/l/

consonant · voiced

The L Sound

as in light

How to make the /l/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the top teeth.
  2. 2Let the voice flow around the sides of the tongue.
  3. 3Silent in "salmon", "would", "calm", "walk".

⚠ The most common mistake

Mixing L and R — the classic minimal-pair problem for East Asian speakers.

Especially tricky for speakers of: Japanese, Korean, Cantonese.

Train your ear: /l/ vs /r/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying light, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /l/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More consonants

See all 44 sounds of English →