Lips
Keep your mouth slightly open. Your tongue tip should be visible touching the upper ridge.
Other consonants
/l/as in leg
Voiced. Tongue tip on the ridge, air down the sides.
Example words: leg, bell, lily, yellow, like
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /l/ sound?
Tongue
Press your tongue tip against the ridge behind your top teeth and HOLD the contact. Lower the sides of your tongue so the air flows around them.
Video lesson
Try it
- Open your mouth slightly.
- Press your tongue tip firmly on the ridge behind your top teeth.
- Switch your voice on and let the sound flow around the sides of your tongue.
- Hold "lll" with the tip still touching, then say: leg, bell, lily.
Check
Say "lll" and freeze. Can you feel your tongue tip pressed on the ridge? Now check the pair: "lice" needs the touch, "rice" needs no touch at all.
Common trap
Do not let the tip float. If your tongue does not actually touch the ridge, /l/ drifts toward /r/ or a vowel, and "lice" starts sounding like "rice". Touch is the whole point of /l/.
Practice: /l/
Words
leglˈɛɡ
bellbˈɛl
lilylˈɪli
yellowjˈɛloʊ
likelˈaɪk
Sentences
My left leg feels a little sore.mˌaɪ lˈɛft lˈɛɡ fˈilz ɐ lˈɪɾəl sˈɔɹ.
The bell rang loudly in the hall.ðə bˈɛl ɹˈæŋ lˈaʊdli ɪn ðə hˈɔl.
She likes yellow flowers a lot.ʃˌi lˈaɪks jˈɛloʊ flˈaʊəɹz ɐ lˈɑt.
Please turn left at the red light.plˈiz tˈɜɹn lˈɛft æt ðə ɹˈɛd lˈaɪt.
Lily lost her small blue ball.lˈɪli lˈɔst hɜɹ smˈɔl blˈu bˈɔl.
Words
leglˈɛɡ
bellbˈɛl
lilylˈɪli
yellowjˈɛləʊ
likelˈaɪk
Sentences
My left leg feels a little sore.mˌaɪ lˈɛft lˈɛɡ fˈiːlz ɐ lˈɪtəl sˈɔː.
The bell rang loudly in the hall.ðə bˈɛl ɹˈaŋ lˈaʊdli ɪn ðə hˈɔːl.
She likes yellow flowers a lot.ʃˌiː lˈaɪks jˈɛləʊ flˈaʊəz ɐ lˈɒt.
Please turn left at the red light.plˈiːz tˈɜːn lˈɛft at ðə ɹˈɛd lˈaɪt.
Lily lost her small blue ball.lˈɪli lˈɒst hɜː smˈɔːl blˈuː bˈɔːl.
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Sounds in the same group
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