Free Russian pronunciation test
Say 5 short Russian words into your microphone. The AI scores every sound in every word — ы, the soft consonants, the rolled р, the х and щ — and shows you which ones score lowest. It takes about a minute, runs in your browser, and needs no account.
быть
BIHT — 'beet' with the tongue pulled back
to be
Tap to record
Scores rank your own sounds against each other so you know what to drill first. They are not an accuracy certificate and not an exam grade.
The sounds that decide your accent
the 'ы' sound (быть)
Say 'ee' but pull the whole tongue back and down slightly, lips relaxed (not smiling). It feels like 'ee' said in the throat. Try б-ы: быть, сыр, мы.
soft (palatalized) consonants — брат vs брать
Almost every Russian consonant comes in a hard and a soft version. For soft ть, the tongue tip stays at the teeth while the tongue body presses up to the palate; it can sound almost like a very light 'ts'. This is the difference between брат and брать.
the rolled 'р' sound (раз)
Tap or roll the tongue tip against the ridge behind the teeth — like Spanish 'r'. Start by saying 'd-d-d' quickly and let the tip flutter. Never the English 'r'.
the soft 'рь' sound (теперь)
Roll the r while the tongue body squeezes up toward the palate — 'ry' in one sound. One of the hardest Russian sounds; start slow: ря, ри, рё.
the 'щ' sound (женщина)
A LONG soft 'sh' with the tongue far forward — like 'fresh sheets' said quickly as one hiss. Never the hard, dark ш; hold it a beat longer.
the 'ш' sound (школа)
'sh' with the tongue pulled BACK and the lips slightly rounded — deeper and darker than English 'sh'. Always hard: ши sounds like 'shy', never 'shee'.
Questions
What does the test measure?+
Each word you record is broken into its individual sounds by a commercial speech-assessment engine, and every sound gets a score. The test then highlights which sounds scored lowest across your 5 words — your best starting point for practice. Scores rank your sounds against each other; they are not pass/fail grades or accuracy percentages.
Why only 5 words?+
The 5 words are chosen to pack in Russian's hardest sounds: ы and a soft ть in быть, the rolled р in рука, soft дь and нь in день, х and ш and vowel reduction in хорошо, and the long soft щ in ещё. Five words is enough for a first read on where you stand; the app then tests you on much more.
Do I need to read Cyrillic to take the test?+
It helps, but no — every word comes with an English respelling (рука is 'roo-KAH') and audio you can listen to before you record. If you're just starting out, mimic the audio.
What happens after the test?+
You see your 5 words scored sound by sound, with your lowest-scoring sounds called out. From there you can get the app to drill exactly those sounds in common words, track them over time, and practice full sentences. The app is free to try.
Practice Russian every day
The app drills the sounds this test flags, with thousands of words and instant feedback on every take.