Consonant facts for kids

All the letters in the alphabet are either consonants or vowels. A consonant is a speech sound where the air coming from your lungs is partly blocked. This blocking happens when your tongue, lips, or teeth touch each other or the roof of your mouth.

Consonants can appear by themselves or in groups. However, they always need to be connected to a vowel to form a syllable. Think of a syllable as a single beat in a word.

Consonants vs. Letters

It's important to know that the way we write consonants (like the letter 't') doesn't always match the exact sound. For example, the letters 'th' together make one sound, not two separate sounds.

Words with Single Consonants

Here are some examples of words with single consonants:

• Go (CV): This word has one consonant (G) and one vowel (o).
• On (VC): This word has one vowel (o) and one consonant (n).
• Ton (CVC): This word has a consonant (T), a vowel (o), and another consonant (n).

Words with Consonant Clusters

Sometimes, two or more consonants are grouped together. This is called a consonant cluster.

• Pro (CCV): This word starts with two consonants (P, R) followed by a vowel (o).
• Old (VCC): This word has one vowel (o) followed by two consonants (L, D).
• Spree (CCCV): This word starts with three consonants (S, P, R) followed by a vowel (ee).
• Arcs (VCCC): This word has one vowel (a) followed by three consonants (R, C, S).
• Strengths (CCCVCCCCC): This word has three consonants (S, T, R), then a vowel (e), and finally five consonants (N, G, T, H, S).

How Consonants are Made

When you say a consonant, you often create a little bit of friction as the air squeezes past your tongue, lips, or teeth.

Plosive Sounds

Some consonants are called plosives. For example, 'b' and 'p' are plosives. To make these sounds, you completely block the air with your lips, then release it suddenly. This creates a tiny, sharp burst of sound.

Voiced and Unvoiced Sounds

Consonants can also be either voiced or unvoiced.

• Voiced means your vocal cords vibrate when you make the sound. Try saying the 'th' in the. You should feel a vibration in your throat.
• Unvoiced means your vocal cords do not vibrate. Try saying the 'th' in breath. You won't feel a vibration.

Consonant Letters in English

There are 21 consonant letters in the English alphabet. However, there are about 24 different consonant sounds in most English accents! This is because English has a long history, and sometimes one letter can make different sounds, or a group of letters can make one sound.

For example:

• 'th' and 'ch' each stand for a single sound.
• 'x' in fox actually stands for two sounds ('ks').

The consonant letters are:

• B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Z.

The Letter 'Y'

The letter 'Y' can be tricky! It's sometimes a consonant and sometimes a vowel.

• In the word yellow, 'y' is a consonant.
• In the word happy, 'y' is a vowel.

Vowel Letters

The rest of the letters in the alphabet are called vowels. While there are only 5 main vowel letters, there are about 20 different vowel sounds in English!

The vowel letters are:

• A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y)

See also

In Spanish: Consonante para niños