The American L

The American L is another tricky sound, in addition to the American R, because it can be difficult to hear in words, especially in conversation. One might not be able to tell if the speaker is producing the sound at all, their brain fills in the cracks. However, if the speaker pronounces it differently than a native speaker, the listener will notice that.

How to Produce the American L

Unlike the R, The American L does have oral landmarks, making it relatively easy to learn. The sound is produced with the front of the tongue (where the tongue blade starts to get wider just behind the tongue tip) behind the top teeth and slightly back. To practice, place your tongue in the right spot and hold out ‘llll.’ Now add a vowel after it: “lie, lay, low, lou, lee.”

Languages other than English that have the L sound, may have a different production. For instance, the L may be produced with the tongue more forward or farther back. Speakers may use more or less force, making the sound more or less pronounced.

Light vs. Dark L

Technically, there are two types of L, the light and the dark. The light L is another word for a word that starts with L, as in light, lemonade, and lake. The dark L is when a vowel comes before it, so basically the medial or final positions of words as in ball, balloon, melt, candle.

With the light L, the front of the tongue starts out just behind the top teeth. With the dark L, there is a schwa (‘uh’ sound) just before it. Because of this, the front of the tongue is a bit farther back and the middle part of the tongue is raised. The dark L will feel farther back in the mouth than the light L.

The exact positioning may be influenced by the specific vowels that precede it. For example, oo as in “pool” is a back vowel and causes the lips to round. However, with the example ee as in “eel,” the mouth is only slightly open and the tongue is more forward.

L Blends

To add one more layer, there is something called an L blend. This is when a consonant comes before or after the L as in clown, chalk, black, or milk. For words /l/ blends, it’s best to address this sound individually in the initial, medial, and final positions of words before practicing in blends.

What sounds are difficult to produce? Let me know below