These are the "heavy" and pharyngeal letters — the trickiest in Arabic. Take your time with each one.
The Emphatic Letters: ص ض ط ظ are the "heavy" versions of س د ت ذ. They are pronounced with the tongue pressed against the back of the palate, creating a "dark" sound. The pharyngeal letters ع and غ are produced deep in the throat — don't worry, listening and practice will get you there!
ص #14 — Sad
صَاد
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ص Sound: Emphatic "s"
Heavy version of (س)
ص صـ ـصـ ـص
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: صَلَاة
Salāh — prayer
ض #15 — Dad
ضَاد
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ض Sound: Emphatic "d"
Arabic is called "language of the ض"
ض ضـ ـضـ ـض
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: رَمَضَان
Ramadān — the holy month
ط #16 — Ta'
طَاء
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ط Sound: Emphatic "t"
Heavy version of (ت)
ط طـ ـطـ ـط
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: طَهَارَة
Tahārah — purity
ظ #17 — Dha
ظَاء
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ظ Sound: Emphatic "dh/th"
Heavy version of (ذ)
ظ ظـ ـظـ ـظ
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: ظُهْر
Dhuhr — noon prayer
ع #18 — Ayn
عَيْن
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ع Sound: Voiced pharyngeal
Constrict throat + voice — unique to Arabic
ع عـ ـعـ ـع
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: عِبَادَة
'Ibādah — worship
غ #19 — Ghayn
غَيْن
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غ Sound: French "r" or gargle
Back of throat (like Parisian R)
غ غـ ـغـ ـغ
iso · ini · med · fin
Example: غَفُور
Ghafūr — All-Forgiving
Heavy Letters vs Their Light Counterparts
Heavy Letter Light Counterpart Key Difference
ص س Emphatic "s" — tongue presses hard, darkens vowels ض د Emphatic "d" — unique to Arabic, unique sound ط ت Emphatic "t" — all vowels become darker/deeper ظ ذ Emphatic "dh" — darkened voiced version