audio files in various formats, such as MP3 and WAV for use on iPods, music players,…
Pros:
- Available in diverse text-to-speech formats
- Multiple-option audio voices, easy to adjust speaking speed
- Displayed on application toolbars such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, Power Point,….
Cons:
- Does not support recording, grading and correcting mistakes in pronunciation
- Simple features, not a must-have to English learners
Say it: English Pronunciation
With more than 50,000 downloads, in over 130 countries, Say it: English Pronunciation is one of the leading English speaking tools today. The software includes 70000 English words recorded by leading experts from Oxford University, especially suitable for students participating in international exams such as IELTS, OET, TOEFL,…
Pros:
- The English File sound chart comes with vivid illustrations to help learners easily visualize the pronunciation
- Easily improve your English pronunciation by comparing your sound waves and stress with the samples
- Users can track their progress by copying and saving recordings to a My Words list
Cons:
- Does not support grading and correcting pronunciation mistakes
- No detailed instructions on pronunciation: mouth shape, tongue placement, etc
Accent Training
Accent Training is an English pronunciation tool for beginners. The tool uses short passages of different topics, you will listen to audio samples by native speakers along with detailed IPA transcriptions. Difficult phonetic transcriptions will be highlighted to help you pay attention to the correct pronunciation of these phonetics.
Pros:
- Support recording feature so you can listen to your own voice again and find out what’s wrong
- Easily rewind audio so you can skip unnecessary parts. Maximum rewind time is 5 seconds
- Besides improving English pronunciation, you can learn vocabulary, sentence patterns in sample paragraphs
Cons:
- Does not support grading and correcting mistakes in pronunciation
- Simple, unattractive interface
Speak – Practice Your English
True to its name, the Speak – Practice Your English application will help you improve your English pronunciation by participating in conversation practice with virtual characters. Users will be able to choose a character to chat with, then the tool will give you pre-prepared conversations on different topics. The pronunciation of the virtual characters in the App is highly clear, with slow speed, and natural intonation to help you boost up your Listening skills as well. You just need to practice and record, the app will score and announce the results.
Pros:
- Great visual graphics, diverse virtual characters with different professions and ages
- English conversation videos for beginners with diverse and common topics
- Users can test their own pronunciation by recording and scoring
Cons:
- No detailed instructions on pronunciation, mouth shape, IPA alphabet,…
- The app has problem with slow loading and several errors during use
Pronunroid – IPA pronunciation
Combining learning English pronunciation and playing Games, now isn’t that interesting? The good news is that you can do this with the Pronunroid – IPA pronunciation app. This English speaking tool will help you improve your pronunciation through several interesting games such as guessing symbols, guessing pronunciation, guessing spelling,….
Pros:
- Interesting pronunciation games, increasing users’ engagement
- Simple interface, easy to use
- Support voice recording to compare your own with native speakers
Cons:
- No detailed instructions on pronunciation, mouth shape, IPA alphabet,…
GOGA Pronun
If you are still struggling with English pronunciation skills, you definitely cannot miss GOGA Pronun – an English pronunciation practice application for beginners and intermediate learners. GOGA’s pronunciation learning route is methodical, divided into 3 stages: Core Pronun – Core Pronunciation, Deep Pronun – Advanced Pronunciation and Advanced Pronun – Advanced Pronunciation. GOGA Pronun is also the first application to integrate 3 technologies Blockchain, AI, Gamification.
Pros:
- The route is designed from easy to advanced, with 72 detailed video tutorials from native teachers.
- AI technology acts as a “native-speaking tutor”, helping to correct pronunciation errors in detail to each phoneme with accuracy up to 97% (According to ASR)
- Participate in engaging and thrilling pronunciation competition rounds at the Arena – a competitive English combat game with more than 271,332 students from several Southeast Asian countries.
Above are 7 English speaking tools to help you improve your English pronunciation. Don’t forget to follow GOGA’s Blog for more effective English self-study tips!!!
