American English sound
/dʒ/: how to pronounce “j” in jump, age and bridge
/dʒ/ is the “j” of jump, age and bridge: the voiced partner of the ch in chip. The tongue closes like for d, then releases into the zh of vision.
It's spelled j, but also g before e, i and y (age, giant, gym), dge (bridge), and d in words like soldier and education.
/dʒ/
the “j” sound
How to make the sound
- 1Touch the front of your tongue to the area just behind the gum ridge, as for d.
- 2Round your lips slightly.
- 3Turn your voice on and release in one quick movement into “zh”.
- 4At the end of a word, keep the voice: age is not “aitch”.
- Tongue
- tip-palatal
- Lips
- rounded
- Voice
- voiced
Hear it in words
Tap a word to hear it.
At the start
In the middle
At the end
How it's spelled
- j: jump, job, enjoy
- g before e, i, y: age, giant, gym
- dge: bridge, judge, knowledge
- d (some words): soldier, education, schedule
Common mistakes
Saying the y of yes: “yet” for jet
Some Spanish and Arabic speakers mix /dʒ/ and /j/. For /dʒ/ the tongue closes first; for /j/ it doesn't.
Saying zh: “zhump” for jump
French and Portuguese speakers often drop the closure. Start with the tongue against the ridge, like d.
Losing the voice at the end: “aitch” for age
Keep the buzz to the end of age, large and bridge.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs by one sound. If both words sound the same when you say them, practice this pair.
Try it
“George enjoyed the juice and jam at the large bridge.”
Record a sentence and get a score for every sound, /dʒ/ included. Free, no account.
Questions
Why does the IPA write the j sound as /dʒ/?
Because it's two sounds in one: a d released into the zh of vision. In the IPA, /j/ is the y of yes, which confuses many learners.
When is g soft?
Usually before e, i and y: age, giant, gym, energy. But get, give, girl and begin keep a hard g.