You will learn to say the lighter k, g and l beside front vowels and to tell them from the back ones. No recording is attached to this lesson, so it teaches through spelling and mouth position.
The idea
Beside the front vowels e i ö ü, the letters k, g and l are said further forward, with the middle of the tongue raised toward the hard palate: kedi, gece, gül, el. Beside the back vowels a ı o u the same letters are said further back: kapı, gaz, kol, al. The spelling never changes, so the vowel next to the letter tells you which sound to use.
| Letter | Next to a back vowel (a ı o u) | Next to a front vowel (e i ö ü) |
|---|---|---|
| k | kapı, kız, kol, kuş | kedi, kilit, köy, kül |
| g | gaz, gıda, gol, gurur | gece, gitar, göl, gül |
| l | al, kıl, kol, kul | el, il, öl, kül |
Examples
- Kedi bahçede uyuyor.The cat is sleeping in the garden.
- Göl gece çok sessiz.The lake is very quiet at night.
- Kızım gül topluyor.My daughter is picking roses.
- kedicatThe k is said with the tongue raised toward the hard palate, but it stays one quick sound: ke-di, not ki-yedi.
- külashWith the front vowel ü, k and l are both light. Compare kol (arm): the back o pulls both toward the back.
- kolarm
- elhandThe l is light because of the front e. In al (take!, red) the back a leaves the tongue low and back.
- kârprofitThe circumflex marks the light k and keeps two words apart: kâr (profit) and kar (snow).
- karsnow
- gazgasThe g stands before the back a and is said far back; compare göl, where ö brings it forward.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
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Watch out
The lighter sound is not a y and not an extra syllable: kedi is ke-di, not ki-yedi. Do not use the hard back k either: kedi with the k of kapı sounds foreign. In a few words a circumflex marks the light sound and keeps two words apart: kâr (profit) and kar (snow).
Try it yourself
Which word has the light, front k? Write it: kapı or kedi.
Show answer or example answer
kedi
kedi: the k stands before the front vowel e, so it is the light one; in kapı it stands before the back vowel a.
Which word means ash? Write it: kul or kül.
Show answer or example answer
kül
kül: ash has the front vowel ü, so both k and l are light; kul (servant) has the back u, with a back k and l.
Which word means hand? Write it: al or el.
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el
el: the front vowel e pulls the l forward and makes it light; in al, with the back a, the tongue stays low and back.
Which word has the back g, said far back? Write it: göl or gaz.
Show answer or example answer
gaz
gaz: the g stands before the back vowel a and is said far back; in göl the front ö brings it forward.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Which word has the light, front k? Write it: kapı or kedi.
Which word means ash? Write it: kul or kül.
Which word means hand? Write it: al or el.
Which word has the back g, said far back? Write it: göl or gaz.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Say these pairs aloud and feel where the tongue touches: kol and kül, gaz and göl, al and el. Then write three short sentences using words from both groups.