{"id":167322,"date":"2023-09-09T18:26:28","date_gmt":"2023-09-09T22:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/songs-to-improve-english-pronunciation\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T05:20:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T10:20:02","slug":"songs-to-improve-english-pronunciation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/songs-to-improve-english-pronunciation\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Best Songs to Improve Your English Pronunciation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Listening to music in English is a great way to improve your language skills.\u00a0You can learn new vocabulary<\/a>, especially slang and colloquial language that you might not find in a textbook. Listening to English songs can also help to improve your pronunciation.\u00a0They expose you to natural articulation, stress and intonation. And by singing along, you can practice a wide variety of sounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this article, you’ll get 10 great English songs to improve your pronunciation and sound more like a native speaker.\u00a0\u00a0We’ve organized these songs based on their level of difficulty so you can easily find the selections most suitable for you.<\/p>\n

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1. “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music”\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Level:<\/strong> Beginner<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a beginner, you might want to start with a song like this one. “Do-Re-Mi” is a show tune from the musical “The Sound of Music.” <\/span>This is a song about the sounds of words<\/b>, and since it\u2019s designed with children in mind, every word is clearly enunciated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The song teaches several musical notes by linking them with English words you may recognize, like the note re<\/em> and the word ray<\/em> as in “a ray of sunshine.” As you sing along, <\/span>pay particular attention to vowel sounds<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also includes simple definitions<\/strong> for words like doe<\/strong><\/em> and sew<\/strong>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>Just like the song says, “When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything\u201d\u2014or say anything!<\/span><\/p>\n

2. “The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book”\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Level:<\/strong> Beginner to Intermediate<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing like a good old Disney song<\/strong> to improve your English pronunciation! They\u2019re fun, there\u2019s a plot to follow so you won’t get bored and since nearly all of them are aimed at children, the words are super clear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Chances are you know most of the words already, so you can focus on pronunciation rather than comprehension.<\/p>\n

“The Bare Necessities” from the Disney film \u201cThe Jungle Book\u201d is an ideal tongue twister to practice several difficult sounds<\/strong>, rhyming words (such as paw<\/em> and raw<\/strong><\/em> or bear<\/strong> and pear<\/strong><\/em>) and homophones<\/a> (words that sound alike but have different meanings) such as bear<\/strong><\/em> and bare<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran<\/h2>\n

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Level: <\/strong>Beginner to Intermediate<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” can be a valuable tool for improving English pronunciation. Ed sings pretty slowly, so it’s fairly easy to sing along.<\/p>\n

In addition to the slow pace<\/strong>, the repetitive chorus<\/strong> will help you sing along and practice your pronunciation without getting lost in too many new lyrics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The lyrics feature some long vowel sounds<\/strong>, like in the first stanza:\u00a0<\/p>\n

When your legs don’t work like they used to before<\/em>
\nAnd I can’t sweep<\/strong> you off of your feet<\/strong><\/em>
\nWill your mouth still remember the taste<\/strong>\u00a0of my love?<\/em>
\nWill your eyes<\/strong>\u00a0still smile from your cheeks<\/strong>?<\/em><\/p>\n

Remember, long vowel sounds are pronounced the same as you would say the letter itself when reciting the alphabet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay<\/h2>\n

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Level: <\/strong>Intermediate<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This song provides a variety of English pronunciation features, including different sounds that the letter “i” can make<\/strong> (long and short), as well as words with “e” that are pronounced like “i” (like get<\/em>):<\/p>\n

How long before I get in<\/strong>
\n<\/b>Before it starts before I begin<\/strong>?<\/em>
\nHow long before you decide<\/strong>
\n<\/b>Before I know what it feels like<\/strong>?<\/em>
\nWhere to, where do I go?<\/em>
\nIf you never try then you\u2019ll never know<\/em>
\nHow long do I have to climb<\/strong>
\n<\/b>Up on the side<\/strong> of this\u00a0mountain of mine<\/b>?<\/em><\/p>\n

The song will also help you learn the difference between\u00a0\/s\/<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0\/z\/<\/i> and stresses in longer words like underground<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>and understand<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

5. “Seasons of Love” from “Rent”\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Level: <\/strong>Intermediate\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This classic song from the Broadway musical “Rent” is often sung in choir. Every word has to be well enunciated in order to be understood, so it’s a good one for language practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s an ideal song for anyone struggling to pronounce numbers in English<\/strong>. The cast continuously sings the line, “Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes” (the number of minutes in a year).<\/p>\n

Another reason this song is great for learning English is that the assorted vocabulary in the lyrics is quite simple and consistently repeated <\/strong>throughout the song. You don’t have to worry too much about unfamiliar words\u2014you can just concentrate on pronunciation.<\/p>\n

6. “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette<\/h2>\n

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Level:<\/strong> Intermediate to Advanced\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pronunciations at the end of regular verbs in the past tense (e.g. ended<\/strong>,<\/em> packed<\/strong>,<\/em> died<\/strong><\/em>) often cause problems for non-native English speakers, because they can be pronounced in three different ways: (as “id,” as “t” or as “d”).<\/p>\n

With plenty of regular and irregular verbs in the past tense,\u00a0“Ironic” by Alanis Morissette is a great song to practice how to pronounce these difficult words.<\/p>\n

Here’s a sample from the lyrics:<\/p>\n

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly<\/em>
\nHe packed<\/strong> his suitcase and kissed<\/strong>\u00a0his kids goodbye<\/em>
\nHe waited<\/strong>\u00a0his whole damn life to take that flight<\/em>
\nAnd as the plane crashed<\/strong>\u00a0down he thought<\/em>
\n“Well isn’t this nice…”<\/em>
\nAnd isn’t it ironic… don’t you think?<\/em><\/p>\n

5. “One and Only” by Adele<\/h2>\n

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Level:<\/strong> Intermediate to Advanced<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The English language has a lot of words that end in “y,” so it’s a good idea to learn how to pronounce this sound. Adele’s “One and Only” provides some useful practice:<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m scared,<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve been here before.<\/em>
\nEvery<\/strong> feeling, every\u00a0<\/b>word,<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve imagined it all.<\/em>
\nYou\u2019ll never know if you never try<\/strong>
\n<\/b>To forgive your past and simply<\/strong>\u00a0be mine.<\/em><\/p>\n

The next stanza includes only<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and worthy<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The song also demonstrates the difference between \/ch\/\u00a0<\/i><\/strong>and\u00a0\/c\/<\/i> <\/strong>pronunciation and the variations of the \/o\/<\/i><\/strong> sounds in different letter combinations.<\/p>\n

6. “I Say a Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin<\/h2>\n

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Level: <\/strong>Intermediate to Advanced<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This throwback from 1968 isn’t just a classic jam to sing along with. It’s also a great lesson in English pronunciation!\u00a0<\/p>\n

The song has quite a few long “a” or \/e\u026a\/ sounds<\/strong>, like in these bolded words:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The moment I wake<\/strong>\u00a0up<\/em>
\nBefore I put on my makeup<\/strong>\u00a0(Makeup)<\/em>
\nI say<\/strong>\u00a0a little (Prayer for you)<\/em>
\nAnd while I’m combing my hair now<\/em>
\nAnd wondering what dress to wear now (Wear now)<\/em>
\nI say a little (Prayer for you)<\/em><\/p>\n

It also features the short “u” or \/\u016d\/ sound<\/strong> in words like run,<\/em> bus<\/em> and us.<\/em><\/p>\n

And finally, you can how the letters “ear” together can produce different sounds<\/strong> depending on the letters around them, like in wear,<\/em> dear<\/em> and heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

9. “Halo” by Beyonc\u00e9\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Level: <\/strong>Intermediate to Advanced<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The letter “u” has many different pronunciations<\/a> in English which can confuse language learners. Beyonc\u00e9’s song “Halo” includes a lot of words with “u”<\/strong> so you can practice some of these different sounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check out all the “u” words in this stanza:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Remember those walls I built<\/b>?<\/em>
\nWell, baby, they’re tumbling<\/strong>\u00a0down<\/em>
\nAnd they didn\u2019t even put up<\/strong>\u00a0a\u00a0fight<\/em>
\nThey didn\u2019t even make a sound<\/strong>
\n<\/b>I found<\/strong>\u00a0a way to let you in<\/em>
\nBut<\/strong> I never really had a doubt<\/strong>
\n<\/b>Standing in the\u00a0light of your halo<\/em>
\nI got my angel now<\/em><\/p>\n

The lyrics also include some words with “gh”<\/strong> (like fight<\/em>, light<\/em> and night<\/em>), which can be another confusing sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

10. “Word Crimes” by Weird Al\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Level:<\/strong> Advanced<\/p>\n

Lyrics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Set to the tune of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, this song is a catchy collection of cheerful jokes about the mistakes people make in written and spoken English.<\/p>\n

This song doesn’t just provide grammar lessons, but it also teaches you to pronounce academic and linguistic terms<\/strong> like nomenclature<\/em> and homophones,<\/em> quickly followed by a line with useful contractions and slang<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This song also has plenty of lessons that are useful for advanced learners such as the fact that there\u2019s no “x” in espresso<\/strong><\/em>, a word that’s often misspelled and mispronounced even by native speakers.<\/p>\n

How to Use Songs for English Pronunciation Practice<\/h2>\n

Just listening and singing along (ideally while reading the lyrics) is a great way to practice. Here are some suggestions to maximize the effectiveness of your efforts<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n