Lips
Round your lips slightly and push them a little forward.
Other consonants
/r/as in red
Voiced. Curl the tongue back without touching the roof.
Example words: red, right, road, sorry, rain
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /r/ sound?
Tongue
Curl your tongue tip up and slightly back, or bunch the tongue body up. Either way, the golden rule is the same: the tongue touches NOTHING. It floats in the middle of your mouth.
Video lesson
Try it
- Round your lips slightly.
- Curl your tongue tip up and back, floating free. No contact anywhere.
- Switch your voice on and hold a steady "rrr".
- Keep the tongue floating, then say: red, right, road.
Check
Say "rrr" and hold it. Does your tongue touch anything? It must not. Then test the classic pair: "rice" (no touch) versus "lice" (tip touches the ridge).
Common trap
Do not let the tip tap or touch the roof of your mouth. Any contact turns /r/ toward /l/ or a tapped sound, and "rice" becomes "lice". If you feel a touch, pull the tongue back and try again.
Practice: /r/
Words
redɹˈɛd
rightɹˈaɪt
roadɹˈoʊd
sorrysˈɔɹi
rainɹˈeɪn
Sentences
The red car is on the road.ðə ɹˈɛd kˈɑɹ ɪz ˌɔn ðə ɹˈoʊd.
The rabbit ran across the road.ðə ɹˈæbət ɹˈæn əkɹˈɔs ðə ɹˈoʊd.
Sorry, I arrived late this morning.sˈɔɹi, ˌaɪ əɹˈaɪvd lˈeɪt ðɪs mˈɔɹnɪŋ.
The red light is really bright.ðə ɹˈɛd lˈaɪt ɪz ɹˈiəli bɹˈaɪt.
Her brother runs every Friday morning.hˌɜɹ bɹˈʌðəɹ ɹˈʌnz ˈɛvəɹi fɹˈaɪdˌeɪ mˈɔɹnɪŋ.
Words
redɹˈɛd
rightɹˈaɪt
roadɹˈəʊd
sorrysˈɒɹi
rainɹˈeɪn
Sentences
The red car is on the road.ðə ɹˈɛd kˈɑː ɪz ˌɒn ðə ɹˈəʊd.
The rabbit ran across the road.ðə ɹˈabɪt ɹˈan əkɹˈɒs ðə ɹˈəʊd.
Sorry, I arrived late this morning.sˈɒɹi, ˌaɪ əɹˈaɪvd lˈeɪt ðɪs mˈɔːnɪŋ.
The red light is really bright.ðə ɹˈɛd lˈaɪt ɪz ɹˈɪəli bɹˈaɪt.
Her brother runs every Friday morning.hˌɜː bɹˈʌðə ɹˈʌnz ˈɛvəɹi fɹˈaɪdeɪ mˈɔːnɪŋ.
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Sounds in the same group
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