Nasals
How to pronounce /ŋ/ NG as in sing
singthinkinglong
How to make it
Back of the tongue up, sound out through your nose. No hard G at the end.
- Tongue
- Back rises and seals the roof
- Lips
- Open and relaxed
- Voice
- Buzzing out through the nose
Watch the mouth
Back of the tongue up to the roof, sound out through your nose.
Where learners slip
- Arabic speakersUsually split into n + g instead of one nasal sound.
- Portuguese speakersTurned into a nasal vowel instead of a clear NG.
- Chinese speakersFinal N and NG swap places — sing can land as sin.
- Russian speakersSplit into n + g instead of one nasal sound.
- Turkish speakersSplit into n + g instead of one nasal sound.
- Persian speakersSplit into n + g instead of one nasal sound.
Say it on real English. See if it lands.
Lang Shadow scores /ŋ/ every time you say it — in Shorts, in role plays and in your own words — and colours it next to the other 40 sounds.