English Pronunciation, Lesson 28 - Y Consonant Sound (2025)

EnglishPronunciation, Lesson 28

The Y consonant soundcanbe difficult to learn for some English language learners. This isbecause the letter Ycan be pronounced as a vowelor a consonant in English. In this lesson, you willlearn about the Yconsonant sound and how it is different from the Y vowelsounds.

ClickHere for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

The Yconsonant sound(IPAsymbol: j)can be found in AmericanEnglish words such as yes,you, yesterday, young, beyond, and kayak.

In English, the letter Y can be a consonant sound or a vowel sound.

Consonant: Theletter Y is a consonantsoundwhen it is at thebeginningof a word (yes)or is the firstletterin the syllable before a vowel (beyond = be/yond).

Vowel:

The letter Y is a vowelsoundwhen it is at the end of aword(happy) or anywhereelse in the syllable(gym, crying).Inthis lesson, we will practice the Yconsonant sound. But first, let'slook at the Y vowel sounds, so youknow the differences.

Y as a vowel sound

When the letter Y is used as a vowel, it makes other vowel sounds. Itcan also be part of a diphthong.A diphthong is a speech sound that begins with one vowel sound and endswith another vowel sound in the same syllable.

Here are some words where the letter Y makes a vowel sound:

• gym,myth = shortI sound
• dry,flying =long Isound
• happy,party = longE sound
• say,play = longA sound
• boy,toy = diphthong(long O sound followed by a long E sound)

You can practice these sounds with the lessons found here: AmericanEnglish Pronunciation.

Now, let's look at the Yconsonant sound.

How to pronounce theY consonant sound

To make the Y consonantsound, the middle part of your tongue comesforward and presses against the roof of your mouth near the top toothridge. The tip of the tongue will lightly touch your bottom teeth. Yourjaw will be almost closed when you make this sound. Your lips will beloose. The Y sound is a verbal sound, so your vocal cords vibrate and make thesound.

In this video, Rachel shows us how to make the Y consonant sound:

Practice the Y consonant sound

Remember, the letter Y is a consonant sound if it is at the beginningof a word or the first letter in a syllable. It is most commonly foundat the beginning of the word.

Practice the Y consonant sound bysaying these words out loud:

• year
• yes
• yard
• you
• young
• your
• yellow
• yell
• yogurt
• yawn
• beyond
• kayak
• canyon

Now say these sentences out loud. The Y consonant sound is in boldprint.

1) Did youpaint it yellow?

2) Youyawnwhenyouare tired.

3) Areyougoing to eat theyellowyogurt?

4) Youlookyoung.Whatyearwereyouborn?

5) Yes,you canyell in the canyon.

6) Your kayak floated beyond the canyon.

Have you finished this lesson? Keep practicing the words and sentences to master this sound.

Let's move on...

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