How to Pronounce the /ŋ/ Sound 

How to Pronounce the /ŋ/ Sound

In this lesson, we are going to work on how we can produce the /ŋ/ sound using the proper articulatory organs.

What Type of Sound Is /ŋ/?

/ŋ/ is a consonant in the English language.

How to Produce /ŋ/?

ThumbnailPhoto

As you can see in picture (b), the tongue and the uvula are important in the production of this sound. To produce this sound, the back of the tongue is raised and slightly makes contact with the uvula. As you can see, the uvula has not blocked the air passage into the nose. As we move our tongue upwards to stop the air from going out of the mouth, our lips and teeth part a bit. Then, as it is clear in the picture, we start vibrating our vocal cords. So, this is a nasal sound. Also, note that this sound is voiced.
If you take a look at the picture (a), you can see how the lips and the teeth, are parted. However, to produce this sound properly, you must open your mouth like you are smiling.
For more comprehension, study picture (c) carefully. There, you can see clearly where exactly you have to place the back part of your tongue. The highlighted part shows the soft palate.

Which Letters are Pronounced as /ŋ/?

The sound /ŋ/ is represented by the following letters:

ng:

Example

ping-pong /pɪŋˌpɑːŋ/

something /sʌm.θɪŋ/

length /leŋθ/

n (only before the letter "k"):

Example

think /θɪŋk/

sprinkle /sprɪŋ·kəl/

debunk /diːˈbʌŋk/

link /lɪŋk/

/ŋ/ Sound in the Most Common World Languages

As you can see, the /ŋ/ sound can be found in most common languages. However, Languages like Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Italian and Turkish do not have this sound. If you use all the instructions that we have provided for you and practice a bit, you will be able to produce this sound like a native speaker in no time. Look:

Existence

Example

Mandarin

北京 (Běijīng)

Spanish

x

-

Hindi

रंग

Bengali

রঙ

Portuguese

x

-

Russian

x

-

Japanese

りんご

Vietnamese

ngà

Turkish

yangın

French

x

-

German

lang

Italian

anche

Persian

رنگ

Standard Arabic

x

-

Korean

성에

Indonesian

bangun

Filipino

mangga

Hungarian

ing

Dutch

angst

Polish

bank

Romanian

lung

Swedish

ingenting

Czech

tank

Greek

άγχος

Ukrainian

x

-

Urdu

رن٘گ

Listening

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

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