Listening for Word Beginnings — A1 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise A1 English pronunciation: compare first consonant sounds in clearly separated word pairs, with a focus on listening for word beginnings.
What you’ll practice
Hear the difference
Recognise vowel and consonant contrasts in clear recordings.
Stress and rhythm
Identify strong syllables and emphasized words.
Listen and review
Replay each recording and learn from answer explanations.
What to expect:
5 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- A1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Single choice
How to approach this practice
Read the instructions and work through the questions before opening the answers.
Recording 1
Read the transcript
First word: sun. Second word: soup.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
First word: fish. Second word: van.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
First word: ball. Second word: bag.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
First word: tea. Second word: key.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
First word: milk. Second word: moon.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their first consonant sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are sun and soup. Both words start with /s/.
Same: The words are sun and soup. Both words start with /s/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their first consonant sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Different
The words are fish and van. Fish has /f/, while van has /v/.
Same: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
Different: The words are fish and van. Fish has /f/, while van has /v/.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their first consonant sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are ball and bag. Both words start with /b/.
Same: The words are ball and bag. Both words start with /b/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their first consonant sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Different
The words are tea and key. Tea has /t/, while key has /k/.
Same: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
Different: The words are tea and key. Tea has /t/, while key has /k/.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their first consonant sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are milk and moon. Both words start with /m/.
Same: The words are milk and moon. Both words start with /m/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
What to review next
Review the feedback and revisit the topics you found difficult before trying again.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.