Subtle Consonants in Formal Vocabulary — C2 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise C2 English pronunciation by listening for subtle consonants in formal 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
- C2. 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
chivalry. psychiatric. pseudonym. sophistry.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
pharmaceutical. vernacular. philanthropic. physiological.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
neuroscience. pneumatic. rhetorical. mnemonic.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
jurisprudence. juxtaposition. judicious. gubernatorial.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
chronological. quintessential. chauvinistic. quasi.
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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- chivalry
- psychiatric
- pseudonym
- sophistry
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- chivalry
Psychiatric, pseudonym and sophistry share /s/ at the beginning; chivalry has /ʃ/.
chivalry: Psychiatric, pseudonym and sophistry share /s/ at the beginning; chivalry has /ʃ/.
psychiatric: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʃ/ sound.
pseudonym: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʃ/ sound.
sophistry: This word shares /s/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʃ/ sound.
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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- pharmaceutical
- vernacular
- philanthropic
- physiological
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- vernacular
Pharmaceutical, philanthropic and physiological share /f/ at the beginning; vernacular has /v/.
pharmaceutical: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ sound.
vernacular: Pharmaceutical, philanthropic and physiological share /f/ at the beginning; vernacular has /v/.
philanthropic: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ sound.
physiological: This word shares /f/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /v/ 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- neuroscience
- pneumatic
- rhetorical
- mnemonic
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- rhetorical
Neuroscience, pneumatic and mnemonic share /n/ at the beginning; rhetorical has /r/.
neuroscience: This word shares /n/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /r/ sound.
pneumatic: This word shares /n/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /r/ sound.
rhetorical: Neuroscience, pneumatic and mnemonic share /n/ at the beginning; rhetorical has /r/.
mnemonic: This word shares /n/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /r/ 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- jurisprudence
- juxtaposition
- judicious
- gubernatorial
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- gubernatorial
Jurisprudence, juxtaposition and judicious share /dʒ/ at the beginning; gubernatorial has /ɡ/.
jurisprudence: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
juxtaposition: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
judicious: This word shares /dʒ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɡ/ sound.
gubernatorial: Jurisprudence, juxtaposition and judicious share /dʒ/ at the beginning; gubernatorial has /ɡ/.
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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- chronological
- quintessential
- chauvinistic
- quasi
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- chauvinistic
Chronological, quintessential and quasi share /k/ at the beginning; chauvinistic has /tʃ/.
chronological: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ sound.
quintessential: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ sound.
chauvinistic: Chronological, quintessential and quasi share /k/ at the beginning; chauvinistic has /tʃ/.
quasi: This word shares /k/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /tʃ/ 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.