So here's the explanation:
GH in English spelling has an "f" sound, like in the word 'enough'.
O in the word 'women' has an "i" sound.
TI in English spelling has a "sh" sound, as in 'pollution'.
Therefore, hypothetically speaking, the word 'fish' in English could be spelt 'ghoti'.
As English is so varied in terms of how words are written and pronounced, it's important to try to make connections between spelling and sound to aid your learning. Take a look at the following words. These all sound exactly the same although they're spelt differently:
there their they're
All 3 words end in an "air" sound. On the other hand, some words which have similar spellings are pronounced differently:
bear beard
The vowel sounds like "air". The vowel sounds like "ear".
They shouldn't be confused with:
bird and beer
The vowel sounds like "er". The vowel sounds like "ear"
So, to summarise, 'there', 'their' and 'they're' sound exactly the same. 'Bear' sounds like 'there' and 'beer' sounds similar to 'beard' but 'bird' is completely different! Got it?
Now, it's time to put your pronunciation to the test! Have a go at this exercise. Each group of words has identical spelling but 1 of the 3 words is pronounced differently. Select the word from each group which you think is pronounced differently to the others.
1. wood blood good
2. none done gone
3. nose rose lose
4. cut shut put
5. woke worth word
6. hood boot moon
7. tail fair mail
8. know now slow
9. paid laid said
10. bird work worn
How did you do? I invite you to get in touch with me via my profile with your answers and I'll provide feedback.
