Give Your P, T, and K an Extra Puff

Russian 'п', 'т', and 'к' are typically unaspirated, released cleanly into the next vowel without any extra breath. At the start of a stressed English syllable, though, p, t, and k usually come with a small burst of air, almost like a tiny puff of wind right before the vowel starts. Without that puff, words like 'pin', 'ten', and 'cold' can sound to American ears closer to 'bin', 'den', and 'gold', because the voicing cue native listeners expect just isn't there. Try this: hold a strip of paper close to your mouth and say 'pin' — the paper should visibly flutter from the puff of air. Now say 'spin' — no flutter, because after 's' these sounds lose their aspiration. Practice the pairs 'pin / spin', 'top / stop', and 'kill / skill', watching the paper move only on the first word of each pair. Two minutes with that paper strip daily will train your muscles to add just the right amount of breath automatically.