All the words in the world, pronounced? Hats off, Forvo
Posted by Source: forvo.com
For those learning to speak a new language, pronunciation can often be a hurdle. For example, stress is very important in Italian, and learners need to be very clear on which syllable(s) they stress. While most words follow the rules, there are always exceptions, and getting the stress right may be the difference between being understood by a native speaker and being greeted with a look of incomprehension.
While the claim of “all the words in the world, pronounced” is a pretty bold claim, forvo.com is undeniably a pretty impressive achievement. It’s an excellent idea for a website: a crowd-sourced pronunciation guide. Users ask for words they are not sure about to be pronounced, and other users provide recordings demonstrating exactly how they should be said. The recordings are then saved to the site’s database, so if anybody else searches for the same word, they’re taken to the entries that already exist. It’s rather ingenious, and using the site is simple as pie.
In the case of multiple dialects or versions of a language (for example, US vs UK English), the user’s nationality is listed along with the recording, so you can easily distinguish them.
If you’re having pronunciation problems, forvo.com is definitely a good place to start!