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Pronunciation Guide
FREE LISTENING WORKSHEET · APG

Practice schwa and unstressed vowels in 20 words

Listen, notice one detail, and say the word in a phrase.

Open the guide & listening notes →Take the interactive quiz →

Videos and full notes: https://ipronounce.io/guides/unstressed-vowels

Name: ________________________　 Date: __________________

A five-word listening round

  1. Choose five words below. Open each linked word and play its APG video.
  2. Write one sound observation: the strongest syllable, a silent letter, a consonant connection, or a variant you hear.
  3. Say the original practice phrase, then write and say your own sentence.
  4. Read the word’s listening note and compare it with your observation. Repeat any word you want to revisit.
Your listening record — choose five, then return for another round
Word & videoPractice phraseWhat I hear / my sentence
aboutTell me about your trip.
aboveThe picture hangs above the fireplace.
bananaShe packed a banana for lunch.
togetherWe walked home together.
surpriseThe visit was a pleasant surprise.
abundanceThe garden produced an abundance of tomatoes.
academyShe enrolled at the music academy.
accompanyWould you like to accompany us?
achieveThey worked hard to achieve their goal.
adjacentThe cafe is adjacent to the bookstore.
adobeThe house is built of adobe.
affordWe can afford a short vacation.
afraidThe child was afraid of the thunder.
againPlease read that again.
agendaThe budget is on today's agenda.
agreeI agree with your suggestion.
aheadThe road ahead is clear.
alikeThe two houses look alike.
amongShe found the letter among her papers.
abroadHe spent a year studying abroad.

Test your pronunciation knowledge

Choose one answer for each question. The answer key includes explanations and source links.

  1. Which vowels are schwa in the American pronunciation of “banana”?

    1. Only the middle vowel
    2. The first and last vowels
    3. All three vowels

  2. What do “again” pronounced uh-GEN and uh-GAYN have in common?

    1. Both end in t.
    2. Both stress the first syllable.
    3. Both start with schwa and stress the second syllable.

  3. How does “adobe” end?

    1. With a spoken ee vowel
    2. With a silent e
    3. With a t sound

  4. Which sound ends “among”?

    1. A separate hard g
    2. The ng sound in sing
    3. An sh sound
Show the answer key

Open this section before printing to include the answers.

  1. B. The first and last vowels “Banana” has relaxed schwa vowels on either side of the stressed middle /æ/, the vowel in cat.

    Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

  2. C. Both start with schwa and stress the second syllable. The stressed vowel can be the vowel in bed or the vowel in day. Both pronunciations start with a light schwa and have second-syllable stress.

    Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

  3. A. With a spoken ee vowel “Adobe” has three syllables, ends with bee, and puts the main stress on the middle oh vowel.

    Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

  4. B. The ng sound in sing “Among” ends with /ŋ/, the sound in sing, without a separate hard g. The first vowel is schwa and the second syllable is stressed.

    Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Sources & reuse

The pronunciation notes are based on the dictionary sources linked from each word page. Practice phrases and exercises are original APG learning material, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and keep the source links when adapting this worksheet. Videos and reference quotations retain their own terms.

Full sources & credits →