Sound Gym
cartoon · carton · curtain
Same C-A-R-T start, different stress and vowel — /uː/ vs /ɑːr/ vs /ɜːr/
cartoon
/kɑːrˈtuːn/
long /uː/ · stress 2nd
carton
/ˈkɑːrtən/
long /ɑːr/ · stress 1st
curtain
/ˈkɜːrtən/
r-coloured /ɜːr/ · stress 1st
⚠️ Two traps in one: a stress trap and a near-homophone trap
All three start with the same four letters, C-A-R-T. cartoon stresses and stretches out the second syllable into a long /uː/. carton and curtain are the real trap — strip away the spelling and they are near-homophones, differing in only one stressed vowel: /ɑːr/ (back, open, like “car”) vs /ɜːr/(central, r-coloured, like “bird”).
noun — a simplified, often humorous illustration or animated film — 'Saturday morning cartoons' · 'a political cartoon' — 2 syllables, stress on the SECOND
mouth shape
long /uː/ — car-TOON — lips round tightly and push forward, held long — like 'moon', 'soon', 'balloon' — stress falls on this second syllable, unlike carton and curtain
cartoon
/kɑːrˈtuːn/
vowel length
noun — a cardboard or plastic container, or the box itself — 'a carton of milk' · 'a moving carton' — 2 syllables, stress on the FIRST
mouth shape
long /ɑːr/ — KAR-tən — jaw drops, tongue low and back — like 'car', 'start', 'market' — stress falls on this FIRST syllable; the second syllable reduces to a quick schwa
carton
/ˈkɑːrtən/
vowel length
noun — a piece of fabric hung to cover a window or divide a space — 'draw the curtains' · 'wait behind the curtain' — a near-homophone of carton
mouth shape
r-coloured /ɜːr/ — KUR-tən — lips slightly rounded, tongue bunched toward the middle of the mouth — like 'bird', 'turn', 'nurse' — nearly identical to carton except for this one stressed vowel
curtain
/ˈkɜːrtən/
vowel length
Stress and r-colour spotlight
carTOON
long /uː/ · stressed, 2nd syllable
CARton
/ɑːr/ · stressed, 1st syllable
CURtain
/ɜːr/ · stressed, 1st syllable
Key difference
Say carton and curtain back to back, holding your tongue position for the first syllable. For carton /ɑːr/your tongue stays low and back — like saying “car”. For curtain /ɜːr/your tongue pulls up and bunches toward the middle of your mouth — like saying “bird” or “her”.
cartoon is the odd one out: say -TOON with rounded, pushed-forward lips and let it ring on much longer than the quick, reduced endings of carton and curtain.
Example sentences
cartoon:“The kids watched cartoons all Saturday morning.”
carton:“Could you grab a carton of eggs from the fridge?”
curtain:“She pulled the curtain shut before getting dressed.”
Hear it in a sentence
“The kids watched cartoons all Saturday morning.”
“Could you grab a carton of eggs from the fridge?”
“She pulled the curtain shut before getting dressed.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
cartoon
Hear native speakers say “cartoon” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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carton
Hear native speakers say “carton” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
curtain
Hear native speakers say “curtain” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
cartoon family ▸
carton family ▸
curtain family ▸
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