Voiced and unvoiced consonant sounds - English Phonetics

e Learn English Language Free English Lessons Online language learning with Laura K. Lawless

e Learn English Language > Learn English > Pronunciation > Phonetics > Voiced and unvoiced consonant sounds

Menu

Shop For Books at Amazon

English Phonetics: Voiced and unvoiced consonant sounds

Many consonant sounds come in pairs. For example, P and B are produced in the same place in the mouth with the tongue in the same position. The only difference is that P is an unvoiced sound (no vibration of the vocal cords) while B is a voiced sound (vocal cords vibrate). Put your hand on your throat as you say the pairs below to feel the difference.

Note that the first pair of consonants in the table (p, b) is produced at the front of the mouth. Each pair shifts further back with the last pair (k, g) being produced at the back of the mouth.

The following consonant sounds are represented using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The words in parentheses represent phonetic transcriptions.

Click on a the examples below to hear these consonant sounds. Pay special attention to the letters in bold.

*IPA*	*Examples*	*IPA*	*Examples*
unvoiced		voiced
p	please (pliz)	b	book (bk)

f	five (faIv)	v	vanilla (vnIl)

	thirty (ti)		they (eI)

t	ten (tn)	d	dish (dI)

s	sir (s)	z	zero (z)

	she (i)		genre (nr)

	cheers (s)		jump (mp)

k	king (kIŋ)	g	good (gd)