Below is a list of words that vary only by one having the sound /d/ and the other having the sound /ʤ/.
You can use this list to practise the sounds, or as a list of words to be careful in pronouncing.
/ʤ/ is an explosive sound that is like a voiced version of /ʧ/ and therefore quite a lot of air is expelled from a rounded mouth. /d/ is a voiced version of /t/ and so the sound is made with your tongue behind your top teeth.
Elementary
bad badge
day J
Pre-Intermediate
dam jam
deep jeep
dim gym
dog jog
do Jew
door jaw
head hedge
paid page
Intermediate
dear jeer
debt jet
dive jive
dob job
dot jot
Ds geez
dug jug
dump jump
dust just
weighed wage
Upper-Intermediate
CAD cadge
charred charge
dale jail
damn jam
day jay
deans jeans
dig jig
din gin
dunk junk
led ledge
mid midge
raid rage
seed siege
sled sledge
wed wedge
Advanced
barred barge
bud budge
dab jab
dangle jangle
dell gel
dink jink
dinks jinx
dissed gist
dock jock
dosh josh
doss joss
doused joust
dread dredge
ford forge
gored gorge
pled pledge
purred purge
rid ridge
Alex Case is the author of TEFLtastic and the Teaching...: Interactive Classroom Activities series of business and exam skills e-books for teachers. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer, director of studies, and editor in Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Greece, Italy, UK, Korea and now Japan. He has published a book with Macmillan and hundreds of articles, reviews, lesson plans and worksheets with Onestopenglish, Modern English Teacher and many others. In addition to contributing articles and teaching ideas to Tefl.NET, Alex for many years edited Tefl.NET Book Reviews.
