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    m

    The /m/ sound: m as in man

    • Consonant
    • Voiced
    • Polish

    Hear it

    in man

    Lips
    Pressed together
    Tongue
    Resting; the lips do the work
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Through the nose

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

    How to make /m/

    1. 1

      Close your lips and let the sound come through your nose.

    2. 2

      Your voice is on; hum: mmm.

    3. 3

      Fully close the lips at the ends of words: time, home.

    How /m/ is spelled

    • m
    • mm
    • mb
    • mn

    The usual mistake

    Turning a final m into /n/ or /ŋ/ so 'some' sounds like 'sun' or 'sung'; watch for it before pauses.

    Words to practise

    Say it and get scored

    Read man, summer, time, money, family aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /m/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /m/ sound?
    Close your lips and let the sound come through your nose. Your voice is on; hum: mmm. Fully close the lips at the ends of words: time, home.
    What is the most common mistake with /m/?
    Turning a final m into /n/ or /ŋ/ so 'some' sounds like 'sun' or 'sung'; watch for it before pauses.
    Which spellings make the /m/ sound?
    Common spellings include “m”, “mm”, “mb”, “mn”, as in man /mæn/, summer /ˈsʌmə/, time /taɪm/.
    Does /m/ 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.