Pronunciation tip: Why many non-native speakers mix up the English "A" and "U" sounds (and how to fix it)

​Watching the football World Cup reminded me of something my daughter said two years ago during the European Championships:

​"Mummy, is there really an English football player called Hurricane?"

After a moment's confusion, I realised my 10-year-old was talking about Harry Kane. I listened carefully to the commentary and my daughter was right. The German commentator was saying 'Hurricane'.

This is exactly the same pronunciation mistake that I hear nearly everday with my business clients. They are not talking about Harry Kane, but when they want to say

• staff they say stuff
• app they say up
• cat they say cut

While the mistake looks small, it can sometimes cause major misunderstandings as 'we need more stuff' has a totally different meaning to 'we need more staff'. Or, as one client once said to me  "I broke my uncle" is very different to 'I broke my ankle'!

The reason why Germans (and Spanish and Italians) make this mistake is the 'a' sound required in the above words, doesn't exist in their own language. Therefore, they use the closest sound, which unfortunately sounds more like a 'u' than an 'a'. 

The good news? It's completely fixable.

It's all about the position of the mouth. With the 'a' sound you lips need to go up like you are smiling. This 55-second video has a nice demonstration of where your lips should be and some good words to practice to help you get it right. Good luck!