The 44 Sounds of English: Mastering Pronunciation through the IPA
Part 2 — The 24 Consonant Sounds (Voiced & Voiceless)
By Ashish Thakur — Aaroh English Classes
Introduction: What Are Consonant Sounds?
Consonant sounds are produced when airflow is partially or completely blocked by the lips, tongue, or throat.
In English, there are 24 consonant phonemes, categorized by:
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Voicing — whether the vocal cords vibrate (voiced) or not (voiceless)
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Place of articulation — where the sound is made (lips, teeth, tongue, etc.)
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Manner of articulation — how the sound is made (stop, fricative, nasal, etc.)
Understanding these helps learners pronounce English accurately, especially when Hindi has similar but not identical sounds.
Classification Overview
| Type | Subcategory | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Plosives (Stops) | 6 sounds | /p, b, t, d, k, g/ |
| Fricatives | 9 sounds | /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/ |
| Affricates | 2 sounds | /tʃ, dʒ/ |
| Nasals | 3 sounds | /m, n, ŋ/ |
| Approximants | 4 sounds | /r, j, w, l/ |
Section 1 — Plosives (Stops)
(Complete blockage of air, then sudden release)
| IPA | Hindi Cue | Type | Example Words | British (RP) | American (GA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /p/ | प | voiceless bilabial | pen, happy, cup | /pen/ | /pɛn/ |
| /b/ | ब | voiced bilabial | bat, baby, job | /bæt/ | /bæt/ |
| /t/ | ट / त | voiceless alveolar | top, time, water | /tɒp/ | /tɑp/ (flap /ɾ/ in water) |
| /d/ | ड / द | voiced alveolar | day, dog, ladder | /deɪ/ | /deɪ/ |
| /k/ | क | voiceless velar | cat, back, sky | /kæt/ | /kæt/ |
| /g/ | ग | voiced velar | go, bag, green | /ɡəʊ/ | /ɡoʊ/ |
Tip: In American English, /t/ often becomes a soft flap /ɾ/ in the middle of words (e.g. water → waɾer).
Section 2 — Fricatives
(Airflow is forced through a narrow gap)
| IPA | Hindi Cue | Type | Example Words | RP | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /f/ | फ | voiceless labiodental | fan, coffee, life | /fæn/ | /fæn/ |
| /v/ | व | voiced labiodental | very, move, leave | /veri/ | /vɛri/ |
| /θ/ | थ (tongue between teeth) | voiceless dental | thin, bath, both | /θɪn/ | /θɪn/ |
| /ð/ | ध (soft “th”) | voiced dental | this, mother, those | /ðɪs/ | /ðɪs/ |
| /s/ | स | voiceless alveolar | see, sun, bus | /siː/ | /si/ |
| /z/ | ज़ | voiced alveolar | zoo, nose, lazy | /zuː/ | /zu/ |
| /ʃ/ | श | voiceless postalveolar | she, shop, nation | /ʃɒp/ | /ʃɑp/ |
| /ʒ/ | झ / "ज़" (as in ‘measure’) | voiced postalveolar | measure, vision | /ˈmeʒə/ | /ˈmɛʒɚ/ |
| /h/ | ह | voiceless glottal | he, hat, behind | /hiː/ | /hi/ |
🟡 Tip: /θ/ and /ð/ don’t exist in Hindi—practise with tongue slightly between the teeth.
Section 3 — Affricates
(A stop followed by a fricative)
| IPA | Hindi Cue | Type | Example Words | RP | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /tʃ/ | च | voiceless | chair, cheese, watch | /tʃeə/ | /tʃɛr/ |
| /dʒ/ | ज | voiced | joy, judge, age | /dʒɔɪ/ | /dʒɔɪ/ |
🔵 Note: Hindi “च” and “ज” are slightly more aspirated; keep English ones softer.
Section 4 — Nasals
(Air passes through the nose)
| IPA | Hindi Cue | Type | Example Words | RP | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /m/ | म | bilabial | man, summer | /mæn/ | /mæn/ |
| /n/ | न | alveolar | name, dinner | /neɪm/ | /neɪm/ |
| /ŋ/ | ङ / “ng” | velar nasal | sing, long | /sɪŋ/ | /sɪŋ/ |
🟢 Tip: /ŋ/ never starts a word in English; it always comes after a vowel.
Section 5 — Approximants
(Smooth sounds with minimal obstruction)
| IPA | Hindi Cue | Type | Example Words | RP | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /r/ | र | voiced alveolar | red, very | /red/ | /ɹɛd/ (rhotic) |
| /j/ | य | voiced palatal | yes, yellow | /jes/ | /jɛs/ |
| /w/ | व / उ | voiced bilabial | we, one | /wiː/ | /wi/ |
| /l/ | ल | voiced alveolar | light, full | /laɪt/ | /laɪt/ |
🟣 Accent Tip:
British RP is non-rhotic — “r” at the end is often silent (car → /kɑː/).
American English is rhotic — “r” is always pronounced (car → /kɑr/).
Summary Table: The 24 Consonant Sounds
| Voiceless | Voiced |
|---|---|
| /p, t, k, f, θ, s, ʃ, tʃ, h/ | /b, d, g, v, ð, z, ʒ, dʒ, m, n, ŋ, l, r, j, w/ |
Quick Practice Tips (for Indian Learners)
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🎧 Listen carefully to both RP and GA audio examples.
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🗣️ Imitate slowly — focus on tongue and lip position.
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✍️ Mark Hindi cues in your notebook for reference.
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🔁 Contrast drills: e.g., /p/ vs /b/, /θ/ vs /ð/, /s/ vs /z/.
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🪞 Use a mirror to check mouth position.
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