The German 'g' in consonant clusters
Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'g' appears as the first letter in a consonant cluster at the beginning of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 1: 'g' + consonant in initial position |
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Glas
(glass) |
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gleich
(same, equal) |
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Glück
(happiness) |
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grau
(grey) |
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groß
(big) |
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grün
(green) |
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Note in particular that the initial 'g' in a 'gn-' consonant cluster is pronounced even when this occurs at the start of a word. This is also true of the 'kn-' cluster. Listen to the following words by either clicking here or on the sound icon on the left and contrast the initial sound with how this would be pronounced in English:
Sounds 2: 'gn' and 'kn' in initial position |
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Gnom
(gnome) |
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Gnade
(mercy) |
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Knie
(knee) |
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Knecht
(vassal) |
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Kneipe
(pub) |
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Knopf
(button) |
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The consonant sound 'ng'
The '-ng' consonant combination is pronounced in a manner that is similar to its English equivalent in words such as 'thing' and 'bring'. Although it is not represented by a single letter of the alphabet, '-ng' constitutes a distinct consonant, and it is described as a velar nasal. This means that it is formed in the soft palate (velum) towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue pressed against the velum. It is described as 'nasal' because the sound is expelled through the nasal cavity and not the oral tract.
This sound can cause difficulties for native English speakers because, although English also has the 'ng' consonant, there are two varieties of this in English. There is a noticeable difference in the way that the words 'finger' and 'ringer' are pronounced in English. If you say them to yourself, you will notice that these two words do not quite rhyme. There is an extra 'g' sound in 'finger' (and words such as 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger') that is not articulated in 'ringer' (and words such as 'singer' and 'longing').
Only one form of the '-ng' consonant sound exists in German however. It does not have the extra /g/ phoneme that we find in 'finger', 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger', which means that care needs to be taken with the pronunciation of their German equivalents "Finger", "jünger", "länger" and "Hunger".
It is when the '-ng' consonant sound appears in the middle of a word that English speakers need to pay the most attention. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words in which the 'ng' sounds appears in the middle of a word, and compare it to how you might articulate the word in English. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 3: 'ng' in medial position |
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Hunger
(hunger) |
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abhängig
(dependent) |
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singen
(to sing) |
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Finger
(finger) |
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Menge
(amount) |
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the sound '-ng' occurs in final position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation:
Sounds 4: 'ng' in final position |
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lang
(long) |
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Wohnung
(apartment) |
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Meldung
(announcement) |
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Ring
(ring) |
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Frühling
(spring) |
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streng
(severe) |
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How to pronounce German 'g' in loan words
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