Are ł and l different sounds in Polish?

Yes. l is a regular “l” (lekarz). ł is a labial glide (ładny). They sit next to each other in the alphabet, but the ear never confuses them.

How can I quickly check my ł?

Record “Gdzie jest łazienka?” in Jak Polak practice — the breakdown will show if you substituted a hard “l”.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Polish ł

Polish ł looks like an “l”, but sounds completely different — closer to English w in water. This “ł” is often what gives a non-native speaker away in the first seconds of a conversation.

Typical mistake

Learners often press the tongue to the upper teeth and get a hard “l”. A Pole hears the difference immediately — even if everything else is correct.

How to make the sound

01Round your lips as for “oo”, but don’t purse them into a tight tube.
02Drop the tongue — it should not touch the palate or the teeth.
03Exhale through the rounded lips. You’ll get a soft “w”-like sound without a clear vowel.
04Practice on łazienka, miło, gdzie — ł appears in the middle and at the end.

Practice words

łazienka
bathroom — “wazienka”
miło
nicely — “miwo”
gdzie
where
mówić
to speak — “muvich”

Questions

Are ł and l different sounds in Polish?: Yes. l is a regular “l” (lekarz). ł is a labial glide (ładny). They sit next to each other in the alphabet, but the ear never confuses them.
How can I quickly check my ł?: Record “Gdzie jest łazienka?” in Jak Polak practice — the breakdown will show if you substituted a hard “l”.

Check ł out loud

Record a phrase with this sound — the AI teacher will tell you if you landed it.

Open Practice