Today we’re going to learn the 24 consonant phonemes in English.

When speech-language pathologists or teachers talk about phonemes, they’re referring to the individual sounds that make up spoken words.

One way to group them is by how we make the sound using our mouth, tongue, teeth, and vocal cords.

This is referred to as the manner of articulation.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the major types of consonant sounds:

1. Plosives (also called Stops)

What they are: These sounds are made by completely blocking the airflow in the mouth for a moment, then letting it out with a little "burst" of air.
Think of it as a mini explosion of sound.

Examples:

/p/ as in pat
/b/ as in bat
/t/ as in top
/d/ as in dog
/k/ as in cat
/g/ as in go

2. Fricatives

What they are: These sounds are made by forcing air through a narrow space, creating a soft, hissy, or buzzy sound.
Think of them as “noisy air” sounds.

Examples:

/f/ as in fish
/v/ as in van
/s/ as in sun
/z/ as in zoo
/ʃ/ (sh) as in shoe
/ʒ/ (zh) as in the middle of measure
/θ/ (th) as in think
/ð/ (voiced th) as in this
/h/ as in hat

3. Affricates

What they are: These sounds start like a plosive (a little pop), but end like a fricative (with a rush of air).
Think of them as a combo sound — stop and slide.

Examples:

/ʧ/ (ch) as in chop
/ʤ/ (j) as in jump

4. Nasals

What they are: Air goes through the nose instead of the mouth.
You can feel these sounds in your nose when you hum them.

Examples:

/m/ as in mom
/n/ as in no
/ŋ/ (ng) as in sing

5. Liquids

What they are: These are smooth, flowing sounds made with less resistance in the mouth.

Examples:

/l/ as in lamp
/r/ as in run

6. Glides

What they are: These sounds are made with a quick, gliding movement of the tongue.
They’re almost like little vowel-like sounds.

Examples:

/w/ as in we
/j/ (y) as in yes

Families may also come across professional terms for where these phonemes are made in your mouth.

This is the place of articulation.

The chart below provides the professional term, family-friendly explanation, and shares examples.

Voicing

Some consonants are voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate (like /b/ and /z/), and others are voiceless, meaning they don’t (like /p/ and /s/).
You can feel the difference by placing your hand on your throat and saying the sounds in pairs: