How Tongue Placement Can Transform Your American Accent

Why Sound Replacement Alone Isn’t Enough

When I first entered the industry of "accent modification", I was taught that an accent was a list of sound replacements: single sounds that a non-native speaker would replace with different sounds.

For example, instead of saying "that", non-native speakers would say "dat", because they didn't have the TH sound in their language.

This made me think of accents as individual sounds, and it led me to only really compare which sounds existed in American English to which sounds did or did not exist in their native language.

But once I started working with my own clients, I immediately noticed that the definition I had originally been given of "accents" barely covered the tip of the iceberg, and there was so much underneath that hadn't been explained to me.

How Tongue Movements Shape Your Accent

I immediately noticed that what I knew as an "M" was not the M my clients used. What I knew as a "D" was not the "D" my clients spoke with. Most accent programs for non-native speakers don't place a massive focus on these sounds, but because the manner in which non-native speakers tend to articulate them is so dramatically different from how Americans articulate them, they actually are important determiners of how clear and polished your speech will sound to Americans.

See, in addition to sometimes outright replacing one sound with another, these factors make up the bulk of what someone hears as a foreign accent:

• Articulating the same sound with an entirely different tongue muscle
• Articulating the same sound while touching a different part of your mouth with your tongue
• Articulating the same sound with a tense tongue tip
• Moving your tongue forward a lot for all sounds simultaneously, while Americans do not
• Moving your tongue in a certain style that is opposite the style Americans use (strong pumping motions, predominantly back-and-forth-only movements, etc).

I also want to argue that, based on my observations after having spent hundreds of hours examining how non-native speakers' tongues work on coaching calls where clients point lights in their mouths, the tongue itself and its entirely different movement patterns and set of active muscles are responsible for most of an accent.

Common Mistakes Non-Native Speakers Make

Many non-native speakers try to imitate sounds without adjusting their tongue placement or muscle movements. This often leads to:

• Accents that sound unnatural or “fake”

• Difficulty being understood by native speakers

• Frustration despite hours of practice

Unless you are naturally gifted at imitation, which most people are not, you can achieve a very native-like accent but the only way to do it is by learning how to fully train your tongue to move like an American's.

Exercises to Train Your Tongue Like an American

The key to mastering the American accent is training the tongue muscles. Here are some techniques to focus on:

1. Pay attention to where your tongue touches when making each sound.

2. Practice subtle, controlled movements instead of exaggerated motions.

3. Strengthen your tongue by repeating muscle-specific drills designed for American English.

If you want a structured self-paced program, my Complete American Accent Muscle Training Program  provides step-by-step exercises that mirror what I teach 1-on-1.

While it is already a finished, structured product with the same exercises I teach my 1-on-1 clients in the same order, I regularly update it with new videos based on new observations from my coaching sessions and new techniques I've added up my sleeve in response.

How Consistent Practice Leads to a Native-Like Accent

Mastering an American accent is less about memorizing sounds and more about building muscle memory in your tongue. Consistent practice, attention to tongue placement, and guided exercises will dramatically improve clarity and confidence.

For those who want personalized guidance, my 3–6 month coaching programs  include live calls where I tailor exercises to your specific speech patterns.

Whether you choose the course or coaching, the key is the same: train your tongue, move your mouth muscles like an American does, and speak with clarity and confidence.