retroflex

adjective/ˈrɛtroʊflɛks/

Frequency rank: #19,920 most common English word

Meaning

Pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the hard palate.

Illustration for the English word “retroflex”

Example sentence

The linguist explained that retroflex consonants are produced by curling the tongue tip backward toward the roof of the mouth.

Synonyms & related words

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