IELTS Pronunciation Practice: Assimilation

Technique

How to say it

1
Identify final alveolar consonants such as /t/, /d/, and /n/ before words starting with bilabial, velar, or palatal sounds.
2
Blend /t/ or /d/ with a following /j/ sound to produce the affricates /tʃ/ in 'don't you' and /dʒ/ in 'would you'.
3
Allow word-final /n/ to shift smoothly to bilabial /m/ before /p/, /b/, or /m/, as in 'ten people' (/tem piːpl/).
4
Allow word-final /d/ or /t/ to shift to velar /g/ or /k/ before /k/ or /g/, as in 'good cook' (/gʊg kʊk/).
5
Maintain steady vocal airflow without inserting pauses or glottal stops between the connected words.

6 pairs

Minimal pairs

Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.

would you (careful: /wʊd juː/)/would you (assimilated: /wʊdʒuː/)
don't you (careful: /dəʊnt juː/)/don't you (assimilated: /dəʊntʃuː/)
ten people (careful: /ten piːpl/)/ten people (assimilated: /tem piːpl/)
good cook (careful: /gʊd kʊk/)/good cook (assimilated: /gʊg kʊk/)
green park (careful: /griːn pɑːk/)/green park (assimilated: /griːm pɑːk/)
bad boy (careful: /bæd bɔɪ/)/bad boy (assimilated: /bæb bɔɪ/)

12 sentences

Practice lines from IELTS-style answers

1
Would you consider moving to a quieter village in the future?
/d/ + /j/ -> /dʒ/ in 'Would you'
2
You love coastal holidays, don't you, especially during the warm summer months?
/t/ + /j/ -> /tʃ/ in 'don't you'
3
About ten people queued outside the bakery before it opened this morning.
/n/ -> /m/ before /p/ in 'ten people'
4
Did you manage to find that red car parked near the station?
/d/ + /j/ -> /dʒ/ in 'Did you' and /d/ -> /g/ before /k/ in 'red car'
5
My grandfather was a really good cook who taught me traditional recipes.
/d/ -> /g/ before /k/ in 'good cook'
6
We spent the afternoon walking around a lovely green park near my flat.
/n/ -> /m/ before /p/ in 'green park'
7
Could you tell me how long the journey takes by public transport?
/d/ + /j/ -> /dʒ/ in 'Could you'
8
I bought a second-hand white bag for my sister's birthday last weekend.
/t/ -> /p/ before /b/ in 'white bag'
9
He is quite a bad boy sometimes, but he always helps out.
/d/ -> /b/ before /b/ in 'bad boy'
10
I hope to meet you near the library after my afternoon lecture.
/t/ + /j/ -> /tʃ/ in 'meet you'
11
There were ten boys playing football on the grass behind the school.
/n/ -> /m/ before /b/ in 'ten boys'
12
Should you decide to take the course, I can share my notes.
/d/ + /j/ -> /dʒ/ in 'Should you'

Say it in a real answer

Record an IELTS Speaking answer and get a Pronunciation band from the AI examiner, with the exact words that were hard to understand.

Watch out

Common mistakes

→Over-enunciating every word in isolation, which creates a staccato rhythm rather than a natural spoken flow.
→Pausing unnaturally before words starting with /j/ instead of allowing smooth coalescent assimilation.
→Forcing exaggerated sound substitutions rather than letting articulators naturally take the shortcut between sounds.

In the exam: Using natural assimilation in common phrases like 'did you' and 'don't you' creates effortless connected speech and demonstrates the natural pronunciation required for Band 7 and above.

Frequently asked questions

How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+

A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.

Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+

No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.

How should I practise these lines?+

Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.

Keep practising

Assimilation (would you, don't you, ten people)

How to say it

Minimal pairs

Practice lines from IELTS-style answers

Common mistakes

Frequently asked questions

More linking and connected speech practice