Consonant Sound / r / as in "run"- American English Pronunciation

Learn how to pronounce the consonant sound /r/ used in words like "rate," "dry," or "read."
Improve your American accent with two phonetic exercises recorded by a professional speech therapist.
Practice pronunciation of the /r/ consonant sound in everyday words.
Enjoy a surprise bonus as a reward for watching this video till the end!

Learn more here: https://soundsamerican.net/

Quick Links:
• Consonant sound /r/, as in "run:" 00:00
• How to make the consonant sound /r/: 01:05
• Pronunciation exercise 1: 02:22
• Pronunciation tip: 04:25
• Pronunciation exercise 2: 04:43

Related videos:
#AmericanPronunciation #ConsonantSounds #LiquidSounds
►Consonant Sound /l/ as in "let": https://goo.gl/oYxUMG
►Pray or Play? Rain or Lane? American English Pronunciation:
https://goo.gl/SV9e3w
►Advanced American Pronunciation Exercise for /r/ and /l/ sounds, as in "curriculum" : https://goo.gl/yyiO0Y
►Pronunciation of American English Vowel Sounds: https://goo.gl/Epg4gV
►Advanced pronunciation exercises. Contrasting Vowels: https://goo.gl/A777MK

►R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɝ / as in "first"- American English Pronunciation: https://goo.gl/4vudhf
►R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɚ / as in "after"- American English Pronunciation: https://goo.gl/S3Ko5r

[THIS VIDEO HAS ENGLISH, SPANISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, AND PORTUGUESE SUBTITLES]
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TRANSCRIPT

Hello there! This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video, we're going to talk about the American consonant sound /r/, as in the word "run."
You can also hear this sound in words like "read," "tree," "from" or "break."
We'll be using a special phonetic symbol - /r/ - for this sound.

The /r/ sound is found in most languages (with a few exceptions.) But the American /r/ is quite different.
Non-native speakers often mispronounce the American /r/ sound. They trill, tap, or even replace it with other sounds such as /l/, /d/, or /t/.

Keep watching to learn how to pronounce the American /r/ and practice it in words.

Ok, you should never trill the American /r/, like this: /r/.
To make the sound correctly, let's start by opening your mouth a little and slightly rounding your lips.
It's very important to focus on the position of your tongue when you're making the /r/.
Raise the front of your tongue toward the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth, but don't touch it. By the way, if you don't know what the alveolar ridge is, that's where the pointer is right now.
Next: curl back the tip of your tongue.
Now slightly lower the center of your tongue and raise its back.
Your tongue should be tensed.
Remember, the tip of your tongue should be curled back and it should never touch the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth.
Now, let's try saying it: /r/, /r/, /r/.

[Pronunciation Exercise]

Now, let's practice the /r/ sound in some words.
You'll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation. Like this.
You'll have a few seconds to pronounce the word. Repeat each word after the speaker, this is the most important part of the exercise.
Let's begin.

• race
• rack
• raft
• rag
• rail
• rain
• rake
• ram
• ran
• rang
• rank
• rap
• rash
• rat
• rate
• raw
• ray
• read
• real
• reap
• red
• rent
• rest


Let's pause here for a second and check on how you are making the /r/ sound.
The tip of your tongue should be curled back and raised towards the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth. Remember, you should not touch it.

[Pronunciation Exercise]
Let's continue practicing.
• crab
• crew
• crop
• crow
• cry
• drag
• draw
• drip
• drop
• drum
• dry
• free
• frog
• from
• fry
• grab
• gray
• Greg
• grew
• grip


You're done! Congratulations!

By the way, did you notice that in the words that you've just practiced, the /r/ never followed a vowel?
That's because a vowel sound followed by the /r/ consonant sound becomes an r-colored vowel.
R-colored vowels are a characteristic feature of an American accent. But that's a topic for future videos on our Sounds American channel.