Method
How your pronunciation score works
What gets marked, what the three marks mean, and the occasions when you shouldn't trust them.
You should know what a score is actually measuring before you spend time chasing it. This page explains, in plain language, what gets looked at, how each syllable is marked, and the situations where a mark is more likely to be the scorer's mistake than yours.
Each syllable is marked on its own
There's no overall impression score. Every syllable is looked at separately and marked on three things: its tone, its initial (the starting consonant) and its final (the vowel ending). That way the feedback points at one specific sound instead of a vague "try again".
Chinese pronunciation assessment that tells you what to fix →
The three marks
Every syllable you record comes back with one of three marks.
Clear
The syllable came out as intended. Nothing to fix — move on to the next one.
Close
Right sound, wrong detail. Usually a tone that didn't finish its shape, or a consonant that landed slightly off. This is where most of your practice time should go.
Missed
The syllable didn't come across as the intended one. Check the hint, listen to the model again, and record it once more before you worry about it.
Marks come with a reason
A red syllable on its own isn't feedback. When a syllable misses, we name what went wrong and what it sounded like instead.
- Tone — the pitch shape was off
- Initial — the starting consonant was off
- Final — the vowel ending was off
When to take a mark with a pinch of salt
The scorer is good, not perfect. These are the situations where it's most likely to be wrong — and the first one is a case where we deliberately let things pass.
Natural tone changes are accepted
Mandarin changes tones in fluent speech: when two third tones meet, the first one is normally said as a rising second tone. Both that natural version and a careful full third tone are accepted, and the tone shifts of 不 (bù) and 一 (yī) are accepted too. Speaking naturally never costs you points.
The first syllable of a short phrase
On one- or two-syllable utterances the opening syllable is the easiest one to misjudge, in either direction. If the very first syllable looks wrong while the rest is clean, record it again before you believe it.
Second and third tone are easy to mix up
Even trained listeners confuse them in isolation, so an occasional mix-up may pass as acceptable instead of being flagged. In real sentences, context usually makes your meaning clear to a human listener anyway.
Microphone and background noise
A laptop microphone in a noisy room will score lower than the same pronunciation recorded on a headset. Compare yourself to yourself, on the same device, rather than chasing an absolute number.
It grades accuracy, not style
The score reflects whether each syllable is recognisable as the one you meant. It says nothing about rhythm, pace, phrasing or how pleasant you sound — a steady, accurate read scores well even if it isn't musical.
It needs a working microphone and browser
Recent versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. If you don't have a microphone, you can still listen to the model audio and practise along.
Nothing is uploaded
Scoring runs on your device, and your recording is never uploaded or stored. That's also why the first attempt takes a moment to get going.
FAQ
- Is my score comparable to other learners'?
- Treat it as a personal baseline, not a leaderboard. Microphone quality and background noise shift the number, so the useful comparison is you against yourself over time, on the same device.
- Why was a word I said correctly marked wrong?
- Most often it's the first syllable of a short phrase, background noise, or a recording that got clipped at the start. Record it again — if the second attempt jumps, the first mark was noise rather than your pronunciation.
- Will the scoring change over time?
- Yes. We keep refining how syllables are judged, and when we do, scores can shift slightly. That's one more reason to watch your progress over weeks rather than reading anything into a single session.
- Can I practise without a microphone?
- Yes. Without a microphone there's no score, but you can still hear the model pronunciation and repeat along with it.