Alveolar consonant facts for kids

An alveolar consonant is a type of consonant sound. You make these sounds by putting your tongue very close to or touching the bumpy part right behind your upper front teeth. This bumpy part is called the alveolar ridge.

When you make these sounds using the very tip of your tongue, like in many English words, they are called apical sounds. If you use the flat part of your tongue just behind the tip (the blade), they are called laminal sounds.

In English, common alveolar consonants include the sounds for 'n', 't', 'd', 's', 'z', 'l', and 'r'. The sounds 'n', 't', and 'd' are some of the most common sounds found in human languages around the world.

How We Make Alveolar Sounds

To understand alveolar consonants better, think about where your tongue goes.

• For the 't' sound, your tongue tip quickly touches the alveolar ridge and then releases.
• For the 's' sound, your tongue creates a narrow gap at the alveolar ridge, letting air hiss out.
• For the 'n' sound, your tongue touches the alveolar ridge, and the air comes out through your nose.

These sounds are important because they help us tell words apart and speak clearly.

Alveolar Consonants in the IPA

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a special system that shows how every sound in every language is made. Here are some alveolar consonants as identified by the IPA, with examples:

IPA Symbol	How it Sounds	Example
		Language	Word	IPA Pronunciation	Meaning in English
	Nasal sound (air through nose)	English	run	[ɹʷʌn]	run
	Stop sound (air blocked, then released)	English	tap	[tʰæp]	tap
	Stop sound (air blocked, then released, with voice)	English	debt	[dɛt]	debt
	Hissing sound (air pushed through narrow gap)	English	suit	[sjuːt]	suit
	Hissing sound (air pushed through narrow gap, with voice)	English	zoo	[zuː]	zoo
	Combination of a stop and a hiss (like 'ts' in 'cats')	German	Zeit	[t͡saɪt]	time
	Combination of a voiced stop and a hiss (like 'ds' in 'beds')	Italian	zaino	[ˈd͡zaino]	backpack
	Side-hissing sound (air hisses out the sides of the tongue)	Welsh	Llwyd	[ɬʊɪd]	the name Lloyd or Floyd
	'R'-like sound (tongue comes close but doesn't touch)	English	red	[ɹʷɛd]	red
	'L'-like sound (air flows over the sides of the tongue)	English	loop	[lup]	loop
	Quick tap sound (tongue quickly taps the ridge)	Spanish	pero	[peɾo]	but
	Rolling 'R' sound (tongue vibrates against the ridge)	Spanish	perro	[pero]	dog

Images for kids

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  Voiced alveolar lateral fricative

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  Alveolar lateral click

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  Alveolar lateral flap

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  Alveolar ejective

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  Alveolar ejective fricative

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  Voiced alveolar implosive

See also

In Spanish: Consonante alveolar para niños