Chair Isn't Share: A New Pair of Sounds

English has two consonant sounds that sit close together in the mouth but work differently: the quick, bursting sound in 'chair' and 'cheap,' and the smoother, longer sound in 'share' and 'sheep.' Since Vietnamese's consonant inventory handles these sounds differently, it's common to blend them into one, which can turn 'chip' into 'ship' or 'cheap' into 'sheep' for a listener. The difference is in how the sound starts: 'ch' begins with a tiny stop, like a small push, before the air flows; 'sh' just flows smoothly from the very start, no stop at all. Try saying 'chip' and 'ship' back to back, feeling that little push only on 'chip.' For a two-minute practice, repeat the pairs 'chair/share,' 'cheap/sheep,' and 'chop/shop,' exaggerating the stop on the 'ch' words. Once your mouth feels the difference, your ears will start catching it too — a great two-for-one skill to build.