These two sounds are tough and many non-native speakers mix them up. The good news is: they are very different, so if you focus on the mouth position, you should be able to get them straight. Test yourself on how well you know the mouth positions in this video.
YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
I’ve recently done a video to help you understand the difference between the R and the L consonant sounds. In this video, you will get the opportunity to practice those sounds. You will hear a word pair, and then you will be given time to repeat the word pair. When you are repeating the words, you will see a photo of either the R or the L consonant sound. I urge you to practice this with a mirror and to watch your mouth, and study to make sure that it is taking the correct position for either the R or the L consonant sound.
Wrap, lap. Rain, lane. Rest, lest. Rate, late. Write, light. Rent, lent.
Now you’ll hear word pairs where the R or L consonant sound comes at the end of the words. Cobble, robber. Apple, dapper. Label, later. Battle, batter. Shovel, shudder. Frank, flank. Grass, glass. Brain, blame. Broke, blown. Press, please. Creep, clip. Sorrow, shallow.
Now you will hear word pairs where the R and the L consonant sounds are reversed. So make sure that you are doing the L at the right spot and the R at the right spot. Rail, lair. Real, leer. Role, lore. Rule, lure.