How do I improve my English intonation?

To improve your English intonation, copy the rise and fall of a real speaker’s voice one short line at a time: listen for where the voice goes up or down, say the line straight after them, then play your recording beside theirs and match the melody. As a rule, the voice falls at the end of statements and wh-questions and rises at the end of many yes-no questions, but copying real lines teaches more than the rule. Sada plays one line at a time and lets you compare your take with the original, free in the browser. It does not measure pitch, so you judge the melody by ear.

Try one line nowA greeting and a question. Listen to how the voice moves on “How are you?”, then copy it: “Good morning. How are you?” (Ken Robinson, TED, 0:27)

The three main patterns

The Cambridge Dictionary’s grammar guide (read 23 October 2026) names three main intonation patterns in English:

Pattern	Where it is common	Example from the guide
Falling	Wh-questions, and statements that are definite or clear.	“What time does the film finish?”
Rising	Yes-no questions.	“Are you thirsty?”
Fall-rise	The end of a statement when you are not sure or have more to say.	—

Real speakers do not always follow the rules: a question can fall, a statement can rise to show surprise. That is why it pays to copy real lines rather than practise rules alone.

Practise intonation, step by step

Choose a short line with feeling in it: a question, a greeting, a surprise.
Listen three times and draw the melody in the air with your hand: up, down, or down-up.
Hum the line without words, matching the melody. Then say it with the words.
Say it straight after the speaker in Repeat mode, and record yourself.
Open Compare and play both takes. Does your voice move in the same places? Say it again until it does.

Three more lines to copy

“Oh no! What were they about?”
BBC Learning English, Real Easy English · 0:47 · Practise this line →
Surprise, then a wh-question. Listen to how the voice moves on each part.

“Wow, that sounds very well done.”
BBC Learning English, Real Easy English · 2:27 · Practise this line →
Praise with feeling. Copy where the voice goes highest.

“Not missiles, but microbes.”
Bill Gates, TED · 0:59 · Practise this line →
Contrast: two key words, each with its own strong step in the melody.

What Sada can and cannot tell you about intonation

It can: play the original line as often as you like, slow it down, and play your recording beside it so you can hear the difference. It also shows which words were recognised and how your timing compares.

It cannot: measure the pitch of your voice or draw your melody. For questions in particular, see question intonation; for which words carry the melody, see sentence stress.

What Sada does and does not do (checked 23 October 2026)

Price: free, with no account, sign-up or paid plan.
Where it runs: in a web browser on a computer or a phone, with nothing to install. Recording needs microphone access.
What it plays: one caption line at a time from a YouTube video with usable captions, at normal or slower speed, as often as you like.
Modes: After the speaker (Repeat: hear the line, then say it), With the speaker (Shadow: speak along) and Type it (dictation: type what you heard and check it word by word).
What it shows after a take: which words of the line were recognised, missed or added, and how your timing compares with the speaker. You can play your take beside the original.
What it does not do: grade individual sounds, measure the pitch of your voice, rate an accent, give a test score or hold a conversation.
Where your voice goes: speech recognition runs in your browser and recordings stay on your device.

Questions people ask

How do I improve my intonation in English?

Copy real speakers one short line at a time: listen for where the voice rises and falls, hum the melody, say the line after them, and compare your recording with the original.

What are the main intonation patterns in English?

Falling (common in wh-questions and definite statements), rising (common in yes-no questions) and fall-rise (at the end of a statement when you are not sure or have more to say), as the Cambridge Dictionary’s grammar guide describes them.

Do all questions in English go up at the end?

No. Many yes-no questions rise, but wh-questions such as “What time does the film finish?” usually fall.

Can an app check my intonation?

Some tools measure pitch; Sada does not. It plays your recording beside the original so you can compare the melody by ear, and shows which words were recognised.

Is intonation more important than individual sounds?

Both matter. Intonation tells the listener whether you are asking, stating or unsure, so a wrong melody can change what you seem to mean even when every sound is right.

Start practising