/ŋ/

LISTEN

/ŋ/…/ŋ/…/ŋ/…/ŋ/

hang…long…strongly…things

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /ŋ/ is a velar, nasal consonant. 

  • Touch your soft palate (the soft part of the roof of your mouth) with the back of your tongue.
  • Let air flow out of your nose.
  • Your vocal cords should vibrate.

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

Spelling:

  • “ng” – ring
  • “n” (before /k/ or /g/)  – pink, finger

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: This class is boring​. The movie was exciting.

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. tang, B. tag
2. A. hung, B. hug
3. A. bang, B. bag
4. A. single, B. seagull
5. A. rings, B. rigs
​6. A. longing, B. logging

Practice recognizing words with /ŋ/ and /g/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

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 /n/ in these words.

1. A. long, B. lawn
2. A. things, B. thins
3. A. hanged, B. hand
​4. A. forgiving, B. forgiven​
5. A. singer, B. sinner
6. A. winging, B. winning

Practice recognizing words with /ŋ/ and /n/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

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. belongi​ng 

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:

Male – US Midwest (St. Louis)

Male – US Midwest (Iowa)

Male – US Midwest

Female – US Northeast

Female – US Southeast

USE IT

Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

Prepare:
What kinds of little things make you angry? Choose from the list below.

  • Being hungry for too long
  • Feeling powerless
  • Thinking about injustice
  • Someone singing aloud in public
  • Hearing someone say your name the wrong way
  • Someone telling you about the song stuck in their head
  • Being blamed for something you didn’t do
  • Crying babies
  • Someone taking the place that you wanted in a parking lot
  • Arguing with your siblings (brothers and sisters)
  • Failing
  • Seeing someone be mean to another person

Record:
In your recording, describe 3 things that make you angry and explain why they make you angry.

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