Lessons Unit 1, lesson 23

p as in put

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.

pp as in put

Press your lips together, build a little air, then pop: p. In English the pop comes with a small puff of breath.

put

pat

map

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.

ape

pie

paper

happy

top

tap

P needs breath, not just a pop

At the start of a word, American p isn't just lips popping — it comes with a real puff of breath. Say put or pat and you should feel a burst of air right after the lips open.

If you skip that puff, pat can drift toward sounding like bat to a listener's ear, even though your lips did the right movement.

The paper test

Hold a strip of paper or tissue an inch from your lips and say paper. The first p should make it flutter; the p in the middle of happy is softer and won't move it as much.

At the end of a word, like in map or up, the pop can stay unreleased — lips close and simply stop, no final puff needed.

Try the test on top and tap too, and compare how much stronger the puff feels than on their voiced twin b.