ll / ch / rh
The Sounds LL, CH and RH
Three Welsh letters have sounds English does not use: ll (llaeth), ch (bach) and rh (rhif). Each is one letter and one sound.
How It Works
Ll — llaeth (milk), Llanelli, llyfr (book). Put the tip of your tongue behind your top teeth, as if you were going to say l. Keep it there and blow air gently out past the sides of your tongue. Do not use your voice. English speakers sometimes hear it as "thl" or "cl", but it is one smooth sound.
Ch — bach (small), chwech (six), diolch (thanks). This is the rough, breathy sound at the back of the mouth in Scottish loch or German Bach. It never sounds like the ch in "cheese".
Rh — rhif (number), rhedeg (to run), rhaglen (programme). This is an r with breath in it, a bit like h and r said together. In quick everyday speech not every speaker keeps rh fully breathy, but aim for the breathy sound when you learn.
These letters can change at the start of a word. After some words, ll becomes l and rh becomes r: llyfr but dyma lyfr (here is a book). See soft mutation. You will also meet ch made from c, as in te a choffi (tea and coffee); see aspirate mutation.
Examples (6)
- Ble mae'r llaeth?
Where is the milk?
Llaeth starts with ll. Many Northern speakers say llefrith for milk.
- Llongyfarchiadau!
Congratulations!
Ll at the start, and ch inside the word.
- Mae'r ci bach yn cysgu.
The little dog is sleeping.
Ch at the end of bach sounds like the end of "loch".
- Mae'r bws yn dod am chwech.
The bus comes at six.
Chwech starts and ends with ch.
- Beth ydy'r rhif?
What is the number?
Rh at the start of rhif is a breathy r.
- Mae hi'n rhedeg bob bore.
She runs every morning.
Rh at the start of rhedeg.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The ll, ch and rh sounds are digraphs from the alphabet.
Related Patterns
Practice ll / ch / rh in Bubblegum
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