24 Consonant Sounds in English: IPA Symbols, Examples & Pronunciation
English pronunciation is based on speech sounds rather than letters alone. In the traditional 44-sound teaching model of English, there are commonly taught as 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.
In this complete guide, you will learn the 24 consonant sounds of English with their IPA symbols, examples, articulation, spelling patterns, pronunciation videos, voiced and voiceless pairs, minimal pairs and practice activities.
The 24 consonant sounds include 6 plosives, 9 fricatives, 2 affricates, 3 nasals and 4 approximants. Each sound is explained with simple examples so that both English learners and teachers can use this page as a practical pronunciation reference.
Quick Reference: The 24 Consonant Sounds
| No. | IPA Symbol | Example | Sound Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | /p/ | pen | Plosive |
| 2 | /b/ | bat | Plosive |
| 3 | /t/ | ten | Plosive |
| 4 | /d/ | dog | Plosive |
| 5 | /k/ | cat | Plosive |
| 6 | /ɡ/ | go | Plosive |
| 7 | /tʃ/ | chair | Affricate |
| 8 | /dʒ/ | jam | Affricate |
| 9 | /f/ | fish | Fricative |
| 10 | /v/ | van | Fricative |
| 11 | /θ/ | think | Fricative |
| 12 | /ð/ | this | Fricative |
| 13 | /s/ | sun | Fricative |
| 14 | /z/ | zoo | Fricative |
| 15 | /ʃ/ | ship | Fricative |
| 16 | /ʒ/ | vision | Fricative |
| 17 | /h/ | hat | Fricative |
| 18 | /m/ | man | Nasal |
| 19 | /n/ | net | Nasal |
| 20 | /ŋ/ | sing | Nasal |
| 21 | /l/ | leg | Approximant |
| 22 | /r/ | red | Approximant |
| 23 | /w/ | wet | Approximant |
| 24 | /j/ | yes | Approximant |
What Is a Consonant Sound?
A consonant sound is produced when the airflow from the lungs is partly or completely obstructed somewhere in the vocal tract.
Consonants are different from vowel sounds because vowels are generally produced with a relatively open vocal tract, whereas consonants involve some degree of closure or narrowing.
It is important to remember that a letter is not the same as a sound. The English alphabet contains 26 letters, but those letters represent many more individual speech sounds.
Classification of Consonant Sounds
The 24 consonant sounds are commonly classified according to the way they are produced. The main groups used in this guide are:
- 6 Plosives: /p, b, t, d, k, ɡ/
- 9 Fricatives: /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/
- 2 Affricates: /tʃ, dʒ/
- 3 Nasals: /m, n, ŋ/
- 4 Approximants: /l, r, w, j/
1. Plosive Sounds
Plosives are produced by completely stopping the airflow and then releasing it.
The /p/ sound is a voiceless bilabial plosive. Both lips come together to stop the airflow and then release it.
Examples: pen, park, happy, apple, cup
The /b/ sound is a voiced bilabial plosive. The lips close and the airflow is released while the vocal cords vibrate.
Examples: bat, ball, baby, rubber, cab
The /t/ sound is a voiceless alveolar plosive. The tongue touches the alveolar ridge and then releases the air.
Examples: ten, tea, table, attack, cat
The /d/ sound is a voiced alveolar plosive.
Examples: dog, day, dinner, middle, red
The /k/ sound is a voiceless velar plosive. The back of the tongue moves towards the soft palate.
Examples: cat, key, king, school, back
The /ɡ/ sound is a voiced velar plosive.
Examples: go, game, green, tiger, bag
2. Affricate Sounds
Affricates begin with a complete closure and end with a fricative-like release.
The /tʃ/ sound is a voiceless affricate.
Examples: chair, child, cheese, teacher, watch
The /dʒ/ sound is a voiced affricate.
Examples: jam, job, giant, danger, bridge
3. Fricative Sounds
Fricatives are produced by forcing air through a narrow passage in the vocal tract. The resulting friction creates the characteristic sound.
The /f/ sound is a voiceless labiodental fricative.
Examples: fan, fish, coffee, leaf
The /v/ sound is a voiced labiodental fricative.
Examples: van, very, seven, love
The /θ/ sound is a voiceless dental fricative. The tongue is placed near or lightly between the teeth and air passes through the narrow gap.
Examples: think, three, thank, bath
The /ð/ sound is a voiced dental fricative.
Examples: this, that, these, mother, breathe
The /s/ sound is a voiceless alveolar fricative.
Examples: sun, see, school, lesson, bus
The /z/ sound is a voiced alveolar fricative.
Examples: zoo, zero, easy, music, nose
The /ʃ/ sound is a voiceless postalveolar fricative.
Examples: ship, shop, she, nation, fish
The /ʒ/ sound is a voiced postalveolar fricative. It occurs in words such as vision and measure.
Examples: vision, measure, pleasure, television
The /h/ sound is a voiceless glottal fricative.
Examples: hat, house, happy, behind
4. Nasal Sounds
Nasal sounds are produced when the airflow passes through the nose because the oral passage is blocked at a particular point.
The /m/ sound is a voiced bilabial nasal.
Examples: man, mother, summer, room
The /n/ sound is a voiced alveolar nasal.
Examples: net, nose, dinner, sun
The /ŋ/ sound is a voiced velar nasal. It commonly occurs at the end of words such as sing and ring.
Examples: sing, ring, long, swimming
5. Approximant Sounds
Approximants are produced by bringing the articulators close together without creating the strong friction associated with fricatives.
The /l/ sound is commonly classified as a lateral approximant. Air escapes around the sides of the tongue.
Examples: leg, look, light, yellow, ball
The /r/ sound is an approximant. Its exact pronunciation can vary between English accents.
Examples: red, run, rain, carry
The /w/ sound is a voiced labial-velar approximant.
Examples: wet, water, window, away
The /j/ sound is a voiced palatal approximant. In pronunciation teaching, it is often called the y sound.
Examples: yes, you, yellow, young
Voiced and Voiceless Consonants
One useful way to learn English consonants is to understand the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds.
For a voiced sound, the vocal cords vibrate. For a voiceless sound, the vocal cords do not vibrate.
| Voiceless | Voiced |
|---|---|
| /p/ | /b/ |
| /t/ | /d/ |
| /k/ | /ɡ/ |
| /f/ | /v/ |
| /θ/ | /ð/ |
| /s/ | /z/ |
| /ʃ/ | /ʒ/ |
| /tʃ/ | /dʒ/ |
A simple way to feel the difference is to place your fingers lightly on your throat. You should feel vibration when producing a voiced sound.
Place of Articulation
The place of articulation tells us where the airflow is restricted or stopped in the vocal tract.
| Place | Sounds | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | /p, b, m/ | pen, boy, man |
| Labiodental | /f, v/ | fish, van |
| Dental | /θ, ð/ | think, this |
| Alveolar | /t, d, s, z, n, l/ | tea, dog, sun, zoo, net, leg |
| Postalveolar | /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/ | ship, vision, chair, jam |
| Velar | /k, ɡ, ŋ/ | cat, go, sing |
| Glottal | /h/ | hat |
Commonly Confused Consonant Pairs
Some English consonants are difficult for learners because they differ by only one important feature, such as voicing or place of articulation.
| Pair | Example Words |
|---|---|
| /p/ and /b/ | pat – bat |
| /t/ and /d/ | ten – den |
| /k/ and /ɡ/ | coat – goat |
| /f/ and /v/ | fan – van |
| /θ/ and /ð/ | thin – then |
| /s/ and /z/ | sip – zip |
| /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ | pressure – pleasure |
| /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ | chew – Jew |
Common Spelling Patterns for the 24 Consonant Sounds
English spelling does not always have a one-to-one relationship with pronunciation. The same consonant sound may be represented by different letters or combinations of letters.
| Sound | Common Spellings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| /p/ | p, pp | pen, happy |
| /b/ | b, bb | bat, rabbit |
| /t/ | t, tt | ten, letter |
| /d/ | d, dd | dog, ladder |
| /k/ | c, k, ck | cat, king, back |
| /ɡ/ | g, gg | go, bigger |
| /tʃ/ | ch, tch | chair, watch |
| /dʒ/ | j, g, dge | jam, giant, bridge |
| /f/ | f, ff, ph | fish, coffee, phone |
| /v/ | v | van, seven |
| /θ/ | th | think, bath |
| /ð/ | th | this, mother |
| /s/ | s, ss, c | sun, class, city |
| /z/ | z, s | zoo, music |
| /ʃ/ | sh, ti, ci | ship, nation, special |
| /ʒ/ | si, s | vision, measure |
| /h/ | h | hat, house |
| /m/ | m, mm | man, summer |
| /n/ | n, nn | net, dinner |
| /ŋ/ | ng | sing, long |
| /l/ | l, ll | leg, ball |
| /r/ | r, rr | red, carry |
| /w/ | w | wet, water |
| /j/ | y | yes, yellow |
Pronunciation Practice
1. Practise voiced and voiceless pairs
Say each pair slowly and notice the difference in your throat.
/p/ – /b/ | /t/ – /d/ | /k/ – /ɡ/
/f/ – /v/ | /θ/ – /ð/ | /s/ – /z/
/ʃ/ – /ʒ/ | /tʃ/ – /dʒ/
2. Practise minimal pairs
- pat – bat
- ten – den
- coat – goat
- fan – van
- thin – then
- sip – zip
- chew – Jew
3. Practise in sentences
- Peter packed a big blue bag.
- David drove the dark car.
- Three thin thieves thought carefully.
- She sells shiny shoes.
- We went to the village yesterday.
24 Consonant Sound Video Lessons
Use the video lessons below to listen to each consonant sound and practise its pronunciation.
Related English Hub Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many consonant sounds are there in English?
In the traditional 44-sound teaching model, English is commonly taught as having 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds. The exact inventory can vary somewhat depending on the English accent and phonological analysis.
2. What is the IPA symbol for a consonant sound?
IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. IPA symbols provide a standardized way of representing speech sounds. For example, the sound in ship is represented as /ʃ/, while the sound in chair is /tʃ/.
3. What is the difference between a consonant letter and a consonant sound?
A letter is a written symbol, while a sound is a unit of speech. English has 26 letters, but the relationship between letters and sounds is not one-to-one. A single letter can represent different sounds, and the same sound can sometimes be represented by different spellings.
4. What are voiced consonants?
Voiced consonants are produced with vibration of the vocal cords. Examples include /b/, /d/, /ɡ/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/, /m/, /n/ and /l/.
5. What are voiceless consonants?
Voiceless consonants are produced without vocal-cord vibration. Examples include /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/ and /h/.
6. Why are IPA symbols useful for English learners?
IPA symbols help learners identify pronunciation independently of spelling. They are especially useful when learning unfamiliar words from dictionaries and when comparing similar English sounds.
Conclusion
Learning the 24 consonant sounds is an important part of understanding English pronunciation. Instead of memorising only spelling patterns, learners should listen to each sound, understand how it is produced and practise it in words and sentences.
Pay particular attention to commonly confused pairs such as /p/–/b/, /t/–/d/, /k/–/ɡ/, /f/–/v/, /θ/–/ð/ and /s/–/z/. Regular listening and speaking practice can make these differences much easier to recognise and produce.
For a complete study of English pronunciation, continue with the 44 Sounds of English and the English vowel sounds and diphthongs .