n Sound: How to pronounce the n Sound (/n/ Phoneme)

Share This Post

This video is about the n Sound, as in:

  • and
  • in
  • not

It is a sound from the Single Consonants group.

How to pronounce the n sound

The /n/ sound is called the “alveolar nasal,” which means that you put your tongue against the ridge just behind your top teeth and the air comes out your nose.

It is made through the nose rather than the mouth and it is Voiced, which means you use your vocal chords.

It is defined by the position of your tongue, and is made with the flow of air through the mouth completely blocked and diverted to the nose.

To produce the sound, put your tongue against the ridge just behind your top teeth so that your mouth is completely blocked and voice out through your nose.

How the n sound is spelled

The n sound is spelled with the letter ‘n,’ or sometimes with a double ‘n’ as in:

  • beginning

Examples of the n sound

Here are some words that start with the /n/ phoneme.

  • know
  • now
  • need
  • number

Here are some words with the /n/ phoneme in the middle.

  • many
  • into
  • find
  • another

And here are some words that end with the /n/ phoneme.

  • can
  • between
  • woman
  • own

Improve your pronunciation

Join The Club for pronunciation tips

More To Explore

Practice the /æ/ Vowel Sound
Pronunciation

How to Practice the /æ/ Vowel sound

Lets look at how to practice the /æ/ Vowel sound. A sound that people seem to like a lot is the /æ/ sound. In IPA, the

Present Perfect vs Past Simple
Grammar

Present Perfect vs Past Simple tenses

The Present Perfect and Past Simple tenses have some similarities because they both talk about past events so they often get confused.

Do You Want To Improve Your Pronunciation?

Get our free phonetics app

Join The Club

colin munro