Lips
Mouth slightly open and neutral. Your lips stay out of the way.
Voiceless consonants
/k/as in cat
Voiceless: a burst of air from the back of your mouth, no buzz.
Example words: cat, kit, back, coffee, book
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /k/ sound?
Tongue
Raise the BACK of your tongue to touch the soft palate, then release it. The tip stays down.
Video lesson
Try it
- Lift the back of your tongue until it seals against the soft palate. Keep the tip resting low.
- Build pressure, then release with a sharp puff. The paper-flutter test works here too.
- Keep your throat silent through the release.
- After "s" the puff softens: compare "kit" with "skit".
- Now say: cat, kit, back.
Check
Say "coat" then "goat" with a hand on your throat. "coat" should have a puff and no buzz until the vowel; "goat" buzzes right away. No difference? Add more air to /k/.
Common trap
A weak or missing puff. At the start of a word, /k/ without aspiration drifts toward /g/, so "coat" starts to sound like "goat". Also, don't drop a final /k/: "back" needs its ending.
Practice: /k/
Words
catkˈæt
kitkˈɪt
backbˈæk
coffeekˈɔfi
bookbˈʊk
Sentences
Can you carry this heavy box?kˌæn ju kˈɛɹi ðɪs hˈɛvi bˈɑks?
I keep my keys in my pocket.ˌaɪ kˈip maɪ kˈiz ɪn maɪ pˈɑkət.
She cooked a cake for the kids.ʃˌi kˈʊkt ɐ kˈeɪk fɔɹ ðə kˈɪdz.
The cat likes cold milk.ðə kˈæt lˈaɪks kˈoʊld mˈɪlk.
Please come back next week.plˈiz kˈʌm bˈæk nˈɛkst wˈik.
Words
catkˈat
kitkˈɪt
backbˈak
coffeekˈɒfi
bookbˈʊk
Sentences
Can you carry this heavy box?kˌan juː kˈaɹi ðɪs hˈɛvi bˈɒks?
I keep my keys in my pocket.ˌaɪ kˈiːp maɪ kˈiːz ɪn maɪ pˈɒkɪt.
She cooked a cake for the kids.ʃˌiː kˈʊkt ɐ kˈeɪk fɔː ðə kˈɪdz.
The cat likes cold milk.ðə kˈat lˈaɪks kˈəʊld mˈɪlk.
Please come back next week.plˈiːz kˈʌm bˈak nˈɛkst wˈiːk.
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Sounds in the same group
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