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    ɡ

    The /ɡ/ sound: g as in go

    • Consonant
    • Voiced
    • Polish

    Hear it

    in go

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Back of the tongue up to the soft palate
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Stopped, then released in a small burst

    The sound on its own: recording by Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Credits

    How to make /ɡ/

    1. 1

      Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate.

    2. 2

      Release with your voice on.

    3. 3

      Keep it voiced at word ends: 'bag', not 'back'.

    How /ɡ/ is spelled

    • g
    • gg
    • gu
    • gh

    The usual mistake

    Devoicing at the end of words so 'bag' becomes 'back' and 'dog' becomes 'dock'.

    Hardest for speakers of

    Words to practise

    Say it and get scored

    Read go, again, bag, government, argue aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /ɡ/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /ɡ/ sound?
    Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate. Release with your voice on. Keep it voiced at word ends: 'bag', not 'back'.
    What is the most common mistake with /ɡ/?
    Devoicing at the end of words so 'bag' becomes 'back' and 'dog' becomes 'dock'.
    Which spellings make the /ɡ/ sound?
    Common spellings include “g”, “gg”, “gu”, “gh”, as in go /ɡəʊ/, again /əˈɡen/, bag /bæɡ/.
    Does /ɡ/ matter for IELTS?
    It is a polish-level sound: errors are audible but rarely stop a listener understanding you. IELTS scores intelligibility, not perfection; prioritise the contrasts that change word meaning.