SINK or SING? English pronunciation listening practice and ear training with minimal pairs (ng & nk)
Many English learners have difficulty hearing and pronouncing consonant cluster endings that don't exist in their native languages.
One such ending is /ŋk/ and the end of words like "sink" and "think", which. This activity is intended to help you hear how this sound is distinct more clearly using minimal pairs.
This video has samples of the minimal pair words 'sink' (/sɪŋk/)
and 'sing' (/sɪŋ/),. The only difference in the pronunciation of these words is the ending /ŋk/ and /ŋ/.
Listen to each word and decide if you are hearing the word 'sink', which ends with the consonant cluster /ŋk/, or 'sing', which ends with the consonant /ŋ/. Pause the video if you need more time. Each sample will play three times. On the third time you will see the correct answer. See how many you can get right!