Fourteen or forty?

Three clues to hear 14 and 40: stress, the ending and the final /n/.

Watch the board, hear the explanation and the examples, and choose before each answer appears. Pause to think or say the words aloud. Captions include the spoken answers; turn them off for the listening challenge. Narration and examples use General American English, synthesized with the Andrew voice.

General American English. The narration and the spoken examples are synthesized with Microsoft Azure Speech, the Andrew voice. No music. Captions include the answers; leave them off for the listening challenge. About our audio.

Full lesson text and spoken examples · English captions

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Full lesson text and spoken examples

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  1. Fourteen or forty? Three clues tell them apart.
  2. Spoken example: fourteen
  3. Spoken example: forty
  4. Clue one, said alone, fourteen is usually strongest at the end.
  5. Spoken example: fourteen
  6. Forty is usually strongest at the start.
  7. Spoken example: forty
  8. Clue two, fourteen ends in a full vowel, forty in a weak one.
  9. Clue three, fourteen ends with an N sound, forty has none.
  10. Before a noun, the stress can move, so listen for the N.
  11. Miss it at the checkout, and you pay for forty.
  12. Your turn, fourteen or forty?
  13. Spoken example: It costs forty dollars.
  14. Spoken example: It costs forty dollars.
  15. Forty, no N before dollars.
  16. Now a number alone, fourteen or forty?
  17. Spoken example: fourteen
  18. Spoken example: fourteen
  19. Fourteen, with the N at the end.
  20. If you're unsure, ask, one four, or four zero?
  21. Listen for the N, not just the stress.
  22. Practise in Number dictation, and type the digits you hear.

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