fly · fry How to hear the difference

What's different

The f is only breath, so the L or R is the first voiced sound in the word. In fry, the lips round as they leave the f, and the "ai" starts dark, a little like f-w-ai. In fly, the tongue tip lets go at once, and the "ai" starts bright and clear.

After that first instant, both words share the same long "ai" glide. Don't wait for the end, because by then the two sound alike: listen to the start, and try Slow if it goes by too fast.

研究： Logan et al. 1991 · Lively et al. 1993 · Lively et al. 1994 · Bradlow et al. 1997 · Bradlow et al. 1999