Your accent is not what lowers the score
Speaking tests measure how easily a listener understands you, not how native you sound. A clear Italian accent is compatible with the top bands.
The main issue: the extra vowel at the end
Italian words end in vowels. Almost every one. English words end on consonants constantly, and when they do, a small vowel tends to get added to finish the syllable.
- dog → dogga
- stop → stoppa
- big → bigga
- and → anda
One syllable becomes two, and the rhythm of the sentence changes with it — which is what makes a listener lose the thread rather than just notice an accent.
This also affects grammar. English carries tense and number at the ends of words, so an added vowel — or a dropped ending — blurs the -ed and -s a listener is waiting for.
The missing h
Italian h is silent. So English /h/ gets dropped — and, by overcorrection, sometimes added where it does not belong.
- house → ouse, hungry → ungry
- eat → heat, always → halways
This one genuinely changes words (ear / hear, art / heart), so it is worth deliberate practice. Breathe out audibly at the start of the word: h-h-house.
The sounds worth fixing
| Sound | Why it's hard | What a listener may hear |
|---|---|---|
| /θ/ and /ð/ (th) | Not in Italian; become /t/, /d/, /s/ or /z/. | think → tink, this → dis |
| /ɪ/ vs /i:/ | Italian i covers both. | ship / sheep, bit / beat |
| /æ/ vs /e/ | The contrast is unfamiliar. | bad / bed, man / men |
| /ʌ/ | No close equivalent. | cut, but, love drift |
| /r/ | Italian r is trilled; English /r/ is not. | Very audible, rarely causes confusion — low priority |
| /ə/ (schwa) | Italian keeps unstressed vowels full; English reduces them. | banana with three clear vowels is harder to follow |
As with French, the trilled /r/ is the most recognisable feature of the accent and one of the least costly. It is near the bottom of the list on purpose.
Rhythm and reduction
Italian gives syllables fairly even length and keeps unstressed vowels clear. English leans hard on one syllable per word and lets the others collapse to a weak uh. Even weighting makes the stressed syllable harder for a listener to find.
- comfortable is three beats in real speech, not four.
- Small words — a, the, of, to, is — are said fast and quietly, with a reduced vowel.
How to practise
- Record yourself. As you speak you hear what you meant, not what came out.
- Start with word endings. Read aloud and stop dead on every final consonant — nothing after it.
- Then the /h/. Breathe out at the start of house, hungry, hear.
- Then the th sounds and the /ɪ/–/i:/ pair, in full sentences.
Aflo scores your speech sound by sound and shows you which sounds were hardest to catch.
For the test, and for real life
For the exam: end your words on the consonant, put the h back, and separate ship from sheep. Leave the trilled r alone — it costs you nothing.
Outside the exam you may want to sound more English or more American, for work or for yourself. That is a reasonable goal and a separate one from scoring well. Clarity is what the test pays for; the accent can stay.
Frequently asked questions
Will my Italian accent lower my speaking score?
No. These tests score intelligibility rather than native-likeness, and Aflo's pronunciation scoring has a floor so that differences which are only accent stop affecting the score. What lowers a score is the extra vowel after word endings, the missing /h/, and a few vowel contrasts.
Why do I add a vowel to the end of English words?
Italian words end in vowels almost without exception, so a small vowel gets added to finish an English syllable that ends on a consonant — dog becomes dogga. One syllable becomes two and the rhythm of the sentence shifts, which is what makes a listener lose the thread.
Does the missing h really matter?
Yes, more than most accent features, because it changes real words: ear and hear, art and heart, eat and heat. Italian h is silent, so the sound tends to be dropped and sometimes added where it does not belong. It is worth deliberate practice.
Should I fix my rolled r?
It is low priority. It is the most recognisable feature of an Italian accent in English, but it rarely causes a misunderstanding, so it costs you very little. Work on word endings, /h/ and the vowel contrasts first.