The /n/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar Nasal
/n/
/n/ is a voiced alveolar nasal. To make it, the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth and the soft palate is lowered, so the air flows out through the nose. It is voiced, so the vocal folds vibrate.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| no | /nəʊ/ | /noʊ/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| funny | /ˈfʌn.i/ | /ˈfʌn.i/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| ten | /ten/ | /ten/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/n/ is told apart from every other English sound by two distinctive features.
Allophones Of /n/
/n/ has 5 allophones in the app, starting with [n], before a vowel (plain nasal). The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /n/ Sound
/n/ At The Start Of A Word
- no
- gnu
- net
- new
- nod
- nor
- now
- nun
- nut
- gnat
- gnaw
- knee
- knew
- knit
- knob
- knot
- know
- nail
- name
- nary
- nave
- navy
- near
- neat
- neck
- need
- neon
- nest
- news
- next
/n/ In The Middle Of A Word
- ant
- any
- end
- acne
- aunt
- band
- bend
- bind
- bond
- bunt
- cent
- deny
- envy
- find
- fond
- fund
- hand
- hint
- hunt
- inch
- kind
- land
- lend
- lens
- lent
- lint
- many
- mend
- menu
- mind
/n/ At The End Of A Word
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /n/ voiced or voiceless?
/n/ is voiced.
What is the place of articulation of /n/?
/n/ is alveolar, which means the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth.
What is the manner of articulation of /n/?
/n/ is a nasal, which means the soft palate is lowered, so the air flows out through the nose.
Which words have the /n/ sound?
For example no, funny, ten.
Related Sounds
The /t/ Sound, Voiceless Alveolar PlosiveThe /d/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar PlosiveThe /s/ Sound, Voiceless Alveolar FricativeThe /z/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar FricativeThe /m/ Sound, Voiced Bilabial NasalThe /ŋ/ Sound, Voiced Velar NasalThe /l/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar LateralThe /r/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar Approximant