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    Pronunciation · For portuguese speakers

    English pronunciation for portuguese speakers

    In short

    For Portuguese speakers (especially Brazilian), the top fixes are: final l turning into w ('milk' → 'miwk'), t/d softening to ch/j before i ('tea' → 'chee'), the helper -i after final stops ('big' → 'bigi'), and initial r becoming h ('red' → 'head').

    Your priority sounds, in order

    1. 1

      /l/: l as in light

      final /l/ vocalises to /w/: 'milk' → 'miwk', 'people' → 'peopow'

      Fix: Touch your tongue tip firmly to the ridge behind your top teeth. Practise: light vs right

    2. 2

      /t/: t as in tea

      /t/ → /tʃ/ before i-sounds: 'tea' → 'chee', 'city' → 'cichee'

      Fix: Touch your tongue tip to the ridge just behind your top teeth. Practise: three vs tree

    3. 3

      /d/: d as in day

      /d/ → /dʒ/ before i-sounds: 'did' → 'djid'

      Fix: Touch your tongue tip to the ridge behind your top teeth. Practise: they vs day

    4. 4

      /r/: r as in red

      initial r becomes /h/: 'red' sounds like 'head'

      Fix: Curl your tongue tip up and slightly back; it must NOT touch anything. Practise: light vs right

    5. 5

      /ɪ/: i as in sit

      /ɪ/ vs /iː/ merge: ship/sheep

      Fix: Relax your lips and jaw, no smile. Practise: ship vs sheep

    6. 6

      /θ/: th as in think

      /θ/ → /t/ or /f/; secondary priority

      Fix: Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your top and bottom teeth. Practise: think vs sink, three vs tree

    Beyond sounds: stress and rhythm

    Suprasegmentals (stress, rhythm, intonation) transfer from Portuguese in predictable ways, and research shows fixing them improves real-world comprehensibility more than sound polish does.

    • Cut the helper -i after final stops: 'dog', 'big', 'internet' end on the consonant.
    • Nasalisation habits turn final m/n into nasal vowels; close the lips fully on final m.
    • Your stress-timing instincts are decent; focus energy on the segmental fixes above.

    Words portuguese speakers most often get wrong

    Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a free recording drill. Fixing a word you use daily is worth more than fixing a sound in the abstract.

    interestingIN-truh-stingcameraKAM-ruhpsychologysy-KOL-uh-jeeyachtYOT

    Browse the whole word bank · Take the 60-second check

    Quick wins to start this week

    • ✓Final-l drill: tongue tip UP and touching on 'feel, will, milk'; if the lips round, it became a w.
    • ✓Pure-t practice before i: 'tea, team, ticket' with a crisp t, no ch.
    • ✓Whispered finals: 'big', 'dog', 'internet' with zero vowel after the last consonant.

    Keep exploring

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the hardest English sounds for portuguese speakers?
    The highest-impact challenges are /l/ (final /l/ vocalises to /w/); /t/ (/t/ → /tʃ/ before i-sounds); /d/ (/d/ → /dʒ/ before i-sounds). These are ordered by how much they affect intelligibility, not by how noticeable they are.
    Do portuguese speakers need to lose their accent for IELTS?
    No. IELTS explicitly accepts every standard accent; the descriptors only mention L1 accent at Band 8, and only through its effect on intelligibility. The goal is clarity, not sounding native.
    Where should I start?
    Final-l drill: tongue tip UP and touching on 'feel, will, milk'; if the lips round, it became a w.

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