Hello there!
This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video we're going to talk about the American consonant sound /k/,
as in the word "key."
You can also hear this sound in words like
"king" - "can"- "lack" or "queen."
We'll be using a special phonetic symbol - /k/ - for this sound.
The /k/ is one of six sounds in the stop consonants category.
Although this may seem like an easy sound to pronounce,
it's probably more complicated than you think.
Let's find out why.
We'll start with reviewing what we learned in the Stops Sounds Overview video.
The /k/ is made by stopping the air with the back of your tongue in your throat.
The /k/ is a voiceless sound.
It has a voiced counterpart,
the consonant sound /g/.
In American English
aspiration is important for the pronunciation of all stop sounds,
and the /k/ is no exception.
The /k/ sound is made with a strong puff of air at the beginning of words and syllables.
At the end of words,
the /k/ follows the final stop rule and is not aspirated.
The /k/ is also unaspirated after the /s/ consonant.
Listen to the following examples:
Now that you've reviewed the essentials,
let's find out how to make the /k/ sound.
Slightly open your mouth and leave your lips in a neutral position.
Now you have to stop the air in your mouth.
Let's take a closer look at how to do that.
Raise the back of your tongue toward your throat.
Next, stop the air with the back of your tongue
and then release it with a strong puff.
If you make this sound correctly,
you'll hear a burst of air: /k/.
Now, let's try saying it:
Ok, time to practice this sound in some words.
Let's start with the /k/ sound at the beginning of words.
Don't forget to make a strong puff of air when you pronounce it.
This is how the practice works.
As always, you'll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation.
Like this.
You'll have a few seconds to pronounce the word.
♪
Do you best and practice as many words as possible!
This is the only way to learn to speak with an American accent.
Let's begin!
Let's pause here for a second and review the final stop rule:
"When stop sounds are found at the end of words and syllables,
they are not aspirated."
This is what we'll practice with the next group of words.
Great job!
Now you'll practice words with the /k/ sound after the /s/ consonant.
Remember,
in this position, the /k/ is pronounced without a puff of air.
Let's do it!
You're done!
Congratulations!
By the way,
did you know that even though the /k/ sound has its own letter 'K',
that's not how it's written most of the time?
Yes, that's right.
This sound is most often written with the letter 'C',
as in the words "cat," "cot," "cut" or "club."
It's only in 16% of words
that the sound /k/ is written with the letter 'K',
as in the word "key," or "drink"!
Sometimes the /k/ is represented by the combinations of letters, such as
"ck" as in the words "rock" or "back",
'ch', like in the words 'ache" or "school"
and "cc", like in the words "hiccup" or "occur".
The next combination is rare but so cool that we thought it'd be wrong not to mention it!
It's the 'QUE', like in the words "unique" or "technique".
If you like this video, let us know!
Click "Like" and share it with your friends!
Don't wait too long, come back and practice!