HVPT · High-Variability Phonetic TrainingShip or sheep? Can you hear the difference?
Hear the difference between similar sounds. Start with one word in an everyday sentence and practise telling confusing English sounds apart.
High-Variability Phonetic Training · English & Mandarin
Listen, choose, then hear the difference
Know the words but mix them up when listening? Hear similar sounds in the same everyday sentence, make your choice, then compare.
Hear the sentence. Choose the word.
The full sentence stays hidden before you answer. Listen, then choose the word you heard: ship or sheep.
Choose, then compare what you hear
If you choose incorrectly, compare the correct sentence with your choice and replay each similar-sounding word in context.
Voices & speed
Hear the same sentence in different voices
Tap replay beside a sentence to hear it repeatedly in different voices. Keep distinguishing the confusing sounds as the voice changes.
Slow down to hear the difference
Choose from six speeds, from 0.5× to 1.3×. Questions and replays follow your selected speed, so you can practise at your pace.
More support for the sounds you choose
Pick the sounds you want to work on and explore how they are made. Open a guide when you want a closer look at the difference.
Focus on sounds you find confusing
Choose from 18 English sound contrasts. Start with one pair you want to distinguish. Your selected practice sounds are saved automatically for your next visit.
Watch the mouth shape and compare sounds
Use the play button beside the score to open the sound-pair pronunciation guide. Listen to example words, view available mouth animations and compare demonstrations of both sounds.
Start with a pair you want to tell apart.
A few things to know
Which languages are supported?
English and Chinese (Mandarin) tabs are ready to use and save practice separately. English offers 18 sound contrasts; Mandarin includes consonants and tones.
Does this score my speaking?
This is listening practice. It does not record or score your speaking. The score area shows your last ten answers for the current sound pair and across all pairs.
What do I need?
An internet connection is needed; cloud voice generation uses Alymo Credits. Practice uses synthetic voices. Answers and scores pictured here are demonstration data.