Consonants can be tricky, but are less difficult that you might think. Learn some strategies to master consonant sounds in English.
Language
| All single-consonant phonemes except /ŋ/ | |
| Stop plus approximant other than /j/:
/pl/, /bl/, /kl/, /ɡl/, /pr/, /br/, /tr/, /dr/, /kr/, /ɡr/, /tw/, /dw/, /ɡw/, /kw/, /pw/ |
play, blood, clean, glove, prize, bring, tree, dream,crowd, green, twin, dwarf, Guam, quick, puissance |
| Voiceless fricative or /v/ plus approximant other than /j/:
/fl/, /sl/, /θl/, /ʃl/, /fr/, /θr/, /ʃr/, /hw/, /sw/, /θw/, /vw/ |
floor, sleep, thlipsis, schlep, friend, three, shrimp, what, swing, thwart, voilà |
| Consonant other than /r/ or /w/ plus /j/ (before /uː/ or its modified/reduced forms):
/pj/, /bj/, /tj/, /dj/, /kj/, /ɡj/, /mj/, /nj/, /fj/, /vj/, /θj/, /sj/, /zj/, /hj/, /lj/ |
pure, beautiful, tube, during, cute, argue, music, new, few, view, thew, suit, Zeus, huge, lurid |
| /s/ plus voiceless stop:
/sp/, /st/, /sk/ |
speak, stop, skill |
| /s/ plus nasal other than /ŋ/:
/sm/, /sn/ |
smile, snow |
| /s/ plus voiceless non-sibilant fricative:
/sf/, /sθ/ |
sphere, sthenic |
| /s/ plus voiceless stop plus approximant:
/spl/, /skl/, /spr/, /str/, /skr/, /skw/, /spj/, /stj/, /skj/ |
split, sclera, spring, street, scream, square, spew, student,[e] skewer |
| /s/ plus nasal plus approximant:
/smj/ |
smew |
| /s/ plus voiceless non-sibilant fricative plus approximant:
/sfr/ |
sphragistics |
Coda clusters
| The single consonant phonemes except /h/, /w/, /j/ and, in non-rhotic varieties, /r/ | |
| Lateral approximant plus stop or affricate: /lp/, /lb/, /lt/, /ld/, /ltʃ/, /ldʒ/, /lk/ | help, bulb, belt, hold, belch, indulge, milk |
| In rhotic varieties, /r/ plus stop or affricate: /rp/, /rb/, /rt/, /rd/, /rtʃ/, /rdʒ/, /rk/, /rɡ/ | harp, orb, fort, beard, arch, large, mark, morgue |
| Lateral approximant + fricative: /lf/, /lv/, /lθ/, /ls/, /lz/, /lʃ/, (/lð/) | golf, solve, wealth, else, bells, Welsh, (stealth (v.)) |
| In rhotic varieties, /r/ + fricative: /rf/, /rv/, /rθ/, /rð/, /rs/, /rz/, /rʃ/ | dwarf, carve, north, birth (v.), force, Mars, marsh |
| Lateral approximant + nasal: /lm/, /ln/ | film, kiln |
| In rhotic varieties, /r/ + nasal or lateral: /rm/, /rn/, /rl/ | arm, born, snarl |
| Nasal + homorganic stop or affricate: /mp/, /nt/, /nd/, /ntʃ/, /ndʒ/, /ŋk/; some varieties also allow /ŋg/ | jump, tent, end, lunch, lounge, pink, sing |
| Nasal + fricative: /mf/, /mz/, /mθ/, (/nf/), /nθ/, (/ns/), /nz/, /ŋz/; some varieties also allow /ŋθ/ | triumph, Thames, warmth, (saunf), month, (prince), bronze, songs, length, strength |
| Voiceless fricative plus voiceless stop: /ft/, /sp/, /st/, /sk/, /ʃt/, /θt/ | left, crisp, lost, ask, smashed, smithed |
| Voiced fricative plus voiced stop: /zd/, /ðd/ | blazed, writhed |
| Two or three voiceless fricatives: /fθ/, /fθs/ | fifth, fifths |
| Two voiceless stops: /pt/, /kt/ | opt, act |
| Two voiceless stops + fricative: /pts/, /kts/ | opts, acts |
| Stop plus fricative: /pθ/, /ps/, /tθ/, /ts/, /dθ/, /dz/, /ks/ | depth, lapse, eighth, klutz, width, adze, box |
| Lateral approximant + two or three consonants: /lmd/, /lpt/, /lps/, /lfθ/, /lts/, /lst/, /lkt/, /lks/ | filmed, sculpt, alps, twelfth,[a] waltz, whilst, mulct, calx |
| In rhotic varieties, /r/ + two consonants: /rmd/, /rmθ/, /rpt/, /rps/, /rnd/, /rts/, /rst/, /rld/, /rkt/ | farmed, warmth, excerpt, corpse, mourned, quartz, horst, world, infarct |
| Nasal + homorganic stop + stop or fricative: /mpt/, /mps/, /nts/, /ntθ/, /ŋkt/, /ŋks/, /ŋkθ/ in some varieties | prompt, glimpse, chintz, thousandth, distinct, jinx, length |
| Nasal + homorganic stop + two fricatives: /ntθs/ | thousandths |
| Nasal + non-homorganic stop: /mt/, /md/, /ŋd/ | dreamt, hemmed, hanged |
| Three obstruents: /ksθ/, /kst/ | sixth, next |
| Four obstruents: /ksθs/, /ksθt/, /ksts/ | sixths, sixthed, texts |