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    /l/ vs /r/: light vs right

    The /l/ vs /r/ contrast carries pairs like long/wrong, collect/correct and glass/grass. For speakers of Japanese, Korean and some Chinese varieties it is the single highest-impact consonant contrast to master.

    • High impact
    • 8 pairs
    • Three voices

    1 / 10

    Which word do you hear?

    See the difference

    For /l/ the tongue tip firmly TOUCHES the ridge behind your teeth; for /r/ it curls up and touches NOTHING while the lips round slightly. Touch vs no-touch is the whole difference.

    l

    as in light

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Tip on the ridge behind the top teeth
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Flows round the sides of the tongue
    Learn l

    r

    as in right

    Lips
    Pushed forward, rounded
    Tongue
    Tip curls up, touching nothing
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Flows freely through the mouth
    Learn r

    All 8 pairs

    In a sentence

    Hardest for speakers of

    Questions

    What is the difference between light and right?
    light /laɪt/ uses the /l/ sound while right /raɪt/ uses /r/. For /l/ the tongue tip firmly TOUCHES the ridge behind your teeth; for /r/ it curls up and touches NOTHING while the lips round slightly. Touch vs no-touch is the whole difference.
    Which learners find the /l/ vs /r/ contrast hardest?
    It is most challenging for Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese speakers, whose first languages don't separate these two sounds.