Pronouncing English “L” – The Mysterious Dark-L. PART 2

Posted on June 6, 2023 by PronunciationCoach

This is Part 2 on the topic of English dark-L. The main points from Part 1 are:

It is totally possible to speak excellent English without learning about dark-L, and
Incorrectly pronouncing dark-L can sometimes cause less clear speech.
Plus, some easy advice for correcting dark-L and light-L pronunciation.

Part 2 provides additional clarification about:

Why dark-L does not really need to be viewed as a separate sound for the purposes of language learners.
How to explain dark-L to students in a simple, learner-friendly way, and avoid making it too complicated.

Because of some of the conflicting advice about dark-L, my purpose is to help English learners who have been confused about it, and to also provide helpful insights for English teachers.

But first, a fun little detour…

Have you seen the British show “Wallace and Gromit”? If so, have you noticed how the characters speak? The articulation for “L” has always caught my eye. The tongue tip is very visible between the teeth for “L”, just like for “TH”. The speech of these characters may be a bit exaggerated, but some native speakers sometimes do articulate “L” this way. These characters exemplify the importance of the tongue tip for English “L”, and it is also kind of fun to watch!

Back to Dark-L – Is it necessary to teach this?

For many learners of English, focusing on dark-L is generally not time well spent, especially if there are other more serious pronunciation problems that need improvement. However, if we do want to teach it, it may be better to not view it as a separate distinct sound or a completely different kind of “L”, because the difference between light-L and dark-L is actually pretty small.

On A Spectrogram

On a spectrogram, light-L and dark-L look pretty similar. The primary differences are that dark-L tends to have a longer time duration (in milliseconds), and that the 2^nd formant (frequency band) tends to be a bit higher, somewhat similar to a high-back vowel, such as /u/. These are fairly minor differences and not exactly two different sounds.

The Native-Speaker Perspective

Native speakers are not aware of it! Native-speakers of English do not consciously make two different kinds of “L”, and young children are never taught to use different sounds. If you ask a typical native speaker – someone who is not a linguist, language teacher, or language learner – about the two different “L” sounds, they may just think that you are confused about English.

In contrast, it is not unusual for a native speaker of English to notice that there are different kinds of “T” sounds. For example, many are aware that the “T” in “butter” is often different for Americans compared to British speakers, or that the word “mitten” often has a different kind of “T”. However, the “L” sound is not something that English speakers typically talk about.

So, the difference is pretty small on a spectrogram, and it’s not enough to catch the attention of native speakers. And the reason it is not noticed by native speakers is because they regularly shift back-and-forth between light-L and dark-L very fluidly and very naturally.

Naturally, How?

For native speakers of English, shifting between the “dark” or “light” versions of “L” happens naturally based on the position of an “L” in a syllable.

Light-L: At the beginning of words/syllables. At the beginning of a word or syllable, the articulation of “L” is brief because it has the task of simply initiating the syllable. It has a short duration because the tongue tip needs to contact the top of the mouth just briefly and then immediately move on to the vowel that follows. Excess tension in the tongue body would be less conducive to this quick, brief movement. Therefore, the tongue has a medium amount of tension and the result is a basic light-L.

Dark-L: At the ends of words/syllables. The English language tends to have relatively strong endings for syllables. So, at the end of a syllable, “L” automatically has a slightly longer duration and a higher level of tongue tension, making it sound a bit stronger, which is suitable for the ending (or coda) of the syllable. The extra tongue tension is generated at the back of the tongue and it gives the “L” a heavier, fuller sound.

Shifting: Dark-L Reverts to Light-L

In spoken English, syllable boundaries shift in order to streamline articulation. Any syllable that starts with a vowel will typically borrow a preceding consonant when it has the opportunity. So, for example, a phrase such as “watch us”, when spoken in conversation, sounds more like “wa-chus”. Language teachers refer to this syllable-boundary-shifting as “linking”. This kind of linking is a very basic feature of spoken English, and it frequently causes a shift for “L”.

Because of linking, dark-L often reverts to light-L. For example, the word “call” has dark-L. But if a vowel follows it, such as in the phrasal verb “call off”, then the “L” is borrowed or “linked” in order to initiate the next part (“off”) and so it reverts to light-L. So, the verb “call off”, typically sounds like “ca-lloff”. Likewise, if a suffix which begins with a vowel is added, such as “-ing”, dark-L reverts to light-L so it can be the start of the second syllable, and it sounds like “ca-lling”.

Shifting: Light-L Converts to Dark-L

If a native-speaker makes a prolonged “L”, they end up with dark-L, because their tongue naturally tenses up when the sound is sustained. This can happen in speech, for example, when someone says “Oh, pllllllease!!!” emphatically (to express annoyance, disapproval or disagreement). Normally the word “please” has a light-L because the “L” is part of the beginning of the syllable, however, it becomes dark-L when it is held for a longer period of time.

Reframing Light-L vs. Dark-L: The Front End and the Back End of the Same Sound

Switching from light-L to dark-L is so natural and fluid, that it can be viewed as “2 sides of the same coin”. But I actually like to view it as two ends of the same sound. That is, a prolonged “L” sound initiates with a light-L tongue movement, but since it doesn’t move directly to another sound, the back of the tongue tenses to sustain it and makes dark-L. Thus, light-L is the beginning, or the front end of the sound, and dark-L is the back end. It is essentially one sound, not two different sounds, yet dark-L is sometimes oddly over-emphasized.

A Simplified Approach for Teaching

It is true that native speakers make dark-L in different ways and that it is not crucial for the tip of the tongue to make contact, etc. However, too many extra details are usually not helpful for the average non-native speaker of English, with a busy life, who wants to improve their English quickly. So, here is a de-complicated, more efficient way to explain light-L and dark-L which also helps avoid accidental mispronunciations that can sometimes happen.

1. Explaining the Location: “Where Does Dark-L Occur?”

Explanations for where dark-L and light-L occur are often fairly complicated and not easy to learn or remember. For example, the context is frequently explained something like this:

Light-L happens:
> At the beginning of a word, OR
> The middle of a word before a vowel OR
> In a beginning cluster such as ‘CL’ or ‘PL’.

Dark-L happens:
> At the ends of words, OR
> After a vowel, OR
> Preceding a consonant at the end of a
syllable such as ‘LD’ or ‘LP’.

That is definitely NOT easy to learn or remember. However (good news!)… it can be described much more simply, like this:

Light-L: Whenever “L” precedes a vowel sound.
Dark-L: Anywhere else. (Whenever ‘L’ does not precede a vowel sound.)

Here are some examples:

light-L before a vowel sound	dark-L elsewhere
left	file (e=ø)
please	apple (e=ø)
belong	filter
willing	will
caller	holder

A caution to English learners: Remember to watch out for silent “-E”. Light-L happens whenever “L” precedes a vowel sound, but not every vowel letter. For example, the word “silly” has light-L because the “L” precedes the vowel sound of the “Y”, but the word “uncle” has dark-L because “L” is the last sound in the word since the “-E” at the end has no sound.

Test Yourself!

Which words have dark-L? (The answers are at the bottom of the article.)

airflow / children / clear / example / explain / fall / follow / goal / light
longer / only / simple / spell / spell out / vowel / vowel sounds / while

2. The Back of the Tongue Quandary

The other main reason why dark-L can be confusing is because there are so many different explanations about the back of the tongue. Some teachers say the back of the tongue is raised, some say it is lowered, some say it moves forward, some say it moves back, and some say the throat tenses up, like for choking. (I even read a description that said the back of the tongue goes up to touch the soft palate at the back of the mouth… but, besides being almost physically impossible, that would cut off the airflow and not work at all!) So… which is right?

The truth is that it can be different for different native speakers, and at the same time, there is also a somewhat flexible range for the place of the tension. So for example, I previously explained (in Part 1) how to produce a very good quality dark-L by starting with an “O” sound, then unrounding the lips and raising the tip of the tongue to touch the top of the mouth, while maintaining the “O” position in the back. On the other hand, the tension in the back of the tongue can be produced farther back than the “O” position. This often happens in words that have /u/ followed by /l/, such as “cool”. For a native speaker, the tongue tension that initially starts at the position of the /u/ will then often move a bit further back for “L”.

That explains why different descriptions of dark-L seem to be contradictory (and why there is disagreement among linguists about whether it is velarized or pharyngealized or uvularized). The factor that they all have in common is the additional tension in the back part of the tongue muscle. So once again, we can simplify things for the learners with an explanation like this:

Dark-L is similar to light-L but the back of the tongue needs to be more tense
– the tension can occur wherever it feels most comfortable and natural.

That’s it! Some additional tension created anywhere in the back of the tongue will make a successful dark-L, and keeping the tongue tip at the light-L position will avoid the inadvertent “O” sound that some non-native speakers unintentionally make.

The Summary

Since English pronunciation and spelling patterns are very complex, it is always my goal to find less complicated ways to explain things and help make learning English more clear and efficient.

The key points for English “L” are:

light-L and dark-L are really just 2 slightly different versions of the same sound
the average native-speaker of English is not aware of them
they naturally and regularly alternate based on the position within a syllable
light-L happens before vowel sounds and shifts to dark-L if it is not before a vowel
dark-L simply has more tension at the back of the tongue and is slightly longer or slower

Again, since dark-L is not crucial for excellent pronunciation, I rarely talk about dark-L with my students — our time is usually better spent on other aspects of pronunciation. However, if someone who has a very high level of pronunciation wants to tweak and perfect their English, then dark-L may be something they want to work on.

If I were coaching a non-native speaker who wanted to improve this detail of pronunciation, I would have a tendency to skip the term “dark-L” and just say that any time that an “L” does not precede a vowel sound, it sounds nicer and more similar to a native speaker if it has a little bit more tension in the back of the tongue and goes just a little bit slower.

P.S. Silent “L”!… Sometimes I have students who have not learned about words with silent “L”. So, in case you didn’t know, in all of these words, the “L” is silent (it has no sound): could, would, should, walk, talk, chalk, half, calf, folk, yolk.

Answers: Which words have dark-L? (in bold)

airflow / children / clear / example / explain / fall / follow / goal / light
longer / only / simple / spell / spell out / vowel / vowel sounds / while

You can find additional advice and practice for some common difficulties related to English “L” on my Patreon page! My Patreon has a supplementary article (with audio) on English “L” and includes practice on these areas:

“L” vs. “R” (often a problem for Korean, Japanese and other Asian language speakers)
“L” vs. “N” (often difficult for Chinese speakers)
Correcting Ultra-Light-L (common for French and Spanish speakers)
Avoiding Dark-L at the beginning of English words (an issue for some Russian speakers)

Patreon tiers range from $2 to $100 USD per month, and support my goal of creating a comprehensive online English pronunciation learning platform!!

Y and W

Posted on September 10, 2012 by PronunciationCoach

Are “Y” and “W” consonants or vowels? The answer is: both are both.

Step One: watch for compounds

When you see a ”Y” or a “W” in the middle of a word, first look to see if the word is a compound. Inside of a compound word, a “Y” or a “W” will keep the same function that it has in the original smaller word. For example, the word “anyone” is a compound made from the words “any” plus “one”, and since the “Y” is the last letter of the word “any”, it still is pronounced as a word-final “Y”.

Here are some other compounds that have a “Y” or “W”.
Y: barnyard / boyfriend / copyright / daybreak / everybody / ladybug / layout / maybe / paycheck / playground / schoolyard.
W: cowboy / crewcut / forward / network / northward / sawhorse / showtime / southwest / viewpoint.
Y and W: anyway / citywide / keyword

Y as a consonant

The letter “Y” functions as a consonant when it comes before a vowel. There are two situations where this could happen:

As the first letter of a word, for example: ”you”, “yes”, “yard” or ”year”.
Between two vowels, for example: “royal”, “layer”, “voyage” or “beyond”.

Y as a vowel

The letter “Y” functions as a vowel in three situations:

As the last letter of a word, for example: “sky”, “rely”, “tiny” or “easy”.
As part of a vowel pair, for example: “play”, “they”, “toy”, or “buy”.
Between two consonants, for example: “cycle”, “type”, “myth” or “system”.

W as a consonant

The letter “W” is a consonant when it is in front of a vowel. This can happen in three situations:

As the first letter of a word, for example: “water”, “we”, or “with.
As part of a consonant pair, for example: “sweep”, “twenty”, “when” or “which”.
Between two vowels, for example: “vowel”, “coward”, “allowance” or “lower”.

W as a vowel

A “W” acts as a vowel only when it is the second partner of a vowel pair, for example: “brown”, “show”, “hawk” or “few”.

EXCEPTIONS: There are a few cases of silent “W”, as in: “answer”, “two”, “who”, “whole”, “wrap” or “wrong”.

One final thing to be aware of, is that a “Y” can function as a vowel independently, as in “lynx” or “gym”. When “Y” is a vowel, it uses the same sounds and spelling patterns as the Vowel “I”. (see Sounds of I – coming soon). However, a “W” cannot be a vowel independently, but is only a vowel when it is the second member of a vowel pair, as in “grow”. When “W” does have a vowel sound, it uses the Long-U sound, as in “grew”.

Ends of Words — A Special Trick

Posted on April 25, 2012 by PronunciationCoach

Consonant sounds at the ends of English words are difficult for many students, but it is definitely important to pronounce them well. This is explained in Ends of Words.

If you have difficulty pronouncing word-final consonants in English, here is a special trick that can make it easier: link the end of the word to the beginning of the next word.

Let’s use the sentence “He saved up his money”, for an example.

In the phrase “saved up”, pronouncing the “-ed” can be tricky, and skipping this “-ed” is a fairly common mistake for students. But in normal conversation, the [d] at the end of “saved” links to the beginning of the word “up”, and it actually sounds like: “save-dup”.

This kind of linking is a normal part of English pronunciation, so it is a trick that makes you sound more natural, and moving the [d] sound to the beginning of the next word makes it easier to pronounce.

Linking can also help to avoid the problem of added vowel sounds. In “saved up” the [e] is silent, but some students have trouble saying the [v] next to the [d] without sticking a vowel sound in the middle. But that could cause a problem, because if the [e] is not silent, then it will end up sounding like “save it up” instead.

Even though linking can make pronunciation easier, it can sometimes make listening harder. Some students have asked me “Why do we have to say the last letter, if native speakers don’t?” They mistakenly think that native speakers skip the last letter, because they don’t hear it at the end of the word, since it is delayed until the beginning of the next word.

Linking a consonant to a vowel

When the second word starts with a vowel, it is easier to hear the linked consonant:
talked about: “talk-dabout”
hard enough: “har-denough”
stops it: “stop-sit”
turned off: “turn-doff”

Linking a consonant to a consonant

When the second word starts with a consonant, the ending of the first word is harder to hear, so it may seem like it is missing. However, if it is actually removed, then it would sound different. For example, in the phrase “keep speaking”, you might think that the [p] is missing, but if I acutally take it away, then it would sound like I am saying “key speaking”!

Here are a few more examples:
“might buy” (not “my by”)
“teen center” (not “tee center”)
“seat cover” (not “sea cover”)
“home plate” (not “hoe plate”)

Listen for linking when you hear native English speakers. And give it try yourself. It can help you speak more clearly.

S vs. Z

Posted on March 28, 2012 by PronunciationCoach

When you see the letter “S” how do you know if you should pronounce it with an S-sound or a Z-sound? Knowing how to pronounce “S” can be tricky. The bad news is that there are no clear-cut rules, so you really need to learn to use your ear.

Pronouncing the sounds of S and Z

Some students have trouble hearing the difference and pronouncing the two sounds correctly. Both “S” and “Z” are made in the same place in the mouth, but the factor that distinguishes them is: voicing. For “S” the voice is off, so there is only the sound of air coming from the mouth: /s/. For “Z” there is also the sound of air, but the voice is on, so the vocal cords need to be making sound: /z/.

Pronouncing words spelled with S

Now, even if you have no trouble hearing and saying these two sounds, the spelling can leave you totally confused. English spelling does not always indicate which sound you should use.

Frequent Words

The first step is to make sure that you are pronouncing the everyday words correctly. Here are the words from the 1,000 most frequently used words of English in which the [s] is pronounced as /z/. You should definitely make sure that you are saying these words right:

is, was, as, his, these, has, isn’t, does, doesn’t, because, those, wasn’t, easy, whose, thousand, lose, cause, reason, present, raise, phrase, surprise, design, rise, choose, visit, observe, nose, rose, confuse.

However, not every word with an “S” has a Z-sound. In these words the sound is /s/:

this, its, also, us, answer, listen, pass, person, course, less, base, yes, beside, case, let’s, possible, else, itself, thus, sense, necessary, various.

What can make it seem even more confusing, is that there are sometimes differences in American and British English spellings, such as: realize/realise. These small variations in spelling do not confuse native speakers of English because they already know how the words should sound. You just need to be aware that even though the spelling looks different, the pronunciation is the same, so don’t let it confuse you.

Pronouncing Words with [-s] endings

The S and Z-sounds are also important in words that end with [-s]. The good news is, there is a clear pattern for this. The sound of an “S” at the end of a word needs to match the voicing of the sound just before it. Here are some examples to illustrate:

take — the last sound in this word /k/ is voiceless. So when an “S” is added, it matches the voicing of the “K” and is pronounced as /s/: takes

live — the last sound in this word /v/ is voiced. So when an “S” is added, it follows the voicing of the “V” and is pronounced as /z/: lives

pass — the last sound in this word is already /s/, so when “S” is added, a small vowel sound is used to separate them. And since all vowel sounds are voiced, the [-s] ending is pronounced as /z/: passes.

So remember, keep your ears open and listen carefully so that you are not confused about pronouncing “S” and “Z”.

Voicing

Posted on March 26, 2012 by PronunciationCoach

Voicing is an important factor for pronouncing consonants correctly. There are some consonants that are spoken with the voice off (voiceless) and others that need to have the voice on (voiced).

Let’s compare T and D. These two sounds are almost the same, because they are both made in the same place in the mouth, and with the same part of the tongue. The only factor that makes them different is the voicing.

T is voiceless — that means it is pronounced with the voice turned off; the vocal cords do not vibrate or make any sound: “t”, “bat”, “time”.

D is voiced — that means is it pronounced with the voice turned on; the vocal cords vibrate and the sound of the voice is heard: “d”, “bad”, “dime”.

The voiced and voiceless consonants of English
In this list, the consonants in each pair are pronounced in the same place in the mouth, and differ only in the voicing. For each of these pairs the first is voiceless and the second is voiced.

T: t, fat, tore
D: d, fad, door

P: p, lap, pat
B: b, lab, bat

C & K: k, pick, come
G: g, pig, gum

F: f, safe, feel
V: v, save, veal

S & C: s, price, sip
Z: z, prize, zip

CH: ch, rich, choke
J & G: j, ridge, joke

TH voiceless: th, bath, thigh
TH voiced: th, bathe, thy

SH: sh, sure
SH voiced: zh, azure

Besides being able to pronounce these consonant sounds correctly, another reason why it is important to know about voicing, is to be able to pronounce the word endings [-s] and [-ed] correctly.
So pay attention to your voice!

The Sound of R

Posted on October 28, 2011 by PronunciationCoach

The American English R-sound is different from the R-sound of most languages in the world. Many students of English feel that it is more like a vowel than a consonant, and there is good reason for this. R is different from the other consonants of English because there is no point of contact – the tip of the tongue does touch the top of the mouth. The tongue is actually used in a vowel-like way to produce the R-sound.

How to make the R-sound

Different native speakers seem to make the R-sound in slightly different ways, so you may see different kinds of explanations in different ESL or pronunciation books. However, there are a few basic features that are always the same:
1. R is more similar to pronouncing a vowel than a consonant.
2. The tip of the tongue should NOT touch the roof of the mouth.
3. There is a lot of tension in the tongue.
4. The lips are slightly rounded.

So, here is how I coach students to make the R-sound:

Step 1. The tongue should start out low in the mouth, like saying “ah”
Step 2. While keeping the tongue down, pull the front part of the tongue back a bit. The tongue should be quite tense, tightly contracted. (But try to keep your jaw relaxed!)
Step 3. Also round the lips a little bit – about half as much as for the O-sound.

Some other points:
If the sides of your tongue touch the back upper teeth – that’s ok.
Or, if the tip of your tongue seems to be turned back – that’s also ok.

Have fun with R!

The Power of R

Posted on October 28, 2011 by PronunciationCoach

R is an unusual letter. Normally it is a consonant. Sometimes it acts as a vowel. But something even more amazing is that it sometimes has the power to change the sound of a vowel in front of it.

R AS A CONSONANT

In words such as “run”, “carrot” or “free” R is a consonant.

R AS A VOWEL

In some words, the R takes the place of the vowel. That is, the vowel before the R becomes silent, because the R dominates — it takes away, or covers up the vowel sound.

Here are some examples: earth, chirp, curve, govern, her, iceberg, term, third, shirt, surf, verse, work, worst. This is a short list of examples — there are quite a few words like this.

The loss of the vowel sound also happens with -er and -or at the ends of words, as in “other” and “actor”.

R POWER

R can sometimes change the sound of a vowel, instead of covering it up.

A changing to O
This happens when an “a” is trapped between a “w” or “u” and an “r”. For example, the word “war” sounds like the word “wore” — they are homonyms. “Warn” and “worn” are also homonyms. However, “warm” and “worm” do not sound the same, because “worm” has R as a vowel.

Other words in which the “a” sounds like “o” are: award, dwarf, quart, quarter, quartz, thwart, ward, warm, warp, wart, wharf.

Why does this happen? The “w” or “u” sound and the American “r” sound are all made with rounded lips. So an “a” trapped between these sounds also gets pronounced with rounded lips — native speakers don’t unround their lips just for the “a” in between. An “a” with rounded lips ends up sounding like “o”.

E changing to A
This happens in a few words that have an “e” before an “r”. To make an “r” sound, the tongue needs to be very tense, and this tension affects the “e”, making it sound more like an “a”.

Here are some common words:
there
where (this is a homonym with “ware”)
merry (this is a homonym with “marry”)
very (this is a homonym with “vary”)

So, two good things to keep in mind when dealing with R are: First, don’t be surprised if you find some words that are pronounced with an unexpected vowel sound when R follows. Second, listen closely when R is involved, so that you can hear how to pronounce those words correctly.

Ends of Words

Posted on December 8, 2010 by PronunciationCoach

Another common problem is saying the ends of words clearly. I have seen a lot of students who skip the last letters of words, and it seems that many of them are not aware that they are doing that.

In English, most words end with a consonant sound, AND the majority of words that do have a vowel sound last are frequently used words such as “to” “do” “the” “you” “he” or have an ending such as “-ly” or “-y”. (Remember: for most words that are spelled with an “e” at the end, the “e” is silent in pronunciation.)

This is different from many other languages. There are many languages that do not have consonants at the ends of words (or they only use a limited set of consonant sounds). If your mouth is not accustomed to making a clear or strong consonant sound at the ends of words, it can be difficult to learn to do this in English.

Why it is important to pronounce the last letters of words clearly:
1. Skipping sounds can make you very difficult to understand in general.
2. In some cases, it can give you a “baby talk” kind of sound.
3. In many short words, it can cause some funny or confusing mix-ups.

Here is an example of a mix-up:
If you say the word “flute” but you skip the “t” sound (or say it too weakly), then it can sound like the word “flu”. So instead of saying “He is taking flute lessons” it could sound like you said “He is taking flu lessons”!!

A few examples of possible mix-ups:
“wait” could sound like –> “way”
shoot –> shoe
house –> how
might –> my
make –> may
bike / bite –> buy (or by)
type / tight –> tie
plane / plate –> play
mean / meat –> me
hide –> high
life / like / light / line –> lie
lake –> lay
seek / seat –> see (or sea)

How to Practice
In general, the best is advice is to try to exaggerate the last consonant of words (say it a little bit too strong). I have often noticed that when students feel that they are saying a final consonant very strongly, it actually sounds just right (or is even still a little bit too weak)!

It might feel awkward for you, but that awkward feeling is often a sign that you are doing good. If your mouth always feels “normal” to you when you say something in English, then you are probably using the muscle patterns that are normal for your native language.

TH – Part 2. Some funny mix-ups.

Posted on December 8, 2010 by PronunciationCoach

So, when people do not pronounce TH correctly, what sound do they make instead?

When TH is voiceless (voice is off), common substitutions are T or S, and sometimes F.
When TH is voiced, the most common substitutions are D and Z (or occasionally V).

This can lead to some funny (or perhaps embarrassing) mix-ups. For example, I sometimes hear students say “taught” when they are trying to say “thought” or they say “mouse” when they want to say “mouth”!

Some other possible mix-ups would be:
“thought” might sound like: “taught” “sought” or “fought”
“death” –> “debt” or “deaf”
“thank” –> “tank” or “sank”
“three” –> “tree” or “free”
“think” –> “sink”
“thing” –> “sing”
“fourth” –> “fort” or “force”
“math” –> “mat” or “mass”
“both” –> “boat”
“faith” –> “fate” or “face”
“truth” –> “truce”
“author” –> “otter” or “offer”
“thin” –> “tin” “sin” or “fin”
“those” –> “doze”
“worthy” –> “wordy”
“father” –> “fodder”
“mother” –> “mutter”
“they” –> “day”
“other” –> “udder” (or “utter”)
“either” –> “eater”

You could end up with a funny meaning if you switch some of those words around!

Since the TH sounds in English are used very frequently (and because it is not difficult for the tongue to produce) it would be worth the effort to train yourself to say them right. So, go ahead! Don’t be afraid of TH!

NOTE: there are a few words in which the TH does not make the usual sound. For example, in the name “Thomas”, the TH is actually pronounced as a T sound. Another example is a word like “foothold” which has an accidental TH: the T of the word “foot” happens to be next to the H of the word “hold” but they keep their separate sounds.

TH – Part 1. Don’t Be Shy!

Posted on December 6, 2010 by PronunciationCoach

The “TH” sound is one that most ESL learners have problems with — I would guess it is probably 99%.

Do you absolutely need to fix it? No. That’s because so many people mispronounce it, that it is sort of a “normal” mistake, and native speakers are used to hearing it wrong.

So, why bother?

1. “TH” is fairly easy to fix – but you do need to get over being shy about it! Most of my students feel awkward or embarrassed when they say it the right way.

2. “TH” is a VERY frequent sound. You find words with “th” in almost every sentence of English – it is in many words that we use all the time: the / this / thing / think / they / them / that / those / there / then / with / both / other / earth / teeth / mother / father / south / north / month / truth / three / fifth / tenth / thousand / (This is just a few examples!)

3. Since “TH” is so frequently mispronounced, it is possible to go for quite a while without having any major communication problems, but you should be aware that an incorrect “TH” is a very common part of English “baby talk.” For example, when my son was small, if I asked him “How old are you?” he would answer by showing me 3 fingers and saying “free!”

4. You should also be aware that there are many words that can be confused if the “TH” is not pronounced well. (I hear them all the time.) Some examples: “mouth” can sound like “mouse” / “author” can sound like “otter” / “three” can sound like “tree” or “free”.
These kinds of mistakes can slow down a conversation or lead to funny misunderstandings. (I will give more examples in my next post.)

5. Remember, it is “real” English. Even if you think it feels or sounds “funny”, it actually sounds completely normal for English – and this is true for all types of English: American, British, or whatever.

HOW TO SAY “TH”
1. “TH” is not tricky – you just need to be brave, and stick the tip of your tongue between the upper and lower teeth. Saying it correctly consistently is really just a matter of practice and self-discipline.

2. There are 2 kinds of “TH”.
a. Voiceless “TH” is said with the voice turned off. Some examples are: thing / think / with / both / earth / teeth / south / north / month / truth / three / fifth / tenth / thousand.

b. Voiced “TH” needs to be said with the voice on (vocal cords vibrating). Some examples are: the / this / they / them / that / those / there / then /other / mother / father.

My next post will give more examples and other tips.

PronunciationCoach

English pronunciation for learners of American English

Category Archives: Consonants