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.

Let's try saying it:

/r/

/r/

/r/

Now, let’s practice the /r/ 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.

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.

Let's continue practicing

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 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.

Stay tuned!