L & N Open the free drill

A short L & N lesson

Light or night?

Hear the first sound, notice where the air goes, then put the two words together. You can finish this page without signing up or using a microphone.

Start the four steps Watch the example

Meaning anchors: light (brightness) · 光 guāng · 光 gwong1 night · 夜晚 yèwǎn · 夜晚 je6 maan5

Listen first

The difference begins before the vowel

Both sounds use the tongue near the ridge behind the upper teeth. The useful contrast is the air path.

L

light

/laɪt/

Model prompt: “The practice word is light.”

Try: touch the ridge with your tongue tip and let air continue around its sides.

N

night

/naɪt/

Model prompt: “The practice word is night.”

Try: close the mouth path with the tongue and let the opening sound pass through the nose.

Teaching model for L showing tongue contact and air moving around the sides
L is lateral. The model shows side airflow around the tongue.
Teaching model for N showing the mouth path closed and air moving through the nose
N is nasal. The model shows the oral path closed and the nasal path open.

These are teaching models of the target gestures, not images of your mouth.

Your turn

Four steps, one small contrast

  1. 1

    Listen with your eyes closed

    Play light, pause, then play night. Listen only for the very beginning.

  2. 2

    Feel where the air goes

    Say a long llll, then a long nnnn. For N, a light fingertip on the side of your nose may help you notice vibration.

  3. 3

    Build the pair slowly

    Say “light — night” three times. Then try: “a light at night” and “a night light.” Keep the first sound clear before speeding up.

  4. 4

    Continue with more pairs

    The free browser drill adds words such as low/no, lace/nice, and lock/knock. Recording is optional until you tap the microphone button.

Continue in the free browser drill

See the whole loop

A 19-second walkthrough

Read the spoken transcript

“The practice word is light.” “The practice word is night.” The remaining sequence uses music and on-screen demonstrations.

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Teach pronunciation? If your learners struggle with a different sound contrast, see the custom bilingual mini-lesson pack.

Lesson notes

The articulation sequence follows the linked Pronunciation Snippets lesson. The audio, teaching models, and walkthrough on this page are L & N project assets.

Watch the original Pronunciation Snippets lesson · View this lesson’s source · Privacy