English Pronunciation for Russian Speakers
Your strengths first, then the fixes that change how clearly you are understood.
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First language
If your first language is Russian
These are the patterns Russian speakers bring most often. Nothing here is a mistake — it is your first language doing exactly what it always does. Each row says where the fix lives.
| The challenge | What often happens | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| The TH sounds | 'think' → 'sink', 'this' → 'zis' or 'dis' | The TH Sound |
| W vs V | 'west' → 'vest', 'wine' → 'vine' | W vs V |
| Final devoicing | 'bad' → 'bat', 'his' → 'hiss', 'have' → 'haff' | The -S Ending |
| The H sound | 'hello' → 'khello', 'house' → 'khouse' | Silent T and H |
| Ship vs sheep | one Russian vowel serves for the short and long pair | Long vs Short Vowels |
| The 'cat' vowel | 'cat' → 'ket' or 'kat', 'bad' → 'bed' | Short Vowels |
| The English R | a strong roll stands in for the floating tongue | The English R |
| The NG sound | 'sing' loses its ending, or gains a hard g | The NG Sound |
A note on sources. These rows come from the Russian guide. Speak Clearly carries first-language sections for six languages and Russian is not one of them — the book still covers every sound above, just not in a section written for Russian speakers.
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The Russian guide
The full guide: what you already do well, the fixes that matter most, and minimal pairs to practise out loud. Free, and yours without giving us anything.
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