/j/ as in "yo-yo"

/j/ is a voiced palatal approximant of General American English, as in "yo-yo" and "yellow." To produce it, tongue near hard palate, glide into next vowel. Phoneme provides native-speaker audio and minimal-pair contrasts so learners can hear and practice this consonant.

How to make /j/

voiced palatal approximant — tongue near hard palate, glide into next vowel.

Sounds that learners confuse with /j/

• /j/ vs /dʒ/ — /dʒ/ as in "jar"

Minimal pairs for /j/

/j/ vs /dʒ/

/j/	/dʒ/
yet	jet
yam	jam
yell	jell
yak	jack
year	jeer
yoke	joke
yacht	jot
use	juice