SpeakMetry
    Start free
    k

    The /k/ sound: k as in key

    • Consonant
    • Voiceless
    • Polish

    Hear it

    in key

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Back of the tongue up to the soft palate
    Voice
    Off: only air
    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 /k/

    1. 1

      Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate.

    2. 2

      Block the air and release with a puff, no voice.

    3. 3

      Remember it hides in many spellings: c, k, ck, ch, qu.

    How /k/ is spelled

    • k
    • c
    • ck
    • ch
    • qu

    The usual mistake

    Weak aspiration so 'coat' sounds like 'goat', or dropping it in clusters like 'asked' /ɑːskt/.

    Words to practise

    Say it and get scored

    Read key, school, back, quick, economy aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /k/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /k/ sound?
    Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate. Block the air and release with a puff, no voice. Remember it hides in many spellings: c, k, ck, ch, qu.
    What is the most common mistake with /k/?
    Weak aspiration so 'coat' sounds like 'goat', or dropping it in clusters like 'asked' /ɑːskt/.
    Which spellings make the /k/ sound?
    Common spellings include “k”, “c”, “ck”, “ch”, “qu”, as in key /kiː/, school /skuːl/, back /bæk/.
    Does /k/ 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.