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Core Russian online

Russian Language Essentials

Part 3

Lesson 28

Consonant assimilation / Ассимиляция согласных: оглушение и озвончение

Russian pronunciation includes the consonant assimilation rule. It applies to those consonantes that are members of the voiced-voiceless pairs learned in Lesson 27.

In accordance with this rule, such a consonant in certain positions transforms into its counterpart, so that a voiceless consonant becomes a voiced one and vice versa.

A voiced consonant is pronounced like its voiceless counterpart

at the end of a word
before a voiceless consonant

зуб [зуп] tooth

лев [леф] lion

друг [друк] friend

сад [сат] garden

нож [нош] knife

глаз [глас] eye

ло́жка [ло́шка] spoon

за́втра [за́фтра] tomorrow

ска́зка [ска́ска] fairy tale

The consonants й, л, м, н, р always remain voiced regardless of their position in the word because they do not have voiceless counterparts.

DRILL 3

A voiceless consonant is pronounced like its voiced counterpart before a voiced consonant.

сде́лать [зде́лать] to do

вокза́л [вагза́л] railroad station

футбо́л [фудбо́л] football

The consonants х, ч, щ, ц always remain voiceless regardless of their position in a word because they do not have voiced counterparts.

DRILL 4

Before the consonants л, м, н, р (that are always voiced) and before the consonant в the voiceless consonants are not voiced: сло́во [сло́ва] word, кры́ша [кры́ша] roof, смех [смех] laugh, свет [свет] light, фра́за [фра́за] phrase.

DRILL 5

Since a preposition and the following word form a single phonetic word, the processes of voicing and devoicing take place in such word combinations as well: из па́рка [ис па́рка] from the park, в саду́ [ф саду́] in the garden, под сто́л [пат сто́л] under the table; с гор [з гор] from the mountains, от ба́нка [ад ба́нка] from the bank.

To check the pronunciation of these words click on them.

DRILL 6

DRILL 7