How to Understand Consonants (And Pronounce Them Right)

Consonants help you master spelling and pronunciation. They make your speech clear and easy to understand.

The best part is that they are easy to learn and master.

If you are the type of writer who focuses more on sound, you need to master consonants.

For example, if you focus more on poetry or writing music lyrics.

Your content gets more interesting and you can connect with the reader.

What are consonants?

Consonants are letters that represent speech sounds where the breath is partly or completely obstructed. They are the opposite of vowels and can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable.

Most letters of the alphabet are consonants. Except for a, e, i, o, u

There are 24 consonant sounds in English.

Each consonant is classified according to the manners of articulation and the places of articulation.

The Top 6 Manners of Articulation

1. Nasals

The nasal consonant sounds are produced when you redirect air up through the nasal cavity. m, n are examples of nasal consonant sounds.

2. Affricates

Produce affricate consonant sounds by releasing the air progressively to produce friction.

ts and ds are examples of affricates.

3. Fricatives

f, h, s, v, z are common examples of fricative consonant sounds.

They are produced by partially obstructing the airstream.

4. Stops

Produce stop consonant sounds by completely obstructing the airstream and releasing it in a burst.

Common stop consonant sounds are t, b, g, p, k

5. Liquids

Examples of liquid consonant sounds are l, r

They are produced when the airstream passes through your mouth in a fluid manner.

6. Approximants

w, j are examples of approximant consonant sounds. They are produced without any contact or friction.

The Top 4 Places of Articulation

1. Bilabial sounds

Bilabial sounds are produced when your upper lip and your lower lip are in contact. For example, b, p, m

2. Alveolar sounds

r, d, s, n, t, z, l are examples of alveolar consonant sounds.

They are produced when the tip of your tongue touches the alveolar ridge or when the tip of your tongue approaches the alveolar ridge.

3. Labiodentals

Labiodental consonant sounds are produced when your top teeth touch the lower lip and obstruct the airstream.

f, v are examples of labiodental consonant sounds.

4. Velar sounds

k, g are examples of velar consonant sounds.

They are produced with the back of your tongue against the soft palate.

How to Pronounce Consonants Clearly (plus examples)

Knowing how to pronounce consonants is as important as understanding how consonants work.

The best way to pronounce consonants is to identify a consonant sound in a word and understand the place of articulation.

For example, the consonant sound in ‘pet’ is p and the place of articulation is Bilabial.

The consonant sound in ‘save’ is s and the place of articulation is Alveolar.

The consonant sound in ‘advise’ is v and the place of articulation is Labiodental.

The consonant sound in ‘sing’ is ng and the place of articulation is Velar.

The consonant sound in ‘bag’ is g and the place of articulation is Velar.

Understand Silent Consonants

Understand silent consonants to master pronunciation.

Silent consonants are letters that are silent, in words.

For example,

· ‘b’ in numb and lamb.

· ‘c’ in scene and crescent

· ‘k’ in knee and know

· ‘g’ in light and align

· ’n’ in hymn and autumn

· ‘s’ in island and aisle

· ‘h’ in honor and heir

· ‘l’ in talk and palm

· ‘t’ in patch and listen

· ‘w’ in write, wreck, and sword

· ‘p’ in psychology and receipt

Happy Writing!