English Pronunciation 👄 – Consonant - /l/ - 'light', 'valley' and 'feel'

This is a consonant sound. You can hear it  at the beginning of the word 'light', in the  

middle of the word 'valley', at the end of  the word 'bell', and at the beginning and  

end of the word 'level'. Now, you try. Listen  and repeat: 'light', 'valley', 'bell', 'level'. OK.

Speakers of some languages may find it  difficult to tell the difference between  

this sound and another consonant. Now, listen  carefully to hear the difference between the  

following two words and watch the position  of my mouth: 'light', 'right', 'light', 'right'. I make  

the /l/ sound with the front part of my tongue  behind my teeth, and I make the /r/ sound  

by making my lips come out and pulling my tongue  back. Now, listen to some examples and watch the  

shape of my mouth: 'lead', 'red', 'clash', 'crush', 'climb',  'crime', 'lice', 'rice', 'lock', 'rock'. Now, you try. Listen  

again and repeat after me: 'lead', 'red', 'clash', 'crush', 'climb',  'crime', 'lice', 'rice', 'lock', 'rock'. OK.

In English, /l/ at the beginning of the  syllable is a bit different from /l/  

at the end of a syllable. Listen carefully: 'leaf', 'feel', 'leaf', 'feel', and  

'let', 'tell', 'let', 'tell'. Did you hear that  little difference? listen again:

Now for some speakers of English, this can  change the vowel a little bit - listen again:  

'loaf', 'foal', 'loaf', 'foal' and 'loot', 'tool', 'loot', 'tool', Now, this can actually make the /l/

sound disappear at the end of a syllable.  So, I can say pal or pal I can say pill  

or pill mile mile milk milk cold cold so  be careful there's a bit of a difference