Hadar Shemesh breaks down how to pronounce "word" and "world." The key: make a direct W-to-R transition without adding an extra vowel, then use a dark L pulled back in your throat. Practice the timing so the final D lands clean.
Word versus world. The good news is that the beginning is exactly the same. Were. And here's where it gets interesting. The O is not pronounced were. Were. So just like here. H to the R. Her. Her. Here we want to transition from the W to the R directly. Were. Were. Word. Word. Say it with me. Word. So from the W, you round your lips W and then you transition to the R. R. Were. There is no O in the middle. Were. So the word word has that WR transition. And then a D word. Here you also have a dark L, an L that is produced in the back of the throat. There is a lot of tension here at the root of the tongue. Whirl. And then a D. D World. The reason why it's confusing is because a lot of times people don't get to the L and then they pronounce the word world as word. So the L is not fully pronounced. You want to imagine as if there are three L's here. World. And then pop the D. World. World. Let's compare word world. Take your time with the L until you're certain that you're pronouncing it and then get to the D word world.
Read Out Loud with me! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown | Pronunciation & Vocabulary practice
