r/LearnEstonian / Pronunciation

Struggling to hear quantity length differences in rapid speech

Posted by u/pronunciationfocus_294 / May 30, 2026

I record my own Estonian pronunciation daily to improve, but I find that my ears struggle to distinguish between the three degrees of quantity (short, long, and overlong) when natives talk at full speed. I feel like 'k' vs 'kk' vs 'kkk' sounds identical in certain contexts, which makes my own reproduction sound robotic. Is there a specific technique for training my ears to catch these nuances, or is it purely a matter of exposure?

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