Consonants

Understand the basic sounds of English: consonants

Most words in English have one or more consonants. For example, the words at, go, and up all have one consonant sound. Some words have no consonants, such as a or I.

We create consonant sounds when the air changes as we talk.

For example: I bought a bunch of bananas.

To make the /b/ sound, press your lips together and briefly stop the air coming from your mouth.

Consonant letters

  • b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, z, (y)
  1. voiced
    • a vibration occurs when saying these consonants
    • /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /ð/, /z/, /ᴣ/, /ʤ/
  2. unvoiced
    • no vibration occurs when saying these consonants
    • /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /h/
    • /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/, /r/, /w/, /y/

Check the Pronunciation Guide for examples.

Lesson 4: Vowels