Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!

Jun 05, 2026 09:31 · 6:33 · English · Whisper Turbo · 2 speakers
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
My name is Shaina,
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and I'm the teacher at Espresso English.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Make sure to visit the website,
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EspressoEnglish .net,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
where you can get online courses and e -books that will help you learn English
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even faster.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Let's get started with today's lesson.
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Did you know that there's one small letter that completely changes how
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
a word is pronounced in English?
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It's called the silent E,
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and today we'll learn how it changes the sound of all five vowels,
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A, E,
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I, O,
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and U.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Understanding this is essential for pronouncing words correctly in
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English.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Speaking of pronunciation,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
I have a great resource to help you.
0:48
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
It's my pronunciation guide to the sounds of American English.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You can download it for free by clicking on the link in the video description so
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
that you can say every sound clearly when speaking English.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Alright,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
let's jump in.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
When a word ends in a consonant plus an E,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
then the E is silent,
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but it makes the vowel before it say its name.
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It changes the vowel from a short one to a long one.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You'll see it better with examples.
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With the letter A,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the A sound becomes the A sound when
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
we have a silent E at the end.
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Repeat after me.
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Hat.
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Hate.
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Mad.
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Made.
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Tap.
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Tape.
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A few other words that end in a long
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A plus a consonant plus the silent E include late,
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name,
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cage,
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safe,
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and place.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
With the letter I,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the I sound becomes the I sound,
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like this.
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Bit.
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Bite.
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Rid.
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Ride.
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Kit.
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Kite.
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Win.
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Wine.
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Dim.
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Dime.
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Some other words that end in a long I
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plus a consonant plus a silent E include time,
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line,
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side,
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drive,
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and smile.
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In the case of the letter O,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the AH sound becomes the O sound like this.
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Hop.
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Hope.
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Not.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
A few more words that end in the long
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O sound plus a consonant plus a silent E include home,
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close,
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stone,
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hope,
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and globe.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
In the case of the letter E,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the short E sound becomes the long E sound.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
This is actually not a super common pattern,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
so I couldn't find that many words.
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But we do have pet,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Pete,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
met,
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meet,
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them,
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theme.
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Finally,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
in the case of the letter U,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the short U sound becomes the long U sound.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
As in these words,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
tub,
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tube.
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dud, dude,
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glut,
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glute.
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A few more words that end in the long U sound plus a
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
consonant plus a silent E include rude,
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consume,
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tune,
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fluke,
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and rule.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Interestingly,
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we also have some words where the vowel sound becomes U
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
instead of just U.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
So we have cut,
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cute.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
That's cute,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
not coot.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Cub cube hug Huge
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
other words in this category include
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
excuse dispute refuse confuse
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
and compute
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Here's an important note.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
This rule works most of the time,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
but of course English has some exceptions,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
like the words have,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
come,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
love,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
and done.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
In those words,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
the final E is silent,
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
but the vowel doesn't say its name.
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S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Still,
4:37
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
this pattern is one of the most powerful rules in English,
4:40
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
and it helps improve your pronunciation and spelling.
4:43
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Having nice clear pronunciation is essential if you want other
4:47
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
people to understand your English without saying,
4:50
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
huh?
4:51
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
and I can help you improve it in the next 30 days when you join my American
4:55
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
English pronunciation course.
4:57
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
In this course,
4:58
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
we go through the language sound by sound,
5:01
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
helping you practice hearing and pronouncing the small differences
5:05
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
between them.
5:06
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
At the end of the course,
5:07
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
our teaching team will evaluate your pronunciation and give you some personalized
5:12
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
feedback.
5:13
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You'll find the link to the American English pronunciation course in the video
5:17
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
description.
5:18
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
If you want more great English lessons,
5:21
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
visit EspressoEnglish .net,
5:23
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
where you can sign up by email to receive a free e -book with 500
5:28
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plus real English phrases.
5:30
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You'll also find online courses to help you improve your
5:34
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
English fast,
5:35
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
even if you don't have much time to study.
5:38
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Keep practicing your English,
5:40
S… Speaker 1 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
and I hope you have a wonderful day.
5:53
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
But I'll tell you a little secret.
5:55
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
It doesn't have to be.
5:56
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Let me point something out.
5:57
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great.
5:59
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You love the host.
6:00
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You seek it out and download it.
6:01
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You listen to it while driving,
6:02
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
working out,
6:03
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
cooking, even going to the bathroom.
6:05
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
Podcasts are a pretty close companion.
6:08
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
And this is a podcast ad.
6:09
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
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S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from
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S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
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S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
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S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
favorite podcasts with Libsyn ads.
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S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
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6:27
S… Speaker 2 (Silent_E_How_One_Letter_Totally_Changes_The_Pronunciation!)
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