Suffix speed trap
If you say the word "SINGING", do you hear a hard, snapping "G" sound anywhere in the word?
No, both G's are completely silent.
/ˈsɪŋ.ɪŋ/ (No g in the transcription)
Look at the words "RIM" /rɪm/ and "RIN" /rɪn/. What is the physical difference in how you close your mouth to say them?
"Rim" closes the lips; "Rin" uses the tongue.
To finish "rim," /rɪm/ your upper and lower lips must press tightly together. To finish "rin," /rɪn/ your lips stay open while the tip of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth.
When you say the word "KNEE" , which letter is your mouth completely ignoring?
The "K" is completely silent.
Your mouth completely skips the k. The very first thing your mouth does is put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth to make the "N" sound.
Transcription: /niː/
When you say the word "BANK" /bæŋk/, is your tongue hitting the front of your mouth (like in the word "no") or the back of your throat?
The back of your throat.
Even though it is spelled with an "N", your tongue takes a shortcut to the back of your mouth to get ready for the "K" sound, making an "NG" sound instead.
We can easily start a word with an "M" sound ("MAN" /mæn/) or an "N" sound ("NO" /noʊ/). Why can't we start an English word with the "NG" sound /ŋ/?
Because English brain rules completely ban it.
It isn't a muscle problem; it's a software rule in our brains. English only allows the "NG" sound at the end of words, never at the start.
Look at the word "JUNGLE". Does the "G" stay silent like in "singing," or do you have to physically pop it out?
No, you fully speak the /G/.
/ˈdʒʌŋ.ɡl̩/ there's a /ŋ/ but the g is pronnounced separatedly.
If you hold a tissue right in front of your lips, which word makes the tissue fly forward at the very end: "SLAM" or "SLAP"?
SLAP.
"Slam" /slæm/ lets the air vibrate continuously and smoothly through your nose. "Slap" /slæp/ completely blocks the air at your lips and then releases it all at once in an explosion of air.
Look at the word "COLUMN" Which letter at the very end of the word does your voice completely delete?
The "N" is completely silent.
The word ends entirely on your lips. Your lips press together to make the "M" sound, and you stop talking right there. Your tongue never moves.
Transcription: /ˈkɒl.əm/
Say the word "MONK". Does the middle sound feel like the "N" in "man" or the "NG" in "song"?
The "NG" in "song".
Your tongue completely skips the front of your mouth and stays trapped in the back of your throat to make the word easier to say.
Transcription:
/mʌŋk/
/mæn/
/sɒŋ/
When English speakers try to say the Vietnamese last name "NGUYEN" /ŋwǐən/, what physical mistake do they usually make?
They accidentally add a vowel or a hard "G" to the front.
Because our English brain software hates starting a word with "NG", we try to cheat by saying "N-guyen" or "Win" to make it feel normal.
These two words look almost identical. In which word is the "G" completely silent: "HANGER" or "ANGER"
In HANGER.
/ˈhæŋ.ə(r)/
/ˈæŋ.ɡə(r)/
"Hanger" comes from the action word hang, so it keeps the silent G.
What do your vocal cords do at the end of "SIN" that they do NOT do at the end of "SIT"?
They keep vibrating continuously.
When you say "sin" /sɪn/ your throat keeps humming and buzzing the entire time. When you say "sit" /sɪt/ your vocal cords cut out early to make a quiet, sharp /t/ click.
Spell the name of the tiny, biting bug: "GNAT". Which letter is the silent trap?
The "G" is completely silent.
You start speaking directly with the "N" sound. Your throat does not make any clicking "G" sounds at the start.
Transcription: /næt/
Look at the huge word "CONGRATULATIONS". Focus on that very first part: "CON-". Is your tongue at the front of your teeth or the back of your throat?
The back of your throat.
Because a hard "G" comes next, your tongue refuses to move forward. It stays glued to the back of your throat, making it sound like "Cong-ratulations." /kəŋˌɡrætʃ.əˈleɪ.ʃənz/.
When you say "BUTTON" quickly, what happens to the vowel in the second half of the word?
The vowel completely disappears.
We don't say "But-ton." We say "But-n." /ˈbʌt.n̩/ We swallow the vowel entirely, and the "N" sound becomes the whole second half of the word all by itself.
When you say the word "YOUNGER", do you say it like "singer" (silent G) or does a hard "G" sound wake up?
The hard "G" wakes up.
/ˈjʌŋ.ɡə(r)/
/ˈsɪŋ.ə(r)/
What is the difference between sing and sink besides that both use /ŋ/?
"Sing" /sɪŋ/ stays sealed in the throat and air exits the nose. "Sink" /sɪŋk/ forces the tongue to snap down and pop air out of the mouth.
Look at the words "MEMENTO" and "MOMENT". In which of these two words does the middle sound switch from an "M" (lips closed) to an "N" (tongue on the roof of your mouth)?
In MEMENTO.
In "moment," /ˈmoʊ.mənt/ your lips close twice. In "memento," /məˈmen.toʊ/ your lips close for the start, but for the middle sound, your lips stay open while your tongue hits the roof of your mouth.
Look at "INCOME" or rather and "INSIDE". Both words start with the prefix "IN-". In which word does your tongue betray the spelling and make an "NG" throat-sound instead of a normal "N"?
In the word INCOME.
In "inside," /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/ your tongue stays at the front. In "income," /ˈɪŋ.kʌm/ because the next sound is a "C" (which is made in the throat), your tongue stays in the back to save time.
Look at the word "RHYTHM" /ˈrɪð.m̩/. It has absolutely no vowel letters at the end. How do our lips make a second syllable out of it?
The "M" sound acts as the vowel.
You go straight from the "TH" sound into a long, closed-lip "M" hum. That hum carries the whole last beat of the word.
If you say the massive word "CLANGINGLY" how many times does your tongue make a hard, popping "G" sound?
Zero times
No matter how many endings you glue onto a word like clang, the "G" stays totally silent.
Because of how our voice box treats trailing sounds, you hold the vowel slightly longer in one of these words. Which word has the stretched-out vowel: "SEND" /send/ or "SENT" /sent/?
SEND.
English speakers naturally stretch out vowels when the next sound is heavily voiced and vibrating (like "D"). We cut the vowel short when a sharp, quiet sound (like "T") is coming up next.
The "N" in "AUTUMN" /ˈɔː.təm/ is silent. What happens to that "N" if you change the word to "AUTUMNAL"?
The silent "N" wakes up and you have to say it.
By adding "-al" to the end, you can no longer skip the letter. Your lips close for the "M" and then your tongue immediately hits the roof of your mouth to say the "N."
Transcription: /ɔːˈtʌm.nəl/
Look at "UNTIED" and "UNCOMFORTABLE". Both words start with "UN-". In which word does the "N" stay at the front of your mouth, and in which word does it run to the back of your throat?
It stays at the front in UNTIED /ʌnˈtaɪd/, and goes to the back in UNCOMFORTABLE /ʌŋˈkʌm.ftə.bl̩/ .
In "untied," the "T" keeps your tongue at the front. In "uncomfortable," the "C" pulls your tongue straight to the back of your throat.
When people say "WARMTH" $[wɔːmpθ]$, they often accidentally say a letter that isn't there, making it sound like "warmp-th." Why does this happen?
Air gets trapped behind your lips.
Moving your mouth from an "M" (lips closed) to a "TH" (tongue on teeth) is hard. Your lips build up air pressure, and when they open, they make an accidental "P" pop sound.