Pronunciation · Consonants

English Consonant Sounds

All 24 consonant sounds of British English – each with a key word and five example sentences.

The sounds are grouped by how they are made: plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals and approximants. Read each sentence aloud, slowly at first, and listen for the target sound.

voiceless – no buzz in the throat voiced – the vocal cords vibrate

1 Plosives

The air is stopped completely, then released in a small burst. At the start of a stressed syllable, English /p/, /t/ and /k/ have a puff of air (aspiration).

/p/
Voiceless bilabial plosive

as in “pat”

Paths and ponds

  • Purple petals opened in the spring.
  • We packed a picnic for the park.
  • Pine trees stood beside the path.
  • Puddles appeared after the rain.
  • The pond was perfectly peaceful.
/b/
Voiced bilabial plosive

as in “bat”

Bees and brooks

  • Bees buzzed between the bushes.
  • Birds bathed in the brook.
  • We built a boat by the bay.
  • Blackberries grew beside the bridge.
  • A big brown bear slept in the cave.
/t/
Voiceless alveolar plosive

as in “top”

Trees and trails

  • Tall trees towered over the trail.
  • The tide turned at ten o’clock.
  • Tiny toads hopped across the track.
  • We took a tent to the top of the hill.
  • The stream tumbled over the stones.
/d/
Voiced alveolar plosive

as in “dog”

Dew and dusk

  • Dew dripped from the dark leaves.
  • The deer disappeared into the woods.
  • Ducks dived down into the deep water.
  • We walked down the dusty road.
  • Daisies dotted the meadow.
/k/
Voiceless velar plosive

as in “cat”

Clouds and creeks

  • Clouds covered the quiet countryside.
  • A cuckoo called from the woods.
  • We camped beside the creek.
  • The cold wind cut across the cliff.
  • Crickets clicked in the dark.
/ɡ/
Voiced velar plosive

as in “go”

Geese and gardens

  • Geese glided over the green lake.
  • The garden gate was open.
  • Golden grass grew on the hills.
  • We gathered grapes in the autumn.
  • A goat grazed on the slope.

2 Fricatives

The air is squeezed through a narrow gap, so you hear friction. You can hold a fricative for as long as your breath lasts: sssss, fffff.

/f/
Voiceless labiodental fricative

as in “fish”

Fields and forests

  • Fresh flowers filled the field.
  • Fog floated over the fen.
  • A fox ran across the farm.
  • Fish flicked through the fast river.
  • Fallen leaves covered the forest floor.
/v/
Voiced labiodental fricative

as in “van”

Nature in motion

  • Vines grew up the sides of the house.
  • There was a view of the mountain.
  • Violets bloom in the valley.
  • Vultures circled overhead.
  • The village was surrounded by a vast forest.
/θ/
Voiceless dental fricative

as in “think”

Quiet observations

  • Three thrushes sang in the thicket.
  • We heard a thud in the distance.
  • We were thirsty after the long walk.
  • The thunder rumbled in the distance.
  • Thick fog covered the valley.
/ð/
Voiced dental fricative

as in “this”

Flowing landscapes

  • The river flows through the valley.
  • Their tent was set up by the lake.
  • Feathers floated on the smooth water.
  • The weather changed in the afternoon.
  • They watched the sunset together.
/s/
Voiceless alveolar fricative

as in “sit”

Sun and sand

  • The sun sets behind the mountains.
  • Snakes slide through the soft grass.
  • The sandy beach was silent.
  • We saw a squirrel climbing a tree.
  • The sky was clear and still.
/z/
Voiced alveolar fricative

as in “zoo”

Meadow life

  • The zebra grazed in the field.
  • The zip of the tent was stuck.
  • Zinnias bloom in the garden.
  • The breeze rose over the hills.
  • Buzzing bees filled the meadow.
/ʃ/
Voiceless postalveolar fricative

as in “shoe”

Shadows and shores

  • Sheep grazed in the meadow.
  • Shadows stretched across the path.
  • Shallow waters are full of shiny pebbles.
  • The shimmering lake was peaceful.
  • Shrubs covered the forest floor.
/ʒ/
Voiced postalveolar fricative

as in “measure”

Moments of reflection

  • The pleasure of a peaceful walk is immense.
  • The treasure of nature is all around.
  • We measured the depth of the pond.
  • The mist made an unusual vision over the lake.
  • The leisure of the walk helped us relax.
/h/
Voiceless glottal fricative

as in “hat”

Hills and hedges

  • Hawks hunted high above the hills.
  • We hiked through the heather.
  • A hedgehog hid under the hedge.
  • Heavy rain hit the house.
  • The horses rested in the hay.

3 Affricates

A plosive followed immediately by a fricative, in one sound: /t/ + /ʃ/ = /tʃ/, and /d/ + /ʒ/ = /dʒ/.

/tʃ/
Voiceless postalveolar affricate

as in “church”

Active sounds outdoors

  • Chickens pecked in the field.
  • Check the weather before the hike.
  • Chirping birds filled the air.
  • We saw a chaffinch by the tree.
  • The chilly breeze brushed past us.
/dʒ/
Voiced postalveolar affricate

as in “judge”

Joyful journeys

  • Joy filled the air in the garden.
  • Jungle vines hung low from the trees.
  • The journey through the forest was peaceful.
  • We enjoyed the gentle rain.
  • Jumping in the leaves was fun.

4 Nasals

The mouth is closed somewhere, and the air comes out through the nose. All three nasals are voiced – hum them and feel the vibration.

/m/
Voiced bilabial nasal

as in “man”

Moors and mountains

  • Mist moved slowly over the moor.
  • The moon rose above the mountains.
  • Moss made the stones soft and green.
  • Many mice live in the meadow.
  • We met at the mill by the stream.
/n/
Voiced alveolar nasal

as in “net”

Nests and night

  • Nightingales sang near the nest.
  • The night was cold and silent.
  • Nuts fell from the chestnut tree.
  • Nine new lambs were born in the barn.
  • The sun shone on the snow.
/ŋ/
Voiced velar nasal

as in “sing”

Resonating tones

  • Spring brings fresh flowers to the valley.
  • Birds were singing all morning.
  • We heard the stream flowing by.
  • The forest was ringing with insects.
  • Climbing the hill was tiring.
/ŋ/ never starts an English word, and there is no /ɡ/ after it in sing or singer – but there is in finger and longer.

5 Approximants

The speech organs come close together, but not close enough to cause friction. All four are voiced.

/l/
Voiced alveolar lateral approximant

as in “lamp”

Lakes and lambs

  • Little lambs leapt in the field.
  • Leaves floated on the lake.
  • Lightning lit up the valley.
  • We listened to the lively stream.
  • Lilies bloomed along the canal.
/r/
Voiced postalveolar approximant

as in “red”

Rain and rivers

  • Rain ran down the rocky road.
  • A rabbit raced along the riverbank.
  • Red roses grew around the gate.
  • The river rushed through the rocks.
  • A rainbow appeared after the storm.
/w/
Voiced labial-velar approximant

as in “wet”

Water and wind

  • Waves crashed against the shore.
  • We walked through the windy fields.
  • The wind whistled through the trees.
  • Wildflowers bloomed along the way.
  • We waited for the water to calm.
/j/
Voiced palatal approximant

as in “yes”

Years and yews

  • Yellow leaves fell in the yard.
  • Young deer play in the woods each year.
  • Yesterday the view was beautiful.
  • A huge yew tree stood by the church.
  • You can hear the birds from here.
In British English, /r/ is only pronounced before a vowel: red, river – but not in car or storm. And /l/ is “dark” at the end of a word: hill, canal.

6 All 24 Consonants at a Glance

Voicing, place and manner – the three features that describe every consonant.

SoundKey wordVoicingPlaceManner
/p/patvoicelessbilabialplosive
/b/batvoicedbilabialplosive
/t/topvoicelessalveolarplosive
/d/dogvoicedalveolarplosive
/k/catvoicelessvelarplosive
/ɡ/govoicedvelarplosive
/f/fishvoicelesslabiodentalfricative
/v/vanvoicedlabiodentalfricative
/θ/thinkvoicelessdentalfricative
/ð/thisvoiceddentalfricative
/s/sitvoicelessalveolarfricative
/z/zoovoicedalveolarfricative
/ʃ/shoevoicelesspostalveolarfricative
/ʒ/measurevoicedpostalveolarfricative
/h/hatvoicelessglottalfricative
/tʃ/churchvoicelesspostalveolaraffricate
/dʒ/judgevoicedpostalveolaraffricate
/m/manvoicedbilabialnasal
/n/netvoicedalveolarnasal
/ŋ/singvoicedvelarnasal
/l/lampvoicedalveolarlateral approximant
/r/redvoicedpostalveolarapproximant
/w/wetvoicedlabial-velarapproximant
/j/yesvoicedpalatalapproximant
Clear consonants, clear English.
Consonants give English words their shape. Pick one sound a day, read its five sentences aloud – slowly, then at normal speed – and listen for the difference between voiced and voiceless.

Listen. Articulate. Practise. Use.

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