Copy of the /n/, /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ sounds in english

Pronunciation of American English sounds

1. The /n/, /ŋ/ and /ŋg/  Sounds in English     A Pronunciation Lesson compiled by Rita Simons Santiago

2. The /n/ and /ŋ/ Sounds in English  The tongue position for /n/     The tongue position for /ŋ/

3. The /n/ (as in thi n ) Sound in English  

4. The /ŋ/ (as in thi ng ) Sound in English  

5. The /n/ and /ŋ/ Sounds in English                                                                                ban                                        din                                        fan                                        kin                                        pin                                        ran                                        run                                        sin                                         sun                                        thin                                         win                                                                                                                                                                                                            bang ding fang king ping rang rung sing sung thing wing Pronounce these minimal pairs and think about the position of your tongue as you pronounce the final sound in each one: 

6. The /ŋ/ (as in si ng ) and /ŋg/ (as in si ngl e) Sounds in English  

7. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English The /ŋ/ sound, such as in the word "sing," does not have a hard "g" sound (/g/).  Contrarily, as in the word "single," the /ŋg/ has a distinct (hard) /g/ sound added to the /ŋ/ sound.  Listen to the following words, and determine if the "ng" is the /ŋ/ sound (sing), or the /ŋg/ (single) sound:                 singer     longest     songs     jungle       walking                 hunger     wrong     tangle     jogging     mingle Are  you ready to check your answers?

8. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English  /ŋ/  singer songs walking wrong jogging     /ŋg/   longest jungle hunger tangle mingle How did you do?  Did you get them right?

9. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English Be aware of how spelling patterns can help us determine if a “g” is pronounced /g/ or not.    Single-syllable words with -er/ -est endings of comparatives  and superlatives make “ng” sound like /ŋg/: longest .         Can you think of some words that would fit in this category? _______________ _______________    

10. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English  Single-syllable words with -er/ -est endings of comparatives  and superlatives make “ng” sound like /ŋg/: longest .           Can you think of some words that would fit in this category? strongest youngest

11. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English The spelling combination “ngle” results in /ŋg/: single, jungle, tangle .        What other words can you think of that belong to this list? _______________ _______________ _______________

12. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English The spelling combination “ngle” results in /ŋg/: single, jungle, tangle .   What other words can you think of that belong to this list? tingle  bungle mangle

13. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English The final “ng” combination is pronounced /ŋ/: wrong, song. The “ng” in the ending -ing is also pronounced /ŋ/: walking, talking .   Can you add more words to this list? _______________ _______________ _______________

14. The /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English The final “ng” combination is pronounced /ŋ/: wrong, song. The “ng” in the ending -ing is also pronounced /ŋ/: walking, talking .   Can you add more words to this list?   dancing   joking studying

15. The /n/, /ŋ/ and /ŋg/ Sounds in English With gratitude to: ... JenniferESL               ... Rachelsenglish and            Rachel's English Because Talking is Fun   ... my Friday Workshop students for encouraging me to put these pronunciation lessons together for them. ... Heidi Gottwald for her enthusiasm about my adding this pronunciation component to our Friday Workshop curriculum.