English Consonants
Consonants are sounds made by obstructing airflow in some way as it leaves the body. English has 24 consonant sounds that can be categorized by voicing, place, and manner of articulation.
About English Consonants
Consonants are classified by three main features: whether they are voiced (vocal cords vibrate) or voiceless (vocal cords don't vibrate), their place of articulation (where in the mouth they're formed), and their manner of articulation (how the sound is produced physically).
Click on any consonant sound below to see detailed pronunciation guides, mouth position diagrams, and practice examples.
Stops (Plosives)
P (pea)
Voiceless bilabial stop. Made by closing both lips and then releasing air.
B (bee)
Voiced bilabial stop. Similar to "p" but with vocal cord vibration.
T (tea)
Voiceless alveolar stop. Made by placing the tongue tip against the ridge behind the teeth.
D (Dee)
Voiced alveolar stop. Similar to "t" but with vocal cord vibration.
K (key)
Voiceless velar stop. Made by pressing the back of the tongue against the soft palate.
G (go)
Voiced velar stop. Similar to "k" but with vocal cord vibration.
Fricatives
F (fee)
Voiceless labiodental fricative. Created by pressing the bottom lip against the upper teeth.
V (vie)
Voiced labiodental fricative. Similar to "f" but with vocal cord vibration.
Voiceless TH (thin)
Voiceless dental fricative. Created with the tongue tip between the teeth.
Voiced TH (this)
Voiced dental fricative. Similar to voiceless "th" but with vocal cord vibration.
S (see)
Voiceless alveolar fricative. Made with the tongue near the ridge behind the teeth.
Z (zoo)
Voiced alveolar fricative. Similar to "s" but with vocal cord vibration.
SH (she)
Voiceless postalveolar fricative. Made with the tongue further back than for "s".
ZH (measure)
Voiced postalveolar fricative. Similar to "sh" but with vocal cord vibration.
H (he)
Voiceless glottal fricative. Produced by pushing air through an open glottis and vocal tract.
Nasals
M (me)
Bilabial nasal. Made with closed lips and air flowing through the nose.
N (knee)
Alveolar nasal. Made with the tongue against the ridge behind the teeth and air flowing through the nose.
NG (sing)
Velar nasal. Made with the back of the tongue against the soft palate and air flowing through the nose.
Approximants
L (lee)
Alveolar lateral approximant. Air flows around the sides of the tongue while the tip touches the ridge.
R (read)
Alveolar approximant. The tongue approaches the ridge behind the teeth without touching it.
W (we)
Labial-velar approximant. Made with rounded lips and raised back of tongue.
Y (yes)
Palatal approximant. Made with the body of the tongue raised toward the hard palate.