Lessons Unit 1, lesson 27

b as in bed

One consonant, on its own page. Hear it, watch where it sits in each word's sheet, then say the words yourself.

What do the marks mean?

ˈriːdread Stressed part — say it louder & longer.

təto Weak word — say it quickly & softly.

∅e Silent letter — don’t pronounce it.

θth Underline — these letters spell one sound.

wa·ter Dot · — a syllable break.

go‿on Linked — blend the words together.

?↗︎↘︎ Arrows — voice rises ↗︎ or falls ↘︎.

ˈsɛvən7 Number — how to say it aloud.

read² ² mark — has a second pronunciation.

guess? ? mark — a best guess; double-check it.

Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.

bb as in bed

Exactly like p — lips press and pop — but switch your voice on. Put a hand on your throat: b buzzes, p doesn't.

bed

boy

book

bag

Now say it yourself

Read each word from its sheet, out loud, three times. Where there's a play button, listen first and copy what you hear. Slow is fine — speaking clearly matters more than speaking fast. Tap a word's microphone to record yourself and see which sounds landed.

bat

bus

buzz

bird

blue

boat

B and P: same shape, different switch

b and p share the same lip-press-and-pop shape; the only difference is the buzz of your voice. Say bed with a hand on your throat and feel the vibration start before the lips even open.

Unlike p, b at the start of a word usually skips the extra puff of air — it's a softer, buzzier release, as in boy or book.

Final consonants: don't over-voice

At the end of a word like bag, English speakers still shorten the buzz — the vowel before it, though, stays a touch longer than it would before a p. That vowel length is often the real clue listeners use.

Don't swing the other way and drop the voicing entirely, or bag starts sounding like back. Aim for a light buzz all the way through.

Try bat and bus from the sayIt list and compare how much rounder and buzzier they feel than their unvoiced p cousins.