- In Spanish, the letter N represents two different sounds:
- When it is followed by a velar sound like /g/, /k/, or less frequently /x/ (as in "un jamón") or /w/ (as in "un hueso"),
it represents the velar sound /N/.
- In all other cases, it represents the alveolar sound /n/.
- In English, however, it is possible to pronounce an /n/ before a /k/ or a /g/. This is especially true
when a word begins with a prefix like "in-" or "un-" (as in incredible, income, unkind, uncommon),
or when two words are joined together (as in mankind, painkiller, sunglasses), but it also happens in other words
(melancholic, engage, ingredient, enquire).
-
Nevertheless, most English words are similar to Spanish in this respect, and they are pronounced with
/N/ when an N is followed by /g/ or /k/. The G is usually not pronounced
when it is at the end of a word, as in "thing", "bang", "long", and sometimes when followed by a vowel, as in "singer".
In some other words it is pronounced, as in "finger", "fishmonger", or "younger". When it is followed by a consonant,
it is always pronounced, as in "hungry" or "angry".
- You must also remember that the letter "g" also represents a different sound: /dZ/,
as in "danger", "angel" or "orange"; in these words, the "n" is pronounced as an "ordinary" alveolar /n/.
Now, do this exercise to put these rules into practice.
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JJCC