Vowel Contrasts in Work and Study — B1 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise B1 English pronunciation by listening for vowel contrasts in work and study in recorded word groups, then review the sound contrasts.
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
- B1. 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
meeting. written. reason. teacher.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
training. traffic. payment. safety.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
budget. public. policy. number.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
problem. notice. moment. local.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
writing. private. climate. limit.
-
Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound in its main stressed syllable?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- meeting
- written
- reason
- teacher
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- written
Meeting, reason and teacher share /iː/ in the main stressed syllable; written has /ɪ/.
meeting: This word shares /iː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
written: Meeting, reason and teacher share /iː/ in the main stressed syllable; written has /ɪ/.
reason: This word shares /iː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
teacher: This word shares /iː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
-
Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound in its main stressed syllable?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- training
- traffic
- payment
- safety
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- traffic
Training, payment and safety share /eɪ/ in the main stressed syllable; traffic has /æ/.
training: This word shares /eɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
traffic: Training, payment and safety share /eɪ/ in the main stressed syllable; traffic has /æ/.
payment: This word shares /eɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
safety: This word shares /eɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
-
Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound in its main stressed syllable?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- budget
- public
- policy
- number
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- policy
Budget, public and number share /ʌ/ in the main stressed syllable; policy has /ɑː/.
budget: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
public: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
policy: Budget, public and number share /ʌ/ in the main stressed syllable; policy has /ɑː/.
number: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
-
Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound in its main stressed syllable?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- problem
- notice
- moment
- local
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- problem
Notice, moment and local share /oʊ/ in the main stressed syllable; problem has /ɑː/.
problem: Notice, moment and local share /oʊ/ in the main stressed syllable; problem has /ɑː/.
notice: This word shares /oʊ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
moment: This word shares /oʊ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
local: This word shares /oʊ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɑː/ sound.
-
Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound in its main stressed syllable?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- writing
- private
- climate
- limit
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- limit
Writing, private and climate share /aɪ/ in the main stressed syllable; limit has /ɪ/.
writing: This word shares /aɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
private: This word shares /aɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
climate: This word shares /aɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɪ/ sound.
limit: Writing, private and climate share /aɪ/ in the main stressed syllable; limit has /ɪ/.
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.