So now we’re going to talk about the N-sound. It’s a nasal alveolar sound.

THE SOUND

The N-sound is produced through the escape of air from the nose instead of the mouth. So, one of the key things to pay attention to is that air is not escaping through the mouth. It is a alveolar sound meaning the tongue position is the same as for the S-sound and Z-sound.

Unlike the S-sound, where you push air out of your mouth, squeeze the air between the tip of your tongue and the top of your mouth, the air is instead allowed to escape up through the nasal cavity and out of the nostrils. You should feel some resistance in the nose.

For the N-sound /n/, the sound is voiced(the vocal cords vibrate while producing it).

Verbal cues

Exaggerate your /N/ sound at first. Because it is a fricative sound, the /N/ is a continuous consonant and can be held for several seconds. Try holding the N-sound for 5 seconds.

HUNNNNNNNNN HUNNNNNNNNNNN HUNNNNNNNNNNN

Remember that the tongue tip contact should be light against the alveolar ridge. Harsh pressure is not needed and not helpful.

Visual Cues

Remember to keep the tongue tip position behind the teeth. If you look at a mirror, the tongue should be kept hidden behind the teeth and should not be visible in your reflection.

Because the N-sound is a nasal sound, you should be able to visually see a tissue move in the air if you hold it near your nose. This visual cue can show you whether air is moving through your nose or not.

Tactile Cues

If you need help finding the alveolar ridge for your tongue to contact during this sound, run your tongue along your upper teeth. Then, slowly retract your tongue backward into your mouth you find the border of your tooth teeth and the hard roof of you mouth. That is the alveolar ridge.

If you need tactile cues to ensure you are directing air through the nose, you should be able to feel a subtle vibration at your nostrils.

THE SOUND IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS.

Here's the sound in different positions of a word.

BEGINNING OF THE WORD - knife, new, night, knowledge, numb

MIDDLE OF THE WORD - donor, anniversary, blanket, different, blind

END OF THE WORD - done, ton, line, kiln,

(some of these words have letters come AFTER the N-letter but remember, we’re paying attention to the final sound, not final letter. In those situations, those following letters are silent e.g. ‘done’).

SITUATIONS THAT SEEM LIKE THE SOUND BUT AREN'T

MN

column, autumn, hymn, condemn, damn - notice how the N-sound is silent. Instead, we actually pronounce this word like ‘CALL-um’

Unfortunately, you CANNOT assume MN-letter combinations always mean a silent N-sound. For example ‘damnation’ is pronounced dam-NAY-shin, ‘hymnal’ is pronounced HIM-nil, and ‘autumnal’ is pronounced ‘aw-TUM-nil’ In each case, you pronounce the N-sound.

A good trick is to consider the sound that comes AFTER the MN-letter combination.

When a vowel follows the MN-letter combination, we pronounce the N-sound.

When a consonant follows the MN-letter combination, the N-sound is more likely to remain silent. For example, ‘columns’ and ‘solemnly’. When the next sound after the MN is a consonant sound, we usually do not pronounce the N.

NG

sing, rang, tongue, spring

In the case of the NG-letter combination, be wary that it is not the N-sound but a NG-sound instead. Although it has the N-letter, it is not the same thing as having the N-sound. I’ll be covering the NG-sound in the future but just note that the NG-sound in words like ‘king’, ‘sing’, and ‘ring’, is not actually the N-sound.

WHY IT MAY BE HARD

It can be hard to know WHEN to pronounce the N-sound and when not to. The N-sound is a fairly common amongst languages so it should not be a novel sound to many people...but if it is, here’s what to do.

WHAT TO DO

So let's say you do have trouble with your N-sound. What can you do about it.

Well here are the features of the N-sound.

Place of articulation - Between your tongue tip and the alveolar ridge (the ridge behind your top teeth). Your tongue should lightly contact the alveolar ridge.
Manner of articulation - nasal (air is allowed to escape through the nose and if you concentrate, you may feel this airflow through the nostrils)
Voiced or unvoiced - voiced (this means the vocal cords vibrate while producing the N-sound)

The vocal cords vibrate so when you feel your neck while you make the N-sound, it will buzz.

Remember for nasal sounds, the velum and uvula are relaxed so air can escape into the nose. For oral sounds, the velum and uvula are lifted upward and seal off the route through the nose.

TIPS & EXTRA CONSIDERATIONS

1. try building the skill from humming first.

NNNNNNNNN

Similar to the humming warm-up exercise for the M-sound, you can build on the hum and transform it into an NNNNNN sound.

HMMMMMMMM

Now, continue the MMM sound but open your mouth and put your tongue on the alveolar ridge. Air should still be directed through the nose. This is the mouth position for the N-sound.

Then, build on that sound for words.

NNNNNNNN + Nice = NNNNNNNNNice

NNNNNNNN + New = NNNNNNNNNew

NNNNNNNN + Neigh = NNNNNNNNNeigh

NNNNNNNN + No = NNNNNNNNNo

2. know the different N-sound combinations

KN

knowledge, knew, knight, knit, knob - the KN-letter combination at the beginning of a word equals a N-sound.
breakneck , banknotes, sickness - the KN-letter combination equals separate and distinct K + N sounds. Because the K and N are in separate syllables, they are not pronounced as one single sound.
unknown, acknowledge, pocketknives, unbeknownst - the KN-letter combination at the middle of a word equals a N-sound because the KN-letter combination are the beginning of a new syllable.

MN

condemn, damn, hymn - the MN-letter combination at the end of a word equals a M-sound only.
damnation, hymnal - the MN-letter combination BEFORE a vowel equals separate and distinct M + N sounds. Because the M and N are in separate syllables, they are not pronounced as one single sound.
unknown, acknowledge, pocketknives, unbeknownst - the KN-letter combination at the middle of a word equals a N-sound because the KN-letter combination are the beginning of a new syllable.

N/NN

winner, unnoticed, panning - the NN-letter combination equals a N-sound. This is no different from the single N-letter.
diner, lint, nine

I’m breaking down every single sound down for you so that you can learn how to produce each sound in English accurately. Sometimes, we’ll have easier sounds and sometimes we’ll have harder sounds.

If you’ve grasped this sound, then great! But if you’ve got a tip that might work for others, or you took a while to produce this sound correct but something clicked for you, let me know down below in the comments. My goal is to have a community know what to do when they’re stuck!

The N-Sound