Technique
How to say it
- 1
To produce /f/, rest your top teeth gently on your bottom lip and push air out smoothly with continuous friction.
- 2
To produce /p/, press both lips completely together to stop the airflow, then release them quickly with a small burst of air.
- 3
Remember that /f/ can be stretched out continuously, whereas /p/ is a sudden plosive that cannot be held.
- 4
Practise alternating between /f/ and /p/ in front of a mirror to ensure your upper teeth touch your lip only for /f/.
8 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.
- fast/past
- feel/peel
- full/pull
- fair/pair
- fan/pan
- four/pour
- coffee/copy
- fool/pool
12 sentences
Practice lines from IELTS-style answers
- 1
I prefer to prepare fresh food for my family rather than buy takeaways.
/f/ in fresh, food, family contrasted with /p/ in prepare
- 2
Public transport is quite fast and perfectly punctual in my home town.
/p/ in public, perfectly, punctual alongside /f/ in fast
- 3
I felt fairly pleased with my final performance on the practical exam.
/f/ in felt, fairly, final against /p/ in pleased, practical
- 4
Living in a peaceful flat helps me focus properly on my university projects.
/p/ in peaceful, properly, projects versus /f/ in flat, focus
- 5
My parents frequently plan family holidays to different coastal parks.
/p/ in parents, plan, parks contrasted with /f/ in frequently, family
- 6
People often forget to protect fragile wildlife habitats from severe pollution.
/p/ in people, protect, pollution versus /f/ in forget, fragile, from
- 7
I find it helpful to practise speaking English with a friendly partner.
/f/ in find, friendly paired with /p/ in helpful, practise, partner
- 8
Paying for flights in advance is a fairly practical way to save funds.
/p/ in paying, practical against /f/ in flights, fairly, funds
- 9
Many professionals feel that remote work offers far more flexibility.
/p/ in professionals versus /f/ in feel, far, flexibility
- 10
A popular bakery near my flat serves fresh fruit pastries every morning.
/p/ in popular, pastries contrasted with /f/ in flat, fresh, fruit
- 11
I spent five full days exploring fascinating historical places in Spain.
/f/ in five, full, fascinating alongside /p/ in spent, places, Spain
- 12
Protecting local forests should be a key priority for future generations.
/p/ in protecting, priority versus /f/ in forests, for, future
Say it in a real answer
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Common mistakes
- →Closing both lips together when trying to pronounce /f/, which turns words like 'fast' into 'past'.
- →Letting air leak continuously through the lips for /p/ instead of building up clean pressure for a crisp release.
- →Over-aspirating /p/ at the end of words or failing to place top teeth on the lower lip for medial /f/ in words like 'coffee'.
In the exam: When discussing your past experiences or plans, take care not to confuse 'past' and 'fast' or 'plan' and 'fan', as clear plosives and fricatives prevent examiner confusion.
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
More consonant sounds practice
- ch versus j (cheap / jeep)
- Consonant clusters at the end of words (texts, months)
- Consonant clusters at the start of words (street, spring)
- Final consonants that learners drop (want, hand, desk)
- h at the start of words (hair / air)
- r versus l (right / light)
- s versus sh (seat / sheet)
- sh versus ch (share / chair)
- Silent letters (knee, listen, foreign)
- Silent r after vowels in British English (car, work)
- th versus d and z (they / day / zay)
- th versus s and t (thank / sank / tank)
- The ng sound /ŋ/ (sing, thinking)
- The voiced th sound /ð/ (this, mother)
- The voiceless th sound /θ/ (think, month)
- The /ʒ/ sound (measure, decision)
- v versus b (vote / boat)
- v versus w (vest / west)
- z versus s (rise / rice)
- All 59 pronunciation sets
- Part 1 topics
- Part 2 cue cards
- Part 3 questions
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