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/n/as in “no”

Consonant

How to pronounce /n/ in English

The /n/ sound is an alveolar, voiced, nasal consonant.

  • Voiced
  • Nasal
  • Alveolar

Example words

Common mistakes

N or NG, T or K

  • /n/ came out as /ŋ/: "thin" became "thing". Finish with the tongue tip up, not the back of the tongue.
  • /ŋ/ came out as /n/: "thing" became "thin". Keep the tip down and close with the back of the tongue.
  • /t/ came out as /k/: "bat" became "back". Close with the tongue tip.
  • /k/ came out as /t/. Close with the back of the tongue.

How to practise

  1. /n/ and /t/ use the tongue tip on the ridge behind your top teeth.
  2. /ŋ/ and /k/ use the back of the tongue against the soft palate, with the tip resting low.
  3. Check in a mirror: for /n/ you can see your tongue tip behind your top teeth.

Easily confused words

  • thin · thing
  • ran · rang
  • win · wing
  • bat · back
  • sit · sick

L or N

  • /l/ came out as /n/. Let the air out around the sides of the tongue, not through the nose.
  • /n/ came out as /l/. Let the air through the nose.

How to practise

  1. /n/ goes through the nose: pinch your nose and you cannot say it.
  2. /l/ goes around the sides of the tongue: pinch your nose and it still sounds.
  3. Practise "light" with your nose pinched: if it still comes out clearly, it was /l/.

Easily confused words

  • light · night
  • low · no
  • lot · not
  • line · nine

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