/j/

consonant · voiced

The Y (yes) Sound

as in yes

How to make the /j/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Raise the tongue front high, close to the palate.
  2. 2Glide into the following vowel.
  3. 3Hidden in "few" (= "fyoo"), "university" (= "yoo-"), "onion".

⚠ The most common mistake

Hardening it to J: "year" → "jeer".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish (Río de la Plata), Swedish.

Train your ear: /j/ vs //

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

Practice: Record & Compare

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

Practice words with /j/

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

More consonants

See all 44 sounds of English →