Pronunciation plays a crucial role in your performance during the PTE exam, particularly in the Speaking section. Even if you know the right answers, mispronouncing words can cost you valuable marks. To ensure you’re prepared and confident, it’s important to focus on commonly used academic words and master their pronunciation. Today, we’ll share a list of over 100 frequently used words, along with tips to help you improve your pronunciation skills for the PTE exam.

Why Correct Pronunciation Matters in the PTE Exam

In the PTE exam, the Speaking section is evaluated by AI software that assesses your pronunciation, oral fluency, and overall speech clarity. If your pronunciation is off, even if your grammar and fluency are perfect, your score can drop significantly.

The Scoring Criteria:

• Pronunciation: How close is your pronunciation to that of a native English speaker?
• Oral Fluency: How smoothly do you speak without unnecessary pauses?

When you mispronounce a word, the AI scoring system may struggle to recognize what you’re saying, leading to a lower score. Therefore, it’s important to practice and get familiar with the correct sounds of commonly used academic words.

Top Tips to Improve Your Pronunciation for PTE

• Focus on Stressing the Right Syllables

Word stress can change the meaning of a word. For example, the word “record” is pronounced differently when used as a noun vs. a verb:

• Record (noun): RE-cord
• Record (verb): re-CORD

Focusing on syllable stress will help your pronunciation sound more natural and fluent.

• Practice Shadowing Native Speakers

Shadowing is an effective technique where you listen to a native speaker and repeat what they say, mimicking their rhythm, intonation, and stress patterns. You can find YouTube videos, podcasts, or audiobooks for this practice.

• Record Yourself and Evaluate

Recording your speech helps you compare your pronunciation to that of native speakers. It also allows you to identify areas for improvement, whether it’s with specific sounds or overall fluency.

• Slow Down Your Speech

Speaking too fast can lead to unclear pronunciation. Practice speaking slowly and clearly, ensuring each word is pronounced properly. Over time, your speech will naturally speed up without losing clarity.

100+ Common English Words with Pronunciation Guide

Here’s a list of over 100 words that frequently appear in the PTE exam, along with their transcriptions and phonetic hints to guide your pronunciation:

Nouns

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Observation	/ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən/	OB-zuh-VAY-shun
Illustration	/ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən/	il-uh-STRAY-shun
Statistics	/stəˈtɪstɪks/	stuh-TIS-tiks
Diagram	/ˈdaɪəɡræm/	DYE-uh-gram
Development	/dɪˈveləpmənt/	dih-VEL-up-ment
Pattern	/ˈpætən/	PAT-urn
Variable	/ˈveəriəbl/	VAIR-ee-uh-buhl
Knowledge	/ˈnɒlɪdʒ/	NOL-ij
Principle	/ˈprɪnsəpl/	PRIN-suh-pul
Hypothesis	/haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/	hy-POTH-uh-sis
Conclusion	/kənˈkluːʒən/	kun-KLOO-zhun
Assessment	/əˈsesmənt/	uh-SESS-ment
Curriculum	/kəˈrɪkjələm/	kuh-RIK-yuh-luhm
Phenomenon	/fəˈnɒmɪnən/	fuh-NOM-ih-non
Citizenship	/ˈsɪtɪzənʃɪp/	SIT-ih-zuhn-ship

Verbs

Illustrate	/ˈɪləstreɪt/	ILL-uh-strate
Incorporate	/ɪnˈkɔːpəreɪt/	in-KOR-puh-rate
Manipulate	/məˈnɪpjʊleɪt/	muh-NIP-yuh-late
Mitigate	/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/	MIT-ih-gate
Navigate	/ˈnævɪɡeɪt/	NAV-ih-gate
Optimize	/ˈɒptɪmaɪz/	OP-tih-mize
Perceive	/pəˈsiːv/	pur-SEEV
Presume	/prɪˈzjuːm/	prih-ZYOOM
Accumulate	/əˈkjuːmjəleɪt/	uh-KYOO-myuh-layt
Alleviate	/əˈliːvieɪt/	uh-LEE-vee-ate
Anticipate	/ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt/	an-TIS-uh-pate
Comprehend	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhend/	kom-pri-HEND
Constitute	/ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/	KON-sti-tyoot

Adjectives

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Abundant	/əˈbʌndənt/	uh-BUN-dunt
Ambiguous	/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/	am-BIG-yoo-us
Analogous	/əˈnæləɡəs/	uh-NAL-uh-gus
Anomalous	/əˈnɒmələs/	uh-NOM-uh-lus
Arbitrary	/ˈɑːbɪtrəri/	AR-bih-truh-ree
Contemporary	/kənˈtemprəri/	kun-TEM-pruh-ree
Consecutive	/kənˈsekjʊtɪv/	kun-SEK-yuh-tiv
Contradictory	/ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktəri/	KON-truh-DIK-tuh-ree
Cumulative	/ˈkjuːmjʊlətɪv/	KYOO-myuh-luh-tiv

Deficient	/dɪˈfɪʃənt/	dih-FISH-uhnt
Deliberate	/dɪˈlɪbərət/	dih-LIB-er-it
Derivative	/dɪˈrɪvətɪv/	dih-RIV-uh-tiv
Discreet	/dɪˈskriːt/	dih-SKREET
Disparate	/ˈdɪspərət/	DIS-puh-ruht
Empirical	/ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/	em-PIH-rih-kuhl

Adverbs

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Accordingly	/əˈkɔːdɪŋli/	uh-KOR-ding-lee
Additionally	/əˈdɪʃənəli/	uh-DISH-uhn-uh-lee
Allegedly	/əˈledʒɪdli/	uh-LEJ-id-lee
Consequently	/ˈkɒnsɪkwəntli/	KON-si-kwent-lee
Explicitly	/ɪkˈsplɪsɪtli/	ik-SPLIS-it-lee
Hypothetically	/ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪkli/	hy-puh-THET-ik-lee
Fundamentally	/ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəli/	fun-duh-MENT-uh-lee
Visibly	/ˈvɪzəbli/	VIZ-uh-blee
Relatively	/ˈrɛlətɪvli/	REL-uh-tiv-lee
Primarily	/praɪˈmɛrɪli/	prye-MER-uh-lee

Adjectives & Adverbs

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Erroneous	/ɪˈrəʊniəs/	ih-ROH-nee-us
Exhaustive	/ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/	ig-ZAWS-tiv
Hypothetical	/ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪkəl/	hy-puh-THET-ih-kuhl

Implicit	/ɪmˈplɪsɪt/	im-PLIS-it
Incidental	/ˌɪnsɪˈdentl/	in-sih-DEN-tuhl
Accordingly	/əˈkɔːdɪŋli/	uh-KOR-ding-lee
Additionally	/əˈdɪʃənəli/	uh-DISH-uhn-uh-lee
Allegedly	/əˈledʒɪdli/	uh-LEJ-id-lee
Approximately	/əˈprɒksɪmətli/	uh-PROK-sih-muh-lee
Critically	/ˈkrɪtɪkli/	KRIT-ih-klee
Disproportionate	/ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃənət/	dis-pruh-POR-shuh-nuht
Elusive	/ɪˈluːsɪv/	ih-LOO-siv
Exemplary	/ɪɡˈzempləri/	ig-ZEM-pluh-ree
Exponential	/ˌɛkspəˈnɛntʃəl/	eks-puh-NEN-shuhl
Formidable	/fɔːˈmɪdəbl/	FOR-mih-duh-buhl

Prepositions

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
According to	/əˈkɔːdɪŋ tə/	uh-KOR-ding too
In spite of	/ɪn spaɪt əv/	in SPYTE-uhv
In terms of	/ɪn tɜːmz əv/	in TERMZ-uhv
Due to	/djuː tə/	DYOO-too
On behalf of	/ɒn bɪˈhæf əv/	on bee-HAF-uhv

Conjunctions

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Although	/ɔːlˈðəʊ/	awl-THOH
Therefore	/ˈðɛəfɔː/	THERE-fore

However	/haʊˈɛvə/	how-EV-uh
Moreover	/mɔːˈrəʊvər/	mor-ROH-ver
Consequently	/ˈkɒnsɪkwəntli/	KON-si-kwent-lee

More Common Words

Word	Pronunciation	Phonetic Hint
Significant	/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/	sig-NIF-ih-kuhnt
Effective	/ɪˈfɛktɪv/	eh-FEK-tiv
Potential	/pəˈtɛnʃəl/	puh-TEN-shul
Function	/ˈfʌŋkʃən/	FUNC-shun
Procedure	/prəˈsiːdʒər/	pruh-SEE-jur
Issue	/ˈɪʃuː/	ISSH-yoo
Reason	/ˈriːzən/	REE-zuhn
System	/ˈsɪstəm/	SIS-tum
Perspective	/pəˈspektɪv/	puh-SPEK-tiv
Available	/əˈveɪləbl/	uh-VAY-luh-bul

In Conclusion

The key to mastering pronunciation is consistent practice. Use the guides above to familiarize yourself with the sounds of these commonly used academic words. Try recording yourself, listening to native speakers, and slowly improving your fluency and accuracy over time. You can also use online platforms like Sumlingo to take PTE practice tests and get instant AI scoring. These mock tests will help you simulate the actual exam experience and boost your confidence.