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    Pronunciation · consonant

    The /ŋ/ sound: ng as in sing

    In short

    /ŋ/ is a velar nasal, the consonant you hear in sing, thinking, long. 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 /ŋ/

    1. 1Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate, the /k/ /ɡ/ position.
    2. 2Let the sound come through your nose.
    3. 3Do NOT release into a g or k afterwards: 'sing', not 'sing-guh'.

    Sounds like: the hum at the end of 'song', made at the back of the mouth

    /ŋ/ in words, with audio

    Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

    • singsɪŋ · sound is final
    • thinkingˈθɪŋkɪŋ · sound is medial
    • longlɒŋ · sound is final
    • languageˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ · sound is medial
    • somethingˈsʌmθɪŋ · sound is final

    The mistake almost everyone makes

    Adding a hard g or k after it ('singer' → 'sin-ger', 'thing' → 'think') or fronting it to /n/ ('working' → 'workin'). It never starts an English word.

    Who struggles with this sound:

    Spellings of /ŋ/

    These letter patterns commonly spell /ŋ/: ng n(k) n(g). English spelling is unreliable; trust the IPA, not the letters.

    Don't confuse it with…

    Minimal pairs isolate the exact contrast, the fastest way to train both your ear and your mouth.

    Words that drill /ŋ/

    Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a recording drill. Practising a sound inside a real word transfers better than practising it alone.

    interestingIN-truh-stingcroissantKWAS-onReadingRED-ing

    Browse the whole word bank

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    Frequently asked questions

    How do you pronounce the /ŋ/ sound?
    Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate, the /k/ /ɡ/ position. Let the sound come through your nose. Do NOT release into a g or k afterwards: 'sing', not 'sing-guh'.
    What is the most common mistake with /ŋ/?
    Adding a hard g or k after it ('singer' → 'sin-ger', 'thing' → 'think') or fronting it to /n/ ('working' → 'workin'). It never starts an English word.
    Which spellings make the /ŋ/ sound?
    Common spellings include “ng”, “n(k)”, “n(g)”, as in sing /sɪŋ/, thinking /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/, long /lɒŋ/.
    Does /ŋ/ matter for IELTS?
    Yes. This is a high-priority sound. Errors here frequently change one word into another, which examiners hear as reduced clarity (the exact Band 6 wording is “mispronunciation … reduces clarity at times”).

    Next step

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