The Letter G

In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter G. It is the seventh letter of the English alphabet.

The Letter 'G' in the English Alphabet

G is the seventh letter of the English alphabet. It is also a consonant.

Consonants are the letters that are produced by stopping the letter from flowing easily.

Uppercase Form G
Lowercase g
Name gee (pronounced /ˈdʒiː/)
Sounds /ɡ/, /dʒ/, /Ø/

Pie Chart of 'g' Pronunciation in American English

The Letter G: Sounds

The letter 'G' has three sounds.

Sound 1: /ɡ/

'G' generally sounds /ɡ/:

goose /ɡuːs/

gargoyle /ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/

game /ɡeɪm/

Sound 2: /dʒ/

The letter 'g' only before 'i', 'e', or 'y' sounds /dʒ/:

giant /ˈaɪənt/

ginger /ˈɪnər/

geology /iˈɑːləi/

vegetable /ˈvetəbl/

Sound 3: /Ø/

'g' before 'h' sounds /Ø/ (no sound, silent) as in:

through /θruː/

neighbor /ˈneɪbər/

night /naɪt/

'gn' sounds /n/, so 'g' is silent /∅/:

foreigner /ˈfɔːrənər/

design /dɪˈzaɪn/

gnat /næt/

Tip!

Loanwords from French having 'g' are pronounced /ʒ/:

rouge /ruːʒ/

genre /ˈʒɑːnrə/

beige /beɪʒ/

The Letter G: Multigraphs

Letter G can also appear in combinations with other letters (mainly consonants):

gg

'gg' commonly has two sounds:

  • /ɡ/
  • /dʒ/

1. 'gg' generally sounds /ɡ/:

juggle /ˈdʒʌɡl/

goggle /ˈɡɑːɡl/

jogger /ˈdʒɑːɡər/

2. 'gg' also sounds /dʒ/:

exaggerate /ɪɡˈzæəreɪt/

suggest /səɡˈest/

gh

'gh' commonly has three sounds:

  • /ɡ/
  • /f/
  • /Ø/

1. 'gh' generally sounds /ɡ/:

ghost /ɡoʊst/

yoghurt /ˈjoʊɡərt/

dinghy /ˈdɪŋɡi/

2. 'gh' after 'u' also sounds /f/:

laugh /læf/

cough /kɔːf/

roughage /ˈrʌfɪdʒ/

3. 'gh' also sounds silent /Ø/ when they follow 'ou':

drought /draʊt/

borough /ˈbɝː.oʊ/

although /ɑːlˈðoʊ/

ng

'ng' commonly has three sounds:

  • /ŋ/
  • /nɡ/
  • /ndʒ/

1. 'ng' sounds /ŋ/:

sing /sɪŋ/

camping /ˈkæmpɪŋ/

boomerang /ˈbuːməræŋ/

king /kɪŋ/

2. 'ng' also sounds /nɡ/:

engulf /ɪnˈɡʌlf/

ungainly /ʌnˈɡeɪnli/

3. 'ng' sounds /ndʒ/:

sponge /spʌndʒ/

angel /ˈeɪndʒəl/

ngue

'ngue' sounds /ŋ/:

tongue /tʌŋ/

meringue /məˈræŋ/

gn

'gn' commonly has two sounds:

  • /nj/
  • /ɡn/

1. 'gn' sounds /nj/ in loanwords:

champignon /tʃamˈpɪnjən/

lasagna /ləˈzɑːnjə/

2. 'gn' also sounds /ɡn/:

signature /ˈsɪɡnətʃər/

agnostic /æɡˈnɑːstɪk/

dg

'dg' sounds /dʒ/:

lodger /ˈlɑːər/

fridge /frɪ/

hedge /he/

The Letter G: Uses

The letter G can be:
• An abbreviation of 'gram; grams'
• An abbreviation of the term gravitational force in aerospace

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