About this lesson
R and L look like a simple pair, but they use the tongue in opposite ways. For L, the tip of your tongue presses just behind your upper front teeth. For the English R, the tip touches nothing. The middle of the tongue lifts and pulls back, the sides touch your upper back teeth, your voice is on, and your lips round and flare a little.
The teachers in this mix give you checks you can use alone. A real R can be held on one breath, but a quick tap cannot. If your R comes out like oh, the tongue is too low or too loose. Switching between the two sounds helps you feel the difference, and a mirror shows what your lips are doing. After a vowel the L changes: it is made mostly with the back of the tongue, and the tip does little.
Teachers differ on details. Some describe a bunched tongue and others a curled tip, some prefer the tip up while you learn, and some accents say R only before a vowel. Use the clips for the idea and check your mouth against what you hear. Expect weeks of short daily practice, not a fast fix.
Examples from the clips
- Rachel's English shows how not to make the R, then how to hold it out with the tongue pulled up and back and the lips flared.
- Peachie Speechie, a speech therapist, explains the bunched R and what goes wrong when the tongue drops.
- Pronunciation with Emma places the L just behind the upper teeth and has you switch between L and R to feel the difference.
- Rachel's English also separates the L after a vowel, the dark L, where the back of the tongue does the work.
Questions this lesson answers
How do I pronounce the English R?
Pull the middle of your tongue up and back so its sides touch your upper back teeth, keep the tip free, switch your voice on and round your lips. It is not a tap or a trill.
How is L different from R?
For L the tip of the tongue presses just behind your upper front teeth. For R the tip touches nothing and the tongue pulls back.
Why does my R sound like oh?
Usually the tongue is too low or too loose. Keep it high and tight, and check in a mirror that you are not dropping your jaw.
What is the dark L?
It is the L after a vowel, such as at the end of a word. The back of the tongue pulls back and does most of the work, and the tip does little.
Do all English speakers say the R?
No. Some accents say R only before a vowel and others say it everywhere. Teachers in this mix teach one common way, so listen to the accent you want to match.