The sound /ŋ/ velar, nasal consonant

 

Spelling:

 

  • "ng" - ring
  • "n" (before /k/ or /g/) - pink, finger
 
 
LISTEN
 
 
 
/ŋ/.../ŋ/.../ŋ/.../ŋ/...

hang...long...strongly...things
 
 

The sound /ŋ/ can appear in these consonant clusters:
 
  • Beginning of a Syllable
(none)
 
  • End of a Syllable
 
/ŋk/ ("nk" / "nc") - pink, function
/ŋks/ ("nks" / "nx") - sinks, lynx 
/ŋkt/ ("nked") - thanked
/ŋz/ ("ngs") - things
/ŋθ/ ("ngth") - length
/ŋd/ ("nged") - hanged
 


Grammar Tip:

The sound /ŋ/ is part of the suffix "-ing." This suffix is used to mark several categories of words in English.
  • Progressive verbs: I was sleeping. You are cooking.
  • Gerunds: Sleeping is good. Writing is hard.
  • Present participial adjectives: The movie was exciting. This class is boring. 
 
 
COMPARE
 
Compare /ŋ/ with /g/:
 
 
 
/ŋ/.../g/.../ŋ/.../g/.../ŋ/.../g/...

These are both voiced velar consonants. However, /g/ is a stop while /ŋ/ is a nasal. When you pronounce /ŋ/, air should flow out of your nose.
 
 

You can hear the difference between /ŋ/ and /g/ in these words.
 
1. A. bang, B. bag
2. A. hung, B. hug
3. A. tang, B. tag
4. A. rings, B. rigs
5. A. longing, B. logging
6. A. single, B. seagull
 
 

Now, compare /ŋ/ and /n/:
 
 
 
/ŋ/.../n/.../ŋ/.../n/.../ŋ/.../n/...

These are both nasal consonants. However, /n/ is an alveolar nasal and /ŋ/ is a velar nasal. When you pronounce /ŋ/, the back of your tongue should touch the back of your mouth and the tip of your tongue should be low in your mouth..
 
 
 
You can hear the difference between /ŋ/ and // in these words.
 
1. A. long, B. lawn
2. A. hanged, B. hand
3. A. things, B. thins
4. A. singer, B. sinner
5. A. winging, B. winning
6. A. forgiving, B. forgiven
 
 
 
PRACTICE
 
Listen and repeat these words:
 
 
 
 
1. long
2. sing
3. hang
4. young
5. things
6. drink
7. thanks
8. angry
9. single
10. length
11. monkey
12. blanket
13. uncle
14. searching
15. wanting
16. conquest
17. language
18. meaningful
19. ingredient
20. belonging 

Now, practice /ŋ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
 
1. young - engaged - ring 
In America, a young engaged woman wears a ring..
2. uncle - helping - hang 
My uncle is helping me hang curtains.
3. bring - missing - ingredient
Can you bring the missing ingredient?
4. drink - something - evening
I like to drink something hot in the evening.
5. king - strength - ruling 
A king needs strength for ruling well.
6. thinking - things - long
I've been thinking about these things for a long time.
 
 

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
 

Consonants /d/ and /g/

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