Where Does Your Nose Sound Go? Sin vs. Sing

Tamil has nasal sounds at several places in the mouth, which actually gives you a head start here — but it's still easy to default to the familiar tongue-tip "n" for every nasal ending in English, including ones that should be made further back. Words like "sing," "long," and "going" end with the back-of-tongue "ng" sound, made by touching the body of your tongue to your soft palate, with no tongue-tip contact at all. Say "n" and notice your tongue tip pressing forward near your teeth; then say "ng" and feel your tongue pull back, touching further back in your mouth. Practice the pair "sin, sing" slowly several times, really exaggerating where your tongue lands each time. Then try "ran, rang" and "ban, bang." Since Tamil already separates sounds by place of articulation in other contexts, this distinction should click faster than it does for many learners — give it two focused minutes today and listen for the difference.