Speak American English like a Native! Your #1 Guide to the Dark L

If you have any questions about how to pronounce the Dark L in American English, THIS is your video! You'll learn how to pronounce the Dark L with drawings, videos, slow-motion shots, AND an ultrasound image of native speakers as they say the Dark L! Then you'll practice the Dark L in 9 different vowel + Dark L combinations. Watch this video - then watch it again - and learn how to pronounce the Dark L like a native speaker!
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[@danielb.2460]

What an amazing video! Definitely the best video about the dark L that's out there. Helped me a lot!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks so much for this awesome comment, Daniel! This made my day :) I'm so glad this video was helpful!

[@erolakkulak2138]

Long live the teacher!. We all actually appreciate your great effort.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Erol - Thank you! I'm so glad that you liked the video! :)

[@zerox23456]

I really appreciate your dedication! I'm confused about this issue for a long time. Thank you so much!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi TC - Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad my video was helpful! :)

[@thesmokecriminal5395]

great vid, i like how u covered every aspect of the dark l sound, keep up the good work

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi SmokeCriminal - Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you liked the video! :)

[@Gene0723]

This video is truly insightful. Thanks.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Gene - Thanks for your comment. I'm so glad the video was helpful! :)

[@accountforaccenttraining6786]

I really appreciate the level of detail in your videos! This is exactly the kind of content I've been looking for. I'm looking forward to watching this a couple of times.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

That's wonderful to hear - I'm glad you like the video!! :)

[@Svetlana5-lingua]

Thank you for the video! It will help our students❤

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Fantastic! I'm thrilled this video can help your students! Thanks for your comment :)

[@dorsar]

Thank you so much! It's definitely #1 guide to dark L. I finally understood the dark L. Words like village, middle, cold are the most difficult for me.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Dorsar - That's great to hear! I'm so glad the video was helpful! :)

[@user-cn1sp5fs5o]

That was wonderful!!! Thank you

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're very welcome, Luisa! :)

[@tonyzia535]

Excellent lecture

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Tony - Thanks! I'm glad that you liked the video! :)

[@yuanchang7819]

Great video! Dark L is really hard for me to pronounce. Your explanation help me a lot and I can gradually make this sound!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Yuan - Awesome!! That's so great to hear!! Keep practicing - it will become easier to pronounce, I promise :)

[@ramzy-6566]

This video has great information for Dark L. Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome - thanks, Ramzy! :)

[@tarciziobarros7896]

Thank you for your dedication in helping people learn a well spoken and natural English, Julie! Your videos have helped me a lot! As a Brazilian, it took me a while to realize that the dark 'L' sound was not the sound /w/. Because here in Brazil, an 'L' at the end of the syllable is pronounced with the sound /w/. And since the two sounds are "similar", we do not notice the difference, since the dark 'L' does not exist here. It is believed that in the times of Portuguese colonization, the natives who lived here could not make the sound 'L' dark, and began to use the sound /w/ , which is still used today, becoming one of the main brands of Brazilian Portuguese. In contrast, in Portugal the dark 'L' is used even at the beginning of the words.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Tarcizio - Thanks so much for your comment! Yes, I completely agree with you - in my experience working with native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, they tend to pronounce final Ls (dark Ls) as /w/ for the exact reason you mentioned. It's interesting to think about how past colonization of countries has impacted the pronunciation of languages within that country!

[@tarciziobarros7896]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Exactly, Julie! It’s very interesting these small differences in the pronunciation of countries that speak the same language. This characterizes a whole culture! A big hug!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@tarciziobarros7896 😊

[@blacknwhite6186]

Thank you for your help.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're very welcome! I'm glad this helped you! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

This video tookes more 2 hours today. Thank you. Miss. Julie.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ramzy - Yes, this video has a lot of information! Keep up the good work :)

[@ramzy-6566]

very informative video.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your comment, Ramzy! :)

[@justforcivilians1732]

this video is legend

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Just for civilians - Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you liked the video! :)

[@geraldoalvinoalvino4111]

Good job Julie,what I have to do is practice. Sleep well!!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Keep up the good work!

[@smithf9948]

This is the best video teaching for dark L pronunciation after I searched and watched the videos on youtube. Thank you very much! It is very helpful! Subscribe definitely! Hope to see more videos in the future.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi li fiorello - Thank you so much for your comment! I'm so glad that my video was helpful!! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Great video, i like the drawings, slow-motion shots, ultrasound image of native speakers , the examples and zoom to the mouth. i have to watch more to get my goal. practice makes perfect. Thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Ramzy! This video took me a long time to make, so I'm very happy that you think all of the extra things are helpful! Keep practicing - it will get easier! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Yes, it took a long time, for first time, then will be easier, in short time, every detail makes difference. Good luck.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 Thank you for your words of encouragement! :)

[@GeraldoSimoes-sh1rs]

Thanks San Diego!!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome, Geraldo!

[@ramzy-6566]

great Guide to the Dark L, Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Ramzy! I'm glad you found this video useful :)

[@joelmasamba6762]

Oh my gosh!!! I'm so surprised that you teach us this great and amazing lesson therefore keep up the good work my amazing teacher I'm not native English speaker but I'm learning every single day for me to improve my speaking 🗣️ thanks a lot.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hey Joel - Awesome! I'm so glad that this video has helped you! :) And if you would like to share your experience on my Google Business page, that would be super helpful: g.page/r/CRKVA27p84i0EBM/review This will help other students to find me on the internet! Thanks so much :)

[@Vinemaple41]

Thank you Julie, this is indeed the #1 guide for dark L!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome, Vinemaple! I'm thrilled to hear that! :)

[@American.accent.practice]

Best video on dark L in the entire internet! You're so underrated!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Tony! Your comment made my day :) And hey - it would be great if you'd share your experience on my Google Business page: g.page/r/CRKVA27p84i0EB0/review It's so helpful for other students to know my videos are helpful! Thanks :)

[@justforcivilians1732]

again absolutely flawless , must put lots of effort in it, big love from vietnam

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Just for civilians - Thanks! I'm glad this video was helpful! :)

[@Vinemaple41]

Thank you Julie, this is indeed the #1 guide for dark L! Timestamps that might be useful: 4:45 there're two parts to the dark L sound, 6:25 the 2nd part of the dark L (bringing the tongue tip up) is optional 12:35 linking the dark l to a vowel 16:05 Dark L has a strong influence on vowels 18:25 /ʌ/, /ʊ/, /oʊ/ merge into /ʊ/ when coming before a dark L, hence _Lull_ , _Bull_ and _Bowl_ rhyme (might vary from region to region)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

And thanks for the timestamps! :)

[@jacksonamaral329]

good to know it.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome! Glad you liked the video, Jackson! :)

[@smithf9948]

Wonderful video! Some words like "world vs word, feel vs fear" sounds similar but different Also how to pronounce "rl" more accurately? Hope you can show it in another video! Thank you for your gorgeous video!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi li fiorello - Thank you for your comment and your questions! :) I agree with you about the "rl" combination - it is very challenging to pronounce (even for native speakers)! I will consider adding "world vs. word" and "feel vs. fear" to my word list. I'm not sure if you're interested, but I give live lessons on the American accent each week in my Conversation Club - it would be great if you'd join, and I could give you feedback about your pronunciation. Here's the website if you're interested: offers.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/juliesconversationclub. :)

[@jacobstc]

Thus far, your discussion of the dark l is the most exhaustive on the Internet. Who else is better than you in articulatory phonetics!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Jacob - Thanks so much for your comment! I really appreciate your kind words :) And I'm glad the video was helpful!

[@austinswift9386]

I found that the dark l sound even influences the preceding vowel in different syllable. As in the word "deli" (short for delicatessen), although its syllable break is /de-lē/, it’s more like /del-ē/ in American English. In British English, the l sound is completely clear in the word I mentioned above. So, is it true that the American English tends to pronounce the l dark and blends everything together?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Aaron - thanks for your comment :) Hmmm....I don't know if American English tends to favor using a syllable structure that allows for a Dark L to happen more than a Light L. That's a great question, though - I'll have to do more research!

[@jacobstc]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent *deli* a) [`de-li] (mostly British) b) [`del°-°li] (mostly American) In b), you have an ambisyllabic /l/=[l°-°l], in which [l° is dark and °l] is light. Another example: Delaware [`de-lə-weə] (mostly British) [`del°-°lə-wer] (Some Americans)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@jacobstc Ah, very interesting! I agree with these transcriptions - I pronounce "deli" and "Delaware" in the way that you have described, using a dark L at the end of the first syllable, then using a light L as I link the two syllables together. Thank you for sharing this! :)

[@jacobstc]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Julie, I think I should spell out what I mean when I use the hyphen "-" in a transcription: For example, in a dictionary, when we see "finally" transcribed as /'faɪnəli/, it means /'faɪnə-li/ or /'faɪnəl°-°li/. Some dictionaries get rid of the /ə/ and write /'faɪnl̩i/ (with a syllabic [l̩]), which is pronounced ['faɪn°-°nl̩°-°li]. Use of the hyphen "-" as a phonetic sign: It is necessary in phonetic notation to have a means of showing 'syllable separation' for use in all circumstances where the absence of suitable marking might lead to ambiguity in the interpretation of a phonetically transcribed word. An indication of a place of syllable separation does not mean that there is any cessation of sound at that place. It means that the sound preceding the place of separation is pronounced as if it were final, and that the sound following is pronounced as if it were initial. This in turn may imply that the syllable preceding the place of separation is said with particular 'allophones' and degrees of length appropriate to final positions, and that the syllable following begins with allophones appropriate to initial positions.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@jacobstc Thank you for the information about what the hyphen means in your transcriptions. I have a much better understanding of it now! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Please turn on the cc ( closed captions ) for this videos.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! I just checked, and the captions should be there now :) Sometimes KZbin takes a little bit longer to add the captions to the videos. If you find a video that doesn't have captions, please let me know and I'll add my own to the video. Thanks!

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent for next videos, in KZbin settings you can choose ( Always show captions ) kzbin.info_playback

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 Thank you! I checked the box, so hopefully that will help :)

[@joaogoncalves-tz2uj]

this is the perfect video for a dumbbutt like me hahaha

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Joao - No worries - the Dark L sound is one of the most challenging sounds for non-native speakers to pronounce :) Keep up the practicing - it will get easier!

[@frat4788]

😍😍😍

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks Firat! I'm glad you liked the video :)

[@Madenworld]

Al ver esto y practicarlo pienso que es como si la punta de la lengua apretara hacia abajo eso hace que la lengua se retraiga hacia atras y genere The dark L

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hola Ariel - ¡Gracias por tu comentario! Sí, esto también puede ser cierto. :)

[@andrewm1811]

I found it difficult to pronuonce the dark l in the words all, fall, withdrawl and so on

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Andrew - Thanks for your comment! I agree - the Dark L is probably the most challenging sound to pronounce in American English. If you want extra help with the Dark L sound, you can come to my live English class called Julie's Conversation Club: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. It would be great to have you at the next meeting! :)

[@Amsidkdnsls]

But I've heard a lot of people from southern region say dark l as I sound that you describe some non native make .

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi AnB reacts - There are definitely differences in pronunciation across the United States, depending on where that native speaker is from :) Thanks for your comment!

[@GeraldoSimoes-sh1rs]

A kiss for girl!!

[@evermorevictorious2742]

8:30 The second part (the Light portion with the tongue tip up) is an affectation by native speakers. This is the result of their being wrongly taught in elementary schools. This practice of turning the correct dark L into a wrong light L should stop now.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Evermore - Thanks for this second comment :) I appreciate that you took the time to post this twice, and I'm glad to hear your opinion about the Dark L sound :)

[@evermorevictorious2742]

8:30 The second part (the Light portion with the tongue tip up) is an affectation by native speakers. This is the result of their being wrongly taught in elementary schools. This practice of turning the correct dark L into a wrong light L should stop now.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Evermore Victorious - Thanks for your comment :) I appreciate your opinion!