maps
8.6% omitted
Maps is the core noun of the message, but its final /ps/ is weak and it links with museum, so the two can fuse into one word.
Practice: Say museum maps in full and close the final /ps/ of maps so it does not disappear.
This line holds up well: 467 attempts brought back 79.0% and averaged 3.76/5. The small losses cluster around the subject noun — maps (8.6%) and the museum (4.9%) before it occasionally fuse when linked, and the copula are (7.5%) sometimes drops.
Museum orientation
Context cue
This is a practical museum line: the maps are at the reception desk. Two slots — what (museum maps) and where (reception desk).
Each word is shaded by how often it was dropped across 467 attempts. Hover for the exact rate. This sentence is one case in the Listen and Repeat research across 23,000+ sessions — where endings and late words drop most.
The three most fragile words here are maps (8.6%), are (7.5%), museum (4.9%) — when you record your own version, check first that each of these survives.
These are sounds with substantial measurements in this sentence, not a generic pronunciation list. Automatic assessment places /k/ lowest among the sounds shown.
| Sound | Measurements | Avg accuracy | Below 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| /k/ | 419 | 79.6/100 | 11.7% |
| /ɹ/ | 725 | 82.9/100 | 10.5% |
| /n/ | 376 | 83.2/100 | 9.0% |
Omission rates show the pattern, not its cause. Position, word length, and endings still give us specific practice hypotheses to test.
maps
8.6% omitted
Maps is the core noun of the message, but its final /ps/ is weak and it links with museum, so the two can fuse into one word.
Practice: Say museum maps in full and close the final /ps/ of maps so it does not disappear.
are
7.5% omitted
Are is an unstressed copula between maps and at and is easily swallowed.
Practice: Give are a little room inside maps are to keep the subject connected to the location.
museum
4.9% omitted
Museum modifies maps and is often skipped when the speaker hurries to the location.
Practice: Confirm both words Museum maps before moving to the place.
Place splits between complete meaning groups, following the chunking method. The slashes are memory boundaries for practice, not mandatory audible pauses.
| Speakers paused before | Share of pauses | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| “reception” | 7.1% | Mid-phrase |
| “desk” | 4.7% | Mid-phrase |
| “are” | 4.3% | Mid-phrase |
| “the” | 1.7% | Mid-phrase |
Two blocks: Museum maps are / at the reception desk.
Hold the subject Museum maps, keep the /ps/ of maps, then attach the copula are.
Add the location at the reception desk with reduced at the and stress on reception desk.
Do not rely on a vague feeling of success. Meet all four checks twice in a row before increasing sentence length.
Record it once and see your own version of the heat map above — which words you dropped and where your pauses landed.
Practise Listen and Repeat“Welcome to the Natural History Museum.”
6 words · Museum orientation · 473 attempts
“The gift shop and cafe are by the reception area.”
10 words · Museum orientation · 468 attempts
“The museum contains many exhibits about science and nature.”
9 words · Museum orientation · 465 attempts
“The central hall of the museum contains prehistoric animals.”
9 words · Museum orientation · 466 attempts
Use 2 meaning groups: Museum maps are / at the reception desk. Preserve the information skeleton first, then check the final words and endings.
maps (8.6%), are (7.5%), museum (4.9%) have the highest omission rates among the 467 attempts summarized here.
Pause between complete meaning groups rather than inside a noun or verb phrase. Use pauses as a memory scaffold, then work toward a connected delivery.