The English consonant is a letter in the English alphabet. It has many different sounds and can be used in many different ways to make words. In this blog post, we will discuss the different types of consonants and how to use them properly in your writing.
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English Consonants Types
There are two types of consonants in English: voiced and voiceless. Each type has a different sound.
Voiced consonants are made with your vocal cords vibrating. /b/ and /g/ are both voiced consonants. When you say them, your vocal cords should vibrate.
Voiceless consonants don’t have vibration from your vocal cords. /p/ and /t/ are voiceless consonants. Your vocal cords shouldn’t vibrate when you say these sounds.
Some consonants can be either voiced or voiceless depending on the word. For example, /s/ is usually voiceless, but it can be voiced in some words like “zebra.”
You can feel if a consonant is voiced or voiceless by putting your hand on your throat. If you can feel vibration, then the consonant is voiced. If you don’t feel any vibration, then the consonant is voiceless.
When two consonants are next to each other, one of them is usually voiced and the other one is voiceless. For example, in the word “stop,” /t/ is voiceless and /p/ is voiced. In the word “span,” /s/ is voiceless and /p/ is voiced.
Also Read: How to Pronounce AH Vowel?
24 Consonants Sounds with Examples
There are 24 consonant sounds in English. Let’s take a look at all of them with examples.
/b/ as in baby
The /b/ sound is made by pushing air out of your mouth. Your lips should be together when you make this sound.
Examples:
baby, ball, blue, boat
/d/ as in dog
The /d/ sound is produced by exhaling air from your mouth. The top of your mouth should be lightly brushed against your tongue.
Examples:
dog, day, door, down. etc.
/f/ as in fish
The /f/ sound is made by blowing air out of your mouth between your top teeth and bottom lip.
Examples:
fish, five, funny, etc.
/g/ as in girl
The /g/ sound is produced by expelling air from your mouth. Your tongue should rest against the base of your throat.
Examples:
girl, green, good, game, etc.
/h/ as in hat
The /h/ sound is produced when air is blown from your mouth. The tip of your tongue should not come into touch with anything.
Examples:
hat, house, happy, hear, etc.
/j/ as in joy
The /j/ sound is generated by expelling air from your mouth. Your tongue should rest against the roof of your mouth behind your teeth.
Examples:
joy, just, job, large, etc.
/k/ as in cat
The /k/ sound is made by pushing air out of your mouth. Your tongue should touch the back of your throat.
Examples:
cat, kit, kite, keep, etc.
/l/ as in love
Make a /l/ sound by pushing air out of your mouth. Your tongue should rest just behind your teeth, with the roof of your mouth beneath it.
Examples:
love, laugh, light, long, etc.
/m/ as in man
When you say “hat,” the /m/ sound is generated by pushing air out of your mouth. When you make this sound, your lips should be together.
Examples:
man, mother, Mr., map, etc.
/n/ as in no
The /n/ sound is created by expelling air from your mouth. Your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth.
Examples:
no, nine, new, now, etc.
/p/ as in pot
The sound /p/ is made by expelling air from your mouth. When you make this sound, your lips should be touching.
Examples:
pot, pig, pass, please, etc.
/r/ as in red
The /r/ sound is produced by vibrating your vocal chords and forcing air out of your mouth. Your tongue should rest against the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth.
Examples:
red, right, rain, reach, etc.
/s/ as in sun
The /s/ sound is created by expelling air from your mouth. The roof of your mouth should be lightly touched with your tongue just behind your teeth.
Examples:
sun, six, seven, sad, etc.
/t/ as in top
The /t/ sound is made by pushing air out of your mouth. Your tongue should touch the top of your mouth just behind your teeth.
Examples:
top, ten, two, take, etc.
/v/ as in van
The /v/ sound is made by vibrating your vocal cords and pushing air out of your mouth. Your lips should be together when you make this sound.
Examples:
van, very, voice, etc.
/w/ as in will
The /w/ sound is made by vibrating your vocal chords and expelling air from your mouth. When making this sound, your lips should be tightly pressed together.
Examples:
will, water, one, work, etc.
/y/ as in yellow
The sound of /y/ is made by ejecting air from your mouth. Your tongue should touch the top of your mouth approximately where your teeth are.
Examples:
yellow, yes, yesterday, young, etc.
/z/ as in zoo
The sound of /z/ is made by forcing air out of your mouth. Your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth.
Examples:
zoo, zero, zebra, etc.
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