Ng-sound

Foundations

In words such as lång and sjunger, ng represents the single nasal sound /ŋ/, like the end of English sing. The same sound also has other spellings in Swedish.

How It Works

The Swedish ng-ljud, /ŋ/, is commonly written ng, but this is not its only spelling. Before k, n normally represents /ŋ/, as in bank. In words such as lugn and regn, gn represents /ŋn/.

Think of the sound at the end of the English words 'sing', 'long', or 'thing'. It's a single, smooth sound produced in the back of your throat and nose. In the ordinary ng spellings illustrated here, pronounce one nasal sound without adding a separate hard g. Letter sequences across a compound boundary or in foreign names need to be considered separately.

For example, the word lång (long) is not pronounced 'lån-g', but with one continuous 'ng' sound at the end.

In ordinary native Swedish words, this sound occurs inside or at the end of a word, rather than initially.

Practice it alongside the sj-sound and the tj-sound.

Examples (5)

  1. lång

    long

  2. sjunger

    sings

    Word by Word: sing-s

  3. pengar

    money

  4. ingenting

    nothing

  5. en gång

    one time / once

    In the word 'gång', the 'ng' is a single sound.

Common Mistakes

  • Pronouncing 'n' and 'g' as two separate sounds.

    sjung-er (with a hard 'g' sound)
    sjunger

    The letters 'ng' combine to make a single sound. It should sound like the end of the English word 'king', not like the middle of the word 'finger' where the 'g' is pronounced separately.