Lips
Mouth slightly open and neutral.
Voiced consonants
/ɡ/as in got
Voiced: same back-of-tongue closure as /k/, with the voice on.
Example words: got, bag, give, again, big
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /ɡ/ sound?
Tongue
Raise the BACK of your tongue to the soft palate, exactly like /k/, and release gently.
Video lesson
Try it
- Seal the back of your tongue against the soft palate.
- Switch on the buzz before releasing: hand on throat, feel the vibration behind the closure.
- Release softly, with no big puff.
- Hold the buzz through final /g/ sounds so the word keeps its identity.
- Now say: got, bag, give.
Check
Say "coat" and "goat" with a hand on your throat. Immediate buzz means /g/; puff first means /k/. Then test the ending: "bag" vs "back".
Common trap
Losing the buzz at the edges of words. A devoiced /g/ at the end turns "bag" into "back". Keep the hum going until the release is finished.
Practice: /ɡ/
Words
gotɡɑt
bagbˈæɡ
giveɡˈɪv
againəɡˈɛn
bigbˈɪɡ
Sentences
The girl gave me a gift.ðə ɡˈɜɹl ɡˈeɪv mˌi ɐ ɡˈɪft.
My grandma grows grapes in her garden.mˌaɪ ɡɹˈændmˌɑ ɡɹˈoʊz ɡɹˈeɪps ɪn hɜɹ ɡˈɑɹdən.
Let's go get some good food.lˈɛts ɡˌoʊ ɡɛt sˌʌm ɡˈʊd fˈud.
My dog began to dig again.mˌaɪ dˈɔɡ bəɡˈæn tə dˈɪɡ əɡˈɛn.
Put the eggs in the big bag.pˌʊt ði ˈɛɡz ɪn ðə bˈɪɡ bˈæɡ.
Words
gotɡɒt
bagbˈaɡ
giveɡˈɪv
againəɡˈɛn
bigbˈɪɡ
Sentences
The girl gave me a gift.ðə ɡˈɜːl ɡˈeɪv mˌiː ɐ ɡˈɪft.
My grandma grows grapes in her garden.mˌaɪ ɡɹˈandmɑː ɡɹˈəʊz ɡɹˈeɪps ɪn hɜː ɡˈɑːdən.
Let's go get some good food.lˈɛts ɡˌəʊ ɡɛt sˌʌm ɡˈʊd fˈuːd.
My dog began to dig again.mˌaɪ dˈɒɡ bɪɡˈan tə dˈɪɡ əɡˈɛn.
Put the eggs in the big bag.pˌʊt ði ˈɛɡz ɪn ðə bˈɪɡ bˈaɡ.
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Sounds in the same group
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