Speaking practice
Listen and Repeat
Hear a real English sentence, say it back, and see which words came through clearly. Copy the rhythm as well as the words: that is shadowing.
Your voice is turned into text by your browser. We only receive the text, to mark it, and never keep a recording.
Press Listen, then press Speak and say the sentence back. A moment later you see it again with every word marked: green where your words came through clearly, red where they did not. If a sentence trips you up, play it more slowly and have another go.
What Shadowing Is and Why It Helps
Shadowing means copying a speaker as closely as you can, straight after hearing them. You copy the words, but also the rhythm, the stress and the way words run into each other. Language teachers have used it for years with interpreters, and it works for ordinary learners for a simple reason: you cannot copy what you have not really heard.
Most learners read far more English than they say out loud. Shadowing closes that gap. It trains your ear and your mouth together, and after a few weeks the sentences you practised start to come out on their own when you speak.
How This Listen and Repeat Tool Works
- Every sentence is a real example sentence written for learners at one CEFR level, from A1 to C2, and between 4 and 14 words long. Each one is spoken by the same clear voice.
- Read and repeat shows the sentence while it plays, which is the best way to start. Listen and repeat hides it until your first try, so you work from the sound alone.
- You have three tries per sentence. A sentence passes when at least 80% of its words came through clearly.
- Choose American or British English. This sets the accent your speech is checked against, and the tool remembers your choice.
- A session is eight sentences. Your score shows under the card.
Reading Your Result
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Perfect! Every word was clear. | Every word of the sentence was recognised, in order. |
| Well done: 7 of 8 words were clear. | You passed. One word, shown in red, did not come through. It is often a short word like a or to. |
| Not quite: 4 of 8 words were clear. | Listen again, maybe on Slower, and try the red words more carefully. |
| We heard: “…” | Exactly what your browser understood. Comparing it with the sentence shows which sounds need work. |
The check is fair about things that are not your fault. If you say three and the browser writes 3, or you say colour and it writes color, the word still counts. Extra sounds such as um never cost you anything.
Tips for Shadowing Well
- Listen to the whole sentence once without speaking. Then shadow it.
- Copy the music of the sentence, not only the words: which words are strong, where the voice goes up or down, where words join together.
- Use Slower for a hard sentence, then go back to normal speed before you speak, so you practise real speech.
- Speak at a normal volume, close enough to the microphone, in a quiet room. Mumbling is the most common reason for a red word.
- Move up a level when you pass most sentences on the first try in Listen and repeat mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this shadowing practice free?
Yes, and you do not need an account. With a free account you also earn 1 XP for each sentence you pass, and sentences you miss three times are saved to your Mistakes notebook in My Account so you can come back to them.
Which browsers work?
Chrome or Edge on a computer, Chrome on Android, and Safari on a Mac or iPhone. The tool needs your browser’s speech recognition, which Firefox does not have yet. The first time, your browser asks for permission to use the microphone.
Is my voice recorded?
English Finders never receives or keeps a recording. Your browser’s speech service turns what you say into text (in Chrome this is Google’s service), and only that text is sent to us to check against the sentence.
Why was a word marked red when I said it correctly?
Speech recognition is very good but not perfect, especially with short words and names. If one word keeps going red, say it a little more clearly and slowly. That is also why a sentence passes at 80% rather than needing every word.
Which level should I choose?
If you have taken the free English Level Test, the tool starts at your level. Otherwise, start one level below where you think you are. Shadowing should feel a little challenging, not impossible.
To practise whole conversations, try the Role-Play Dialogues, or practise talking for a minute or two with Speaking Topics. There are more lessons on the Speaking page.
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