Walter: Maybe it's not a bad idea to write congratulations with a D after all.

Take the word incredulous for example. Oxford Dictionary says it's to be pronounced /in'kredjeles/ with a Y sound as in 'Yes.' But it also says that the U.S. pronunciation doesn't have a Y sound, but a J (as in Jam) sound.

I know that whenever the sound /d/ and /j/ (it's not J as in Jam, but Y as in yes) come together, the sound /d3/ is pronounced. So if you read congratulations with a /d3/ sound, you have to change the spelling too. or, if you want to keep the spelling, you have to change the pronunciation!

About are and our, I have no trouble because I pronounce are /a:r/ and our, /aue/. But I know they both can be pronounced /a:r/.

Same is true about our and hour. They have the exact same pronunciation. But according to the context they're used in, one can tell which one is meant.

Oh, and no one answered my question regarding syllable divisions. How do I understand if it is /prog.ram/ or /pro.gram/ ?