R and L sounds pronunciation with Ronnie

Learn how to pronounce R and L with confidence. Ronnie is explaining their difference with word pairs.

These distinct English sounds are especially difficult for Eastern Asian speakers whose languages don’t have them. For example, Japanese blend R & L into one and never learnt them separately. While English has very different consonants and mouth shapes for each.

L

Its sound is quite easy. The mouth is open like a circle with the tongue reaching up and hitting mouth top. Practise [l] by singing la-la-la-la-la while moving your tongue up and down. No matter how crazy it may seem 🙂

R

It sounds somewhat difficult with its noise coming from the moving-in stomach. It’s good practice to pretend a pirate growling [r] out of your mouth side. The mouth here goes backwards. The problem is [r] is often mispronounced into easier [l] causing word change.

Word pairs

Practising R & L in identical words helps hear and pronounce their difference. Try checking their articulation by watching it in a looking glass.

rice (kind of food) – lice (hair bug causing itching)

right (opposite of left) – light (opposite of dark)

red (kind of color) – lead (matter earlier in pencils)

river (flowing water body) – liver (edible body organ)

arrive (come to destination) – alive (still living)