What is the /dʒ/ Sound?
First, let's look at a few examples of words with the English /dʒ/ sound:
- jet
- joy
- object
- major
- age
- large
According to Baruch College's Tools for Clear Speech, the /dʒ/ sound is made by doing the following:
"Place the tip of your tongue just behind the hard ridge at the front of the top of your mouth. Vibrate your vocal cords, and push air forward out of your mouth. Stop the air completely at first, and then release it. After release, the air should create friction between the tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth."
If you need more help articulating the /dʒ/ sound, check out this video to learn the correct tongue and mouth placement.
Practicing the /dʒ/ Sound
Everything you need to pronounce the English /dʒ/ sound correctly is on this page. Just follow the instructions.
What do you have to do?
Practice for 5 minutes a day for 7 days.
That’s it.
Your goal is to pronounce the /dʒ/ sound clearly and easily by the end of day 7.
Let’s do it!
This guide to the American English /dʒ/ sound is full of useful information. Click the link below to jump to the part you are looking for:
- Day 1 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 2 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 3 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 4 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 5 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 6 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Day 7 of the /dʒ/ sound
- Additional /dʒ/ sound resources
- PDF download of the /dʒ/ sound
Day 1: The /dʒ/ Sound
If you are ready, let’s start with the practice for day one.
It’s pretty simple.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /dʒ/ sound and similar sounds like /dʒi/ or /z/.
- edge - edgy
- dodge - dodgy
- page - pays
- wage - ways
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- gin - jean - June - join
- age - urge - edge
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- revenge
- lineage
- oxygen
- imagine
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- We have got to get revenge on them.
- Did you check the engine?
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- A gentle judge judges justly.
- Language challenges are dangerous.
Day 2: The /dʒ/ Sound
Just like day one, except simpler.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /dʒ/ sound and similar sounds like /z/ or /tʃ/.
- binge - bins
- jag - zag
- chin - gin
- rich - ridge
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- jar - joy - Joe - jaw
- joke - Jake - Jack - jock
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- jumper
- jungle
- marriage
- engine
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Go to adjust the oxygen levels.
- Imagine what you would have managed.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Georgia, put the orange juice into the fridge.
- Julie Jackson juggled the juicy, jiggly jello.
Day 3: The /dʒ/ Sound
Today will be the last day you only listen and repeat.
Tomorrow, you will have to start to speak.
But let’s focus on today.
Just like yesterday, watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /dʒ/ sound and similar sounds like /z/ or /tʃ/.
- change - chains
- rage - raise
- chore - jaw
- chest - jest
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- rage - ridge - Reg
- job - jab - jib - jibe
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- orange
- injure
- justice
- magic
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Where did you put the oranges?
- The jungle is a great place to see magic.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /dʒ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Jane juggles fridges.
- Judge jobs in Georgia.
Day 4: The /dʒ/ Sound
Time to speak.
You will notice that these are the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day one.
Today, your job is different.
Open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing and speak.
Watch the video to see how it works.
- edge - edgy
- dodge - dodgy
- page - pays
- wage - ways
- gin - jean - June - Jan - Jane - join
- age - urge - edge
- revenge
- lineage
- oxygen
- imagine
- We have got to get revenge on them.
- Did you check the engine?
- A gentle judge judges justly.
- Language challenges are dangerous.
Day 5: The /dʒ/ Sound
Let’s revisit the words, phrases, and sentences you practiced on day two.
Just like yesterday, open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing, and get ready to speak.
Let’s do it!
- binge - bins
- jag - zag
- chin - gin
- rich - ridge
- jar - joy - Joe - jaw
- joke - Jake - Jack - jock
- jumper
- jungle
- marriage
- engine
- Go to adjust the oxygen levels.
- Imagine what you would have managed.
- Georgia, put the orange juice into the fridge.
- Julie Jackson juggled the juicy, jiggly jello.
TIP*** Are there some words that the computer does not understand no matter how many times you say them? No worries, just skip it and move on. No one is perfect.
Day 6: The /dʒ/ Sound
You are so close to day 7.
Be proud that you have made it this far :)
In today’s lesson, let’s circle back to the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day three and practice saying them aloud.
Again, open up a Google Doc and let’s get started.
- change - chains
- rage - raise
- chore - jaw
- chest - jest
- rage - ridge - Reg
- job - jab - jib - jibe
- orange
- injure
- justice
- magic
- Where did you put the oranges?
- The jungle is a great place to see magic.
- Jane juggles fridges.
- Judge jobs in Georgia.
Day 7: The /dʒ/ Sound
Congratulations!!!
You have made it to the very last day of this /dʒ/ sound practice course.
Do you feel like your pronunciation of this sound is improving?
Let’s finish with a simple, but challenging exercise.
Just like you did on days 4, 5, and 6, open up a Google Doc and enable voice typing.
This time, try to get the technology to recognize these six tongue twisters.
- A gentle judge judges justly.
- Language challenges are dangerous.
- Georgia, put the orange juice into the fridge.
- Julie Jackson juggled the juicy, jiggly jello.
- Jane juggles fridges.
- Judge jobs in Georgia.
Now, turn voice typing off and try to say each tongue twister as fast as possible.
Watch the video to learn how to go through this exercise.
Additional Resources: The /dʒ/ Sound
Words with /dʒ/ sound
| Beginning | Middle | End |
| jet | object | age |
| joy | major | large |
| jaw | reject | page |
| jug | magic | huge |
| jazz | tragic | edge |
| joy | major | cage |
| join | project | cabbage |
| jelly | rejoin | marriage |
| journal | injure | beige |
| jeep | pajama | stage |
| job | subject | strange |
| justice | magic | sponge |
| judo | manager | orange |
| jumper | oxygen | manage |
| jacket | agent | revenge |
| jockey | engine | voyage |
| janitor | origin | fridge |
| judge | agency | range |
| jungle | urgent | surge |
| joke | imagine | lineage |
Minimal Pair Collection
Minimal Pair final /dʒ/ and /dʒi/ edge edgy*
edge - edgy
dodge - dodgy
beige - beigy
barge - bargy
orange - orangy
stage - stagy
range - rangy
dinge - dingy
sponge - spongy
village - villagey
Minimal Pair /ʤ/ and /z/ page pays
page - pays
wage - ways
binge - bins
jag - zag
change - chains
rage - raise
strange - strains
gip - zip
wage - ways
budge - buzz
Minimal Pair /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ cheap jeep
chin - gin
rich - ridge
chore - jaw
chest - jest
chunk - junk
cheap - jeep
char - jar
cherry - jerry
catch - cadge
batch - badge
Vowel Collection
gin - jean - June - Jan - Jane - join
age - urge - edge
jar - joy - Joe - jaw
joke - Jake - Jack - jock
rage - ridge - Reg
job - jab - jib - jibe
Syllable Stress Collection
- revenge
- lineage
- oxygen
- imagine
- jumper
- jungle
- marriage
- engine
- orange
- injure
- justice
- magic
Reduced Sounds Collection
- We have got to get revenge on them.
- Did you check the engine?
- Go to adjust the oxygen levels.
- Imagine what you would have managed.
- Where did you put the oranges?
- The jungle is a great place to see magic.
Tongue Twister Collection
- A gentle judge judges justly.
- Language challenges are dangerous.
- Georgia, put the orange juice into the fridge.
- Julie Jackson juggled the juicy, jiggly jello.
- Jane juggles fridges.
- Judge jobs in Georgia.
Additional Resources
- Tools for Clear Speech /dʒ/ profile
- Rachel’s English Video on the /dʒ/ sound
- American English Pronunciation consonant sound /dʒ/
- TEFLpedia /dʒ/ sound
Additional Activities for All Sounds
Practice Three Words
Answer the following question:
What do you like to do in your free time?
Pick one, two, or three words from the word bank and include them in your response. If it helps, you may write out the example sentences with the word in context first.
Youglish Research
Visit the Youglish website. Pick a word or phrase you would like to practice. Enter it into the Youglish search bar. Find three examples of the word or phrase in context to shadow.
Teacher Time
During your next English speaking practice session with a teacher or conversation partner, have a list of three to five words you would like to use. Give yourself a point every time you use the word correctly in context and it is understood. Aim to score 5 points within the first 10 minutes (so the rest of the time you focus just on communicating).
Voice Typing
Write out three sentences with challenging words or phrases. Use Google Docs or any other software with the ability to turn speech to text. Read these sentences aloud and check to see if your pronunciation is correct.
***There are a ton of possibilities. These are just a few ideas. Use the word bank, tongue twisters, example sentences, and other resources on this page to continue to work on this sound.
If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments below. I read and respond to all of them.
Download the PDF version of this 7-day mini-course.
Plus the PDF-version of every single English sound for free.
