Schwa is the name for the most common sound in English. It is a weak, unstressed sound and it occurs in many words. It is often the sound in grammar words such as articles and prepositions.

Speak 1: Using the schwa sound when asking for things When asking for items in a shop such as jeans, sunglasses and trainers you have to ask for a 'pair' of them. This request involves several ...

Americans tend to go for ‘uhh’ (another schwa sound), whilst Brits might make use of ‘er ... You might bemoan the tricky multiple consonants and occasional nasal vowels, but practice makes perfect – ...