Consonant mutation facts for kids

Consonant mutation is when the sound of a consonant changes in a word. This happens because of how the word is built (its morphology) or how it's used in a sentence (its syntax). It's like a sound changing its "outfit" depending on its neighbors!

How English Changes Sounds

In English, you might not even notice that some sounds change all the time. This happens with common endings like '-s' for plurals or '-ed' for past tense.

Plural and Third-Person Sounds

When we add -(e)s to make a word plural (like 'cats') or to show a singular person doing something (like 'he runs'), the sound of that -(e)s can be different. These different ways of saying -(e)s are called allomorphs.

• If a word ends with a sound made without using your voice, like /p/, /t/, or /k/ (try saying "pop" or "kick"), then the -(e)s will sound like /s/.
  • Examples: lips, cats, socks.
• If a word ends with a sound made with your voice, like /b/, /d/, /g/, /n/, /m/, /l/, or any vowel sound, then the -(e)s will sound like /z/.
  • Examples: cabs, lids, dogs, cans, rims, wings, bowls, cars, bows, toys, laws, trees.
• If a word ends with a hissing sound (like /s/ or /z/) or a sound that starts like a stop and ends like a hiss (like /t͡ʃ/ in "church"), then the -(e)s will sound like /ız/.
  • Examples: cases, mazes, washes, mirages, patches, wages.

Past Tense Sounds

The past tense ending -(e)d also changes its sound depending on the sound before it.

• If a word ends with a voiceless consonant like /p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, or /t͡ʃ/, then the -(e)d will sound like /t/.
  • Examples: licked, packed, laughed, passed, pitched.
• If a word ends with a voiced sound (where your vocal cords vibrate), like /b/, /g/, /n/, /m/, /l/, or any vowel sound, then the -(e)d will sound like /d/.
  • Examples: stabbed, lagged, sinned, hummed, hanged, bowled, scored, played, bowed, skied, mowed.

See also

In Spanish: Mutación consonántica para niños