Pronunciation can be a tricky affair sometimes. For instance, ‘com’ can be ‘kəm’ or ‘kɒm’, depending on the form of the word. One example is “compete”. The verb ‘compete’ is pronounced as kəmˈpiːt. The noun form: ‘competition’ is pronounced as kɒmpɪˈtɪʃən.

Another tricky word is ‘sword’. The ‘w’ is silent. It should be pronounced as ‘sɔːd’.

‘Subtle’ is pronounced as ˈsʌtl. The ‘b’ sound is silent.

There are many silent letters in words starting with ‘w’ for instance, ‘wrangle’ and ‘wreck’.

Red is another word that is wrongly pronounced by many non-native speakers as ‘reɪd’. It should be ‘rɛd’.

Here are more examples of ‘con’ and ‘com’. The phonetic transcriptions will tell you if it is ‘kəm’ or ‘kɒm’. 9 out of 10 native speakers can’t pronounce these words accurately. Are you one of them?

Word	Noun	Verb	adjective
concert	ˈkɒnsə(ː)t	kənˈsɜːtɪd	–
	I attended a concert.	A program of action was concerted during the discussion.	–
condition	kənˈdɪʃən	conditioned: kənˈdɪʃənd	conditional: kənˈdɪʃənl
	It is in good condition.	The dogs have been conditioned to react to subtle signals.	Unconditional love
console	ˈkɒnsəʊl consolation: kɒnsəˈleɪʃən	kənˈsəʊld	inconsolable: ˌɪnkənˈsəʊləbl
	TV console/ consolation prize/ I offered a few words of consolation.	She consoled her best friend.	She was inconsolable.
contest	ˈkɒntɛst contestant: kənˈtɛstənt	kənˈtɛst	contestable: kənˈtɛstəbl
	The contestant in the singing contest	He wants to contest in the election.	He won three of the contestable awards.
confident	confidence:ˈkɒnfɪdəns	confide: kənˈfaɪd	confident:ˈkɒnfɪdənt
	He lacks confidence.	I wish to confide in someone.	a confident speaker
consist	consistency: kənˈsɪstənsi	kənˈsɪst	consistent: kənˈsɪstənt
	We expect consistency in food quality.	My grocery list consists primarily of essential food.	consistent performance
contain	container: kənˈteɪnə	kənˈteɪn	contained:
	The food container	The box contains my books.	He remained contained when he was handcuffed.
concrete	ˈkɒnkriːt	kənˈkriːt	ˈkɒnkriːt
conveyor	kənˈveɪə	–	–
	conveyor belt	–	–
complain	complaint: kəmˈpleɪnt	kəmˈpleɪn	complainable: kəmˈpleɪnəbl
	Received a complaint	She is going to complain to the teacher about the bully in class.	complainable decisions
contact	ˈkɒntækt	ˈkɒntækt	contactable:ˈkɒntæktəbl
	They remain in contact after graduation.	Please contact the customer service.	stay contactable
contaminate	contamination: kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃən	kənˈtæmɪneɪt	contaminated: kənˈtæmɪneɪtɪd
	Raw meat must not be stored together with fruits to avoid cross- contamination.	Dirty hands can contaminate food.	The contaminated milk has been removed from the shelf.
complete	completion: kəmˈpliːʃən	kəmˈpliːt	kəmˈpliːt
	She will receive her diploma upon completion of her studies.	Please complete your work.	A complete change
convention	kənˈvɛnʃən	convene: kənˈviːn	conventional: kənˈvɛnʃənl
	Rules and conventions permeate our society.	They convened at the function room for a seminar.	A handshake is a conventional form of greeting.
conflict	ˈkɒnflɪkt	kənˈflɪkt	kənˈflɪktɪŋ
	It is hard to avoid conflicts sometimes.	The account of one student conflicted with that of the other.	confliciting viewpoints
consider	consideration: kənˌsɪdəˈreɪʃən	kənˈsɪdə	considerate: kənˈsɪdərɪt
	hoping for your kind consideration	I might consider this option.	considerate neighbour