How Do Consonants Work?
A consonant is a letter that stands for spoken sounds that can only be produced when the vocal folds are closed, either completely or partially. Lips, tongue, and cheek placements for consonants must be precise.
The pronunciation of consonants is more standardised (although there is significant dialectal variation), whereas the pronunciation of vowels varies greatly among various English speakers and dialects.
By studying each consonant and the sound(s) it makes, discussing consonant digraphs, and defining the distinction between consonants and consonance, we’ll delve into more detail about what consonants are below.
The English alphabet has 21 consonants in total. As follows:
B
C
D
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
Q
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
Z
Although they are primarily consonants, the letters H, W, Y, and sometimes R can also be used as vowels. By way of illustration, the letter H is silent in the word “honour,” yet it is a consonant in the word “hat.”
Based on where and how they are articulated, the 21 consonants can be divided into various categories. As an illustration, the consonants B, D, G, P, T, and K are all plosives, which are created by temporarily obstructing the airflow in the vocal tract before abruptly releasing it. The consonants F, H, J, L, M, N, R, V, W, and Z are all fricatives, which implies that they are made by constricting the vocal folds and causing turbulent airflow to pass through them.