Hear Thai consonants and vowel length

Thai distinguishes plain and aspirated stops: an aspirated consonant has a puff of air. In the course’s reading hints, kh, th and ph describe that puff, not separate k+h, t+h or p+h syllables. th does not mean English “th”, and ph does not mean f.

Vowel length can distinguish words. Keep a long vowel audible instead of shortening it to match English habits. Listen to the look/scold pair below: both length and tone differ, so it is a first listening encounter, not a pure length-only test.

A consonant can have a different sound at the end of a syllable. Final stops close without an extra vowel or a strong released puff. You will practise these endings before using them in tone calculations.

Listen to crow and leg for the puff of air, then look and scold. Length and tone can both differ. Tap play and echo the whole word.