How to Pronounce the /r/ Sound

I'm pretty sure you've heard the /r/ sound in many different words. In this lesson, we're gonna tell you all there is about it.

How to Pronounce the /r/ Sound

In this lesson, we are going to focus on how we can produce the /r/ sound using the appropriate articulatory organs.

What Type of Sound Is /r/?

/r/ is a consonant sound in the English language.

How to Produce /r/?

how to pronounce /r/

As you can see in picture (b), the tongue plays an important role in the production of this sound. In order to produce this sound, we raise the middle part of the tongue. So, it is directed upwards, but it does not make contact anywhere in the mouth. The tip of the tongue is pointing towards the front and is lower than the middle part of it. The uvula has blocked the air passing to the nose. As you can see, the circle in the throat is red which signifies that we must vibrate our vocal cords. It is voiced, then.
As you can see in picture (a), the lips and the teeth are parted. Although the tongue is directed upwards, it does not stop the airflow. So, the air comes out of the mouth.
In picture (c), you can see clearly that the tongue does not touch anywhere in the mouth. Below, you can find all the letters that have this sound:

Park /pɑːrk/

Garden /ɡɑrd·ən/

Around /əˈraʊnd/

Sorry /sɔːri/

/r/ Sound in 17 Most Common World Languages

Below is a table of the /r/ sound in the 17 most common spoken languages around the globe:

The Languages Do You Have It? Examples
Mandarin x -
Spanish x -
Hindustani x -
Bengali আবার
Portuguese x -
Russian x -
Japanese x -
Vietnamese x -
Marathi x -
Turkish x -
French x -
German x -
Italian x -
Persian فارسی
Arabic (Standard) x -
Korean x -

Listening

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

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