The 34 Elemental Sounds of Russian


  • LECTURES
  • DRILLS
  • AMA

Everything we say in Russian is made from a combination of the sounds below.  For each possible sound, we review how it is made in the speech organ and how it sounds.  To help you tune your ear to a specific sound, I have provided word lists for you to download and listen to closely.  

The drills listed below are meant to address both general speech issues and problems specifically related to the Russian language. Don't get frustrated if you don't accomplish the goals of the drills right away - everything just takes a bit of repeated practice and rest.

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Primary Vowels/a//i//u///e//o/
Secondary Vowels/æ//ɛ//ə//ɵ//ɐ//ɨ/
Labial Consonants/m//p//f//v/
Alveolar Consonants/n//t//d//s//z//l/
Palatal & Velar Consonants/k//g//j/
Tricky Alveolar Consonants/t͡s//&//+//ɫ/
Tricky Palatal & Velar Consonants/ʂ//ʐ//ɕ//t͡ɕ//x/

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