Pronunciation · consonant
The /m/ sound — m as in man
In short
/m/ is a bilabial nasal — the consonant you hear in man, summer, time. It is voiced: your vocal cords vibrate while you make it. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.
How to pronounce /m/
- 1Close your lips and let the sound come through your nose.
- 2Your voice is on — hum: mmm.
- 3Fully close the lips at the ends of words: time, home.
/m/ in words — with audio
Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.
- man/mæn/ · sound is initial
- summer/ˈsʌmə/ · sound is medial
- time/taɪm/ · sound is final
- money/ˈmʌni/ · sound is initial
- family/ˈfæməli/ · sound is medial
The mistake almost everyone makes
Turning a final m into /n/ or /ŋ/ so 'some' sounds like 'sun' or 'sung' — watch for it before pauses.
Spellings of /m/
These letter patterns commonly spell /m/: m mm mb mn. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked 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.
Next step
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