How to Pronounce the /g/ Sound

Explore the /g/ sound, a voiced velar stop. Understand its articulation and significance in speech. Master this sound to enhance pronunciation skills.

In this lesson, we are going to learn all about the pronunciation of /g/ using the proper articulatory organs.

What Type of Sound Is /g/?

/g/ is a consonant in the English language.

How to Produce /g/?

Mouth and Vocal Tract Configuration for /g/

As you can see in picture (b), the back part of the tongue is raised to the point where it makes contact with the soft palate. So, the air can neither move through the nose, nor through the mouth. Then, when the tongue is lowered, the air is suddenly released from the mouth. As you can see here, the circle of the vocal cords is red which signifies that we must vibrate our vocal cords when producing the /g/ sound. So, it is voiced.
In picture (a), the lips are parted and the teeth are close, but not touching.
In picture (c), you can easily understand where exactly the soft palate is so as to put the back of the tongue there.

Which Letters are Pronounced as /g/?

The letters that represent the /g/ sound in the English language are as follows:

Pie Chart of the Letters that Make the /g/ Sound

google /ɡuːɡl/

gargle /ɡɑr·ɡəl/

gasp /ɡæsp/

goat /ɡoʊt/

wiggle /ˈwɪɡəl/

dagger /ˈdæɡəɹ/

yoghurt /ˈjoʊ.ɡɚt/

dinghy /ˈdɪŋ.ɡi/

Warning!

Note that sometimes, the letter G represents the /dʒ/ sound. Compare the examples below:

gem /dʒɛm/

gap /ɡap/

/g/ Sound in the Most Common World Languages

Below you can find the table of the /g/ sound in the most common languages across the globe. Look:

	Existence	Example
Mandarin*	✔	哥哥 (gēgē)
Spanish	✔	gato
Hindi	✔	गाना
Bengali	✔	গান
Portuguese	✔	língua
Russian	✔	голова
Japanese	✔	外套 (gaitō)
Vietnamese	x	-
Turkish	✔	salgın
French	✔	gain
German	✔	Lüge
Italian	✔	gare
Persian	✔	گوشت
Standard Arabic	x	-
Korean	✔	메기
Indonesian	✔	galah
Filipino	✔	gulo
Hungarian	✔	engedély
Dutch	✔	goal
Polish	✔	gmin
Romanian	✔	gând
Swedish	✔	god
Czech	✔	gram
Greek	✔	γκάρισμα
Ukrainian	✔	ґанок
Urdu	✔	گانا

* The sound exists in the language, but the pronunciation may differ.

Listening

Below, there is an audio file that helps you learn the proper pronunciation of the /g/ sound:

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What Type of Sound Is /g/?
How to Produce /g/?
Which Letters are Pronounced as /g/?
/g/ Sound in the Most Common World Languages
Listening

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