Initial Consonants in Academic Vocabulary — C1 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise C1 English pronunciation by listening for initial consonants in academic vocabulary 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
- C1. 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
jurisdiction. judiciary. jeopardy. guarantee.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
charismatic. charitable. chronological. coherent.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
zealous. substantive. systematic. skeptical.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
thoroughness. thereafter. theoretical. thermal.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
philosophical. phenomenal. vulnerable. figurative.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word begins with a different sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- jurisdiction
- judiciary
- jeopardy
- guarantee
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- guarantee
Jurisdiction, judiciary and jeopardy share /dʒ/ at the beginning; guarantee has /ɡ/.
jurisdiction: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
judiciary: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
jeopardy: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
guarantee: Jurisdiction, judiciary and jeopardy share /dʒ/ at the beginning; guarantee has /ɡ/.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word begins with a different sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- charismatic
- charitable
- chronological
- coherent
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- charitable
Charismatic, chronological and coherent share /k/ at the beginning; charitable has /tʃ/.
charismatic: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ sound.
charitable: Charismatic, chronological and coherent share /k/ at the beginning; charitable has /tʃ/.
chronological: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ sound.
coherent: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ sound.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word begins with a different sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- zealous
- substantive
- systematic
- skeptical
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- zealous
Substantive, systematic and skeptical share /s/ at the beginning; zealous has /z/.
zealous: Substantive, systematic and skeptical share /s/ at the beginning; zealous has /z/.
substantive: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /z/ sound.
systematic: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /z/ sound.
skeptical: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /z/ sound.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word begins with a different sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- thoroughness
- thereafter
- theoretical
- thermal
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- thereafter
Thoroughness, theoretical and thermal share /θ/ at the beginning; thereafter has /ð/.
thoroughness: This word shares /θ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ð/ sound.
thereafter: Thoroughness, theoretical and thermal share /θ/ at the beginning; thereafter has /ð/.
theoretical: This word shares /θ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ð/ sound.
thermal: This word shares /θ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ð/ sound.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word begins with a different sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- philosophical
- phenomenal
- vulnerable
- figurative
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- vulnerable
Philosophical, phenomenal and figurative share /f/ at the beginning; vulnerable has /v/.
philosophical: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ sound.
phenomenal: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ sound.
vulnerable: Philosophical, phenomenal and figurative share /f/ at the beginning; vulnerable has /v/.
figurative: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ sound.
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.