Minimal pair · Mexican Spanish; starter contrasts also occur widely elsewhere
Spanish /ɾ/ vs /r/Caro or carro?
Learn to hear the difference between ɾ and r in Spanish words.
Practice these sounds/ɾ/
A single tap
One brief tongue contact between vowels, as in the first set of Spanish words.
As incaro
/r/
A trill
Compare the repeated contact of the trill with the single tap, between the same surrounding vowels.
As incarro
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
The r/rr distinction is placed between vowels in every example. Caro/carro, pero/perro and coro/corro keep the rest of their sounds unchanged.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
These are not rules for every position of the letter r. Word-initial and consonant-adjacent r have their own patterns.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordcaro
/ˈkaɾo/expensivepero
/ˈpeɾo/butcoro
/ˈkoɾo/choircero
/ˈseɾo/zeromira
/ˈmiɾa/aim; intentioncarro
/ˈkaro/car; cartperro
/ˈpero/dogcorro
/ˈkoro/I runbarro
/ˈbaro/mudjarra
/ˈxara/pitcher10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.