AMERICAN CONSONANTS
Consonants are the shaping sounds of American English. They are made by stopping or controlling the airflow with the tongue, lips, or other parts of the mouth.
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Where vowels flow freely, consonants create structure. They help define words, mark the beginning and end of syllables, and make speech clear.
Unlike vowels, consonants are usually made by touching or bringing parts of the mouth very close together — for example, the lips, the alveolar ridge (the small bump behind the top front teeth), or the soft palate. Because of this, consonants can often be felt physically as you pronounce them.
For that reason, pay close attention to where your tongue and lips are placed, whether the sounds are voiced or voiceless, and how the air moves. Listen carefully to the modeling audio and focus on correct placement before trying to speak quickly.
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NOTE: Phonetic symbols are used to describe the sounds below. Memorizing the symbols is not important, but they are necessary for having a point of reference and you may be pointed to specific sounds to work on if you send in an audio sample for evaluation. Feel free to make your own notes or symbols for each of these sounds--whatever helps you remember the target sound!
You may use the menu on the right to navigate to specific sounds.
*This feature is unfortunately unavailable on mobile devices at this time.*
Voiced or Voiceless?
Voiced or voiceless...consonants will fall into one of these two categories. What does it mean? Quite simply, a voiced consonant is produced with sound or vibrations from your vocal folds, whereas a voiceless consonant is produced only with air. The easiest way to feel this is to place your fingers on your throat while you speak. If you feel vibration, it’s voiced! If not, it’s voiceless.
Many consonants come in pairs. The same action can often produce a voiced and voiceless consonant. Therefore, you often get a two-for-one deal in your practice. But be aware that there are a few consonants that will not come as a pair—such as the nasal and approximate sounds.
Plosives
​Plosives, or stops, are often some of the easier consonants in American English to learn. They are made by completely blocking the airflow at a specific point in the mouth. Air pressure builds behind the blockage, and then it is released suddenly in a small burst of sound.
These sounds are defined by both their point of articulation (where they are made in the mouth) and whether the voice is on or off.
American English has six plosives. They are organized below by point of articulation.
[p] and [b] - The Lips
These plosives are made by bringing the lips together and allowing air to force them apart in a release of sound.
[p] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [p] within words
Peter, pot, parrot, apartment, open, lap, stop
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
She picked the pink flowers apart.
Don’t stop planning the party please.
He's under deep pressure because of potential politics.
[b] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [b] within words
Bob, book, baby, rabbit, table, job, cab, web, globe
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Bob bought a big blue bag.
The baby grabbed a rubber ball on the table.
She billed for the job and booked a cab back.
[t] and [d] - The Alveolar Ridge
The point of contact for these plosives is made by bringing the tongue to the alveolar ridge (the little bump behind your top front teeth).
[t] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [t] within words
Tom, time, teacher, attempt, hotel, obtain, cat, seat, light
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Tom took a ticket at the station.
The talk of the town is totally untrue.
She sent a note and left it on the seat.
Sometimes our consonants will have different qualities. Notice the /t/ sound usually has a “puff” of air along with the sound, called aspiration. But in conversation, there are many times when we stop the air, but we don’t let it out. This is called an unreleased stop and is a very natural occurrence in American English. Playback the audio and listen to how note and it are unreleased stops.
​NOTE: sometimes when a /t/ comes in the middle of a word, often starting an unstressed syllable, it will be pronounced as a [ɾ]. This happens in words like “city” and “water”. It is sometimes referred to as a “tapped /r/, /d/, or /t/”. This means that it will be voiced, and sound slightly different than our usual /t/. Please see [ɾ] at the end of this plosives section.
[d] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [d] within words
Dan, dog, doctor, redo, adopt, red, road, hand
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Dan drove down the dark road.
The desk attendant asked me to redo the adoption forms.
She found a red card in her hand.
[k] and [g] - The Velum (or Soft Palate)
These plosives are made at the velum (soft palate), which is the soft part at the back of the roof of your mouth. To make these sounds, the back of the tongue lifts and touches the soft palate. Air builds up and is released in a small burst of sound.
[k] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [k] within words, and the various spellings!
Kate, cat, key, kitchen, doctor, soccer, book, back, clock
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Kate kept her key in the kitchen
The doctor is checking the soccer player.
He put the book back on the desk.
[g] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Pay attention to the various positions of [g] within words
Go, girl, green, tiger, begin, bigger, bag, dog, leg
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
The girl gave a green gift.
The tiger began to grow bigger.
Golf is the game he was against from the beginning.
[ɾ] - The "Tapped R"
This [ɾ] sound is not a plosive, but rather a tap (or flap). A tapped sound is made when the tongue quickly and lightly makes contact and immediately moves away. The air does not build up like a plosive. Instead, the tongue simply “taps” once.
In American English, this sound often replaces /t/ or /d/ when they occur between two vowel sounds, especially when the second vowel is unstressed. For example, the words “writer” and “rider” usually sound identical.
This sound can also happen as a result of elision in speech. You can hear this in the first and second sample sentences:
"bought a" = bough[ɾ]a and "wrote a" = wro[ɾ]a
This is a more advanced idea that you will find in our prosody lab.
[ɾ] sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
water, better, city, ladder, little, butter, meeting, writing
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
I bought a bottle of water.
She wrote a letter to the city.
The little boy is getting better.
Nasal
Nasal sounds are produced by a complete obstruction of air in the mouth, but allowing sound to escape from the nose. This is done by allowing the velum to remain open, although most people don’t consciously do this.
Try humming your favorite tune, and you are probably doing it intuitively! If you hold your nose and the sound stops—you know it’s a nasal sound.
What changes in these sounds then, is where the air is stopped in the mouth. Note that all these sounds will be voiced.
[m] - The Lips
This sound is made by bringing the lips together and allowing air to pass through the nose.
[m] sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
man, mother, music, summer, lemon, family, team, room, name
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Mary made a meal for her mother.
The summer music festival was amazing.
His name is Sam and he mostly stays in that room.
[n] - The Alveolar Ridge
This sound is made by placing the tip of the tongue on the alveolar ridge, which is the small bump just behind the top front teeth.
[n] sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
no, name, nine, dinner, sunny, tennis, pen, run, rain
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Nina needs a new notebook.
The dinner menu is on the table.
He ran in the rain with a pen in his hand.
[Å‹] - The Velum (Or Soft Palate)
This sound is made by lifting the back of the tongue up to the soft palate (the velum), which is the soft part at the back of the roof of your mouth. You may occasionally hear a very soft sound like [k] at the end of this consonant—this is the sound of the tongue releasing from the velum. Be careful, and don’t let this release too forcefully
In English, [Å‹] is not used at the beginning of words. It appears in the middle or at the end of words, such as sing.
[Å‹] sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
sing, long, ring, singer, running, finger, strong, bring
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
She is singing a long song.
The bartender is bringing something strong.
He was running while holding the ring.
Fricatives
Fricatives are made by bringing articulators and points of articulation very close together and forcing air through a small space.
The air does not stop completely. Instead, it creates friction (a soft hissing or buzzing sound).
Some fricatives are voiceless, and some are voiced.
[f] and [v] - The Lips and Teeth
These sounds are made by placing the top teeth lightly on the bottom lip and pushing air through the small space.
[f] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
fan, food, photography, coffee, before, office, leaf, safe, life
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Frank found a fine photo.
She left the coffee on the office floor.
The leaf fell off the cliff.
[v] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
van, very, voice, movie, travel, never, love, five, leave
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Victor visited a very large village.
They traveled every November.
I gave five roses to the brave girl.
[s] and [z] - The Alveolar Ridge
These sounds are made by placing the tongue close to the alveolar ridge and pushing air through a narrow space.
[s] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
sun, sit, city, lesson, message, basic, bus, class, face
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Sam sat in the sunny seat.
The lesson was basic and simple.
She missed the bus at the last class.
[z] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. ​​​​​​
Note that an "s" will often have the [z] sound when it follows a voiced consonant or sits between two vowels.
zoo, zero, zebra, music, visit, easy, dogs, nose, prize
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Zoe visited the zoo on Sunday.
The music was easy to recognize.
He deserves a prize for that presentation.
[θ] and [ð] - The Teeth
This sound is made by placing the tip of the tongue lightly between the teeth and pushing air through.
[θ] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
think, thank, three, method, author, nothing, bath, teeth, month
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
I'm thankful for the thoughtful therapist.
The author wrote three methods.
Theo Thoroughly brushed his teeth last month.
[ð] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. ​​​​​​
Note that "th" is usually voiced [ð] in function words (the, this, that, then, etc.). But many pronunciations can be unpredictable and may require memorization.
this, that, these, mother, father, weather, breathe, smooth, bathe
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
This is the weather we expected.
My mother and father were there.
They will bathe and then relax.
[ʃ] and [ʒ] - The Postalveolar Area
These sounds are made by placing the tip of the tongue behind the alveolar ridge (but not curling back to the hard palate!).
[ʃ] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Notice the various spellings.
she, shoe, shop, nation, special, ocean, dish, wash, brush
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
She shopped for new shoes.
The special dish was delicious.
The sharp shell was surely found by the ocean shore.
[Ê’] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. ​​​​​​
Note this sound is less common in English and often appears in the middle of words.
pleasure, vision, decision, usual, treasure, beige, garage, massage
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
The explosion caused a lot of confusion.
Mystery is my favorite genre of television.
The Asian fusion restaurant is unusually good.
Approximates
Approximants are made by bringing two speech organs close together, but not close enough to create friction.
The air flows smoothly out of the mouth. In this way, approximates can sometimes feel almost like vowels.
[ɹ] - The Alveolar Ridge
The sound [ɹ] is made by raising the tongue toward the alveolar ridge (the small bump behind the top front teeth), but the tongue does not touch the roof of the mouth. The sides of the tongue may lightly touch the upper teeth, and the tongue is slightly curved or pulled back. There may be some tension or “bunching” in the middle or root of the tongue. It is often accompanied by some lip rounding.
[ʃ] is voiced and sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Notice the various spellings.
red, rain, right, carry, around, story, car, star, teacher
When the "r" comes right after a vowel, it is sometimes identified as an "r-coloration" of that vowel sound, instead of an isolated consonant. These vowel + "r" combinations may sometimes be practiced as a single vowel set, such as the lexical sets for NEAR, SQUARE, START, NORTH, FORCE, and CURE. This isn't anything to worry too much about, but may be useful to know for advanced language practice.
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Rachel rode her red bike in the rain.
The story was written by a creative teacher.
Her car was parked near the tall star tower.
[l] - The Alveolar Ridge (Part 2)
This sound is called a lateral approximant because air flows around the sides of the tongue instead of down the center.
This sound is made by placing the tip of the tongue on the alveolar ridge (the small bump behind the top front teeth). The sides of the tongue lower slightly, allowing air to pass along the sides of the mouth.
In English, [l] can sound slightly different depending on its position in a word (for example, in light vs full).
After the examples below, see the section on “light” vs “dark” L.
[l] is voiced and sounds like this:
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
light, love, look, yellow, always, family, call, small, feel
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Lisa loves looking at the lake.
The yellow balloon fell slowly.
He will call his family after school.
"Light" [l] and "Dark" [l]
In English, the sound [l] changes slightly depending on its position in a word.
The light [l] most often happens at the beginning of a word or syllable, as in light, love, and look.
The tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge (the small bump behind the top front teeth), and the front of the tongue stays relaxed. The sound feels “clear” and “bright.”
light, love, language, listen, alive
The dark [l] most often happens at the end of a word or syllable, like in full, call, and feel.
The tongue tip still touches (or nearly touches) the alveolar ridge, but the back of the tongue lifts slightly toward the soft palate. Some people also find it helpful to think of "added tension" to the back or root of the tongue. This makes the sound feel “heavier.”
Full, call, feel, milk, help, world
[j] - The Palate
This sound is made by raising the middle of the tongue toward the hard palate (the hard part of the roof of your mouth). The tongue does not touch the roof of the mouth — it comes very close.
[j] is voiced and sounds like this:
In English spelling, this sound is usually written with the letter “y”, as in yes and yellow.
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Note that American English does not typically use the "liquid U" that is found in some British dialects. Therefore, you will not find the [j] sound in words like news, student, or duke.
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Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Notice the various spellings.
yes, yellow, university, beyond, music, unusual, few, argue
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
Yesterday, you played in the yard.
The young boy carried a yellow yo-yo.
The university student argued for fair use.
[w] - The Lips and Velum
This sound is made by rounding the lips and raising the back of the tongue slightly toward the soft palate (velum).
[w] is voiced and sounds like this:
There is an unvoiced version of this sound, but it is not commonly used in modern American English.​​​
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Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below.
we, water, win, always, away, between
Note that the letter "w" usually takes on a vowel sound at the end of a words, rather than the consonant [w] sound.
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
We will walk to the water.
She always wins when we play.
The yellow wall's paint is wasting away.
Affricates
Affricates are made in two parts. First, the air is completely stopped (like a plosive). Then, instead of releasing the air suddenly, it moves directly into friction (like a fricative). It is one smooth sound, not two separate sounds.
The main affricates of American English are made in the postalveolar area (just behind the alveolar ridge).
[tʃ] and [dʒ] - The Postalveolar Area
These sounds begin like a [t] or [d], with the tongue touching just behind the alveolar ridge. Then the air releases into a soft friction sound like [ʃ] or [ʒ]. This is why the symbols are combined to reference these sounds.
[tʃ] is the voiceless consonant, which sounds like this:
In English spelling, this sound is often written as “ch”, as in chair and teacher.
Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. Notice the various spellings.
chair, cheese, child, teacher, kitchen, nature, watch, beach, match
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
The teacher is in the kitchen.
The teacher is in the kitchen. We watched the beach match.
The child chose the chocolate-colored chair.
[dÊ’] is the voiced consonant, which sounds like this:
In English spelling, this sound is often written as “j” or soft “g”, as in job and giant.
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Listen and repeat several times in isolation. When you are ready, move on to the sample words and sentences below. ​​​​​​
job, jump, giant, engine, magic, region, page, bridge, large
Here are some sample sentences. First at a slow pace, and then at a natural pace with intention:
John got a new job in June.
The engine made a strange magic sound.
She saw a large bridge near the village.