Train Your Brain!

Improving Listening Skills in 3 steps - for non-native students learning English as a second language!

Step 1- Alphabet Letter Names - Click here!

Step 2 - slower speed - Click here!

Step 3 - normal speed - Click here!

When native speakers spell words, they tend to do so quickly and with natural pronunciation, which can make it difficult for non-native speakers to keep up, especially if the spelling involves special or irregular letter sounds. This is why it's important to train your ears to recognize the different letter sounds in English words, even if they differ from those in your native language.

In some languages, certain letters have different sounds or pronunciations compared to English. For example, in Romanian, the letter "I" is pronounced as /i/, but in English, it's pronounced as /aɪ/. Similarly, in French, the letter "E" is pronounced as /o/, and /e/ in Romanian, but in English, it's pronounced as /i/. Understanding these differences in pronunciation can help improve listening and communication skills when speaking with native English speakers, and  it's recommended to practice listening and spelling skills for at least 30 minutes to an hour each day. 

One way to improve your listening skills, beside other activities is to practice English words being spelled out loud. You can do this by working on this page.

Don't be afraid to ask the person spelling the word to slow down or repeat themselves if you need more time to process the information. Most people are happy to help and will appreciate your efforts to improve your listening and spelling skills in English.

Aviation Phonetic Alphabet - ICAO

It is well known, some letters sound very much alike. When speaking over aviation radios, or by non-English pilots, a Phonetic Alphabet is used to help avoid confusion.