R and L are different letters with different pronunciation.
Out of interest, how do you pronounce "differently"? As "diffelently", or "differentry"?
this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
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They're different - when I say "brush" my tongue stays in the middle of my mouth against the bottom and the back spreads slightly on the r, when I say "blush" it touches the top of my teeth before flicking down on the u
They're slightly different phonemes, if you don't hear it naturally it's difficult. But if you focus hard enough on the details you can eventually learn to hear it - you have to listen intently to the comparison over and over until you can hear the difference. From there, you can practice to make the sound yourself
Need a video (or even just audio) of you saying them. I'm ultra curious at this point even after reading the other comments. In my headcannon you're like some weird Highlander with a hoarse voice that lives in an American log cabin for some reason, or an awkward smelly little twink that needs to wash your hands more.
Ah, the surprise third option: a rittle resbian boy
he's a boy AND a lesbian!? 😮😮
that made me laugh lmfaooo
i’ll send a vocaroo or something in a lil bit
What OP is neglecting to mention is they pronounce both of them "bwush :3"
uWu
R and L are what are known as liquid consonants.
They can be difficult to distinguish to the untrained ear (i.e., non-native speakers).
Oh. Kinda sounds like you're pronouncing one of these words wrong.
Or maybe both.
In most native English accents, R is pronounced by curling the tongue very significantly (more than most languages that I'm familiar with). People who aren't used to this (often people who speak English as a second language) won't curl their tongues enough, and the partially curled tongue will end up touching the roof of their mouths. This happens to be how you pronounce L, so in these accents, R and L will end up sounding the same.
Try getting into the habit of curling your tongue more when you pronounce R, and you'll end up hearing a difference
R: curl the sides of the tongue up to your upper molars
L: curl the front of your tongue up to the roof of your mouth
This is the way
Nice to know.
My language has both kinds of R. One that makes the tongue go all the way back and another one that's closer to the 'L' point but the tongue is kept looser and not touched fully, making the 'R' sound.
I tend to use the latter, ~~mainly because it's more effort to go all the way back.~~ No. Mainly, it is because everyone else around me speaks that way. But now that I know, I'll still keep speaking that way, due to the other reason.
Interesting, my approximation to an English r is more like a muted w than anything involving curling the tongue and still there's a major difference between r and l sounds. (The r in my native language is also fairly unique, possibly regional.)
Edit: Just checked with a mirror and nope: raised tongue with the sides of the tongue pressing against the upper molars and a curled tip.
Does your native language happen to be Japanese?
(Because the "L" and "R" sounds are not distinguished in Japanese)
Its b-rush and b-le-ush
They are pronounced differently you say rush or lush
Do the words “ruse” and “lose” also sound the same in your accent?
no, it’s just how i say them 💔 probably bc i usually do it after or before a word with that sound
ex: “rihanna rost” instead of lost
Reading differences in pronunciation can be difficult, but in regard to tongue placement when saying these words, when saying "blush", the tip of the tongue should press against the inside of the top-front teeth. When saying "brush", the tongue should curl back and lightly press on the inside right and left side of the back teeth.
ooohh. I pronounce both like how “brush” is said, usually before/after a word with “br”
Totally fair. I only started paying attention after hearing a podcast about how the letter "D" is pronounced in names in some other cultures. I was doing it wrong. It was a similar issue with position of the tongue when saying words like "dentist" compared to "dog".
My tongue is exactly the same with the "D" in "dentist" and "dog."