R and L sound test plus B vs V and TH vs S, in 18 words
Hear a word, then pick which of two you heard. There are 6 words each for L and R, B and V, and TH and S, in the same audio as the app. At the end you see which sounds your ear already tells apart and which it still hears as one.
18 words · about 2 minutes · free, no sign-up
Turn your sound on. Headphones help.
The three pairs in the test
- L vs RHearing L and R apart
R has a darker, rounded ring. L sounds lighter and clearer.
See the words → - B vs VHearing B and V apart
V has a soft buzz before the vowel. B starts with a small pop.
See the words → - TH vs SHearing TH (think) and S apart
TH is a soft, flat breath. S is a sharp hiss.
See the words →
How to read your score
Every question has two answers, so guessing alone gets about half right. A score of 3 out of 6 on a pair means your ear isn't separating those two sounds yet. It doesn't mean you're halfway there.
A low score doesn't mean your hearing is bad. Your ear has tuned itself to the sounds of your first language, and it files both English sounds under one of them. That tuning can be retrained: in a 1994 high variability phonetic training (HVPT) study by Lively and colleagues, Japanese learners got better at hearing L and R in three weeks of practice.
Practice for a few weeks, then take the test again and compare. The words are picked at random each time.
Start hearing the difference.
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