Learn to Pronounce Stop Consonants in American English
This Pronunciation Tip Will
Help You
Sound More Like a Native Speaker
In any language, we always look for ways to speak more quickly and easily. I bet you do this in your own language, too! Let’s learn to pronounce stop consonants in American English. Because English words typically contain a lot of consonants, this is one way we make our sentences easier to pronounce.
Let’s learn more about these consonant sounds and how to pronounce them.
The Stop Consonants: P, B, K, G, T, and D
There are 3 letter pairs (p/b, k/g, and t/d) called stop consonants. When these letters are followed by another consonant sound, most of the time they are pronounced differently than when they are followed by a vowel sound.
Stop consonants are unique because the sound is made in two parts. The first part is stopping the air, and the second part is releasing the air.
P and b have the same mouth position. P is unvoiced, and b is voiced.
K and g have the same mouth position. K is unvoiced, and g is voiced.
T and d have the same mouth position. T is unvoiced, and d is voiced.
How Do You Make the Sound?
The only difference in these pairs of letters is how you stop the air. You can learn more about how to pronounce each of these sounds by clicking on each letter pair.
p and b – close your lips to stop the air
k and g – raise the back of your tongue to stop the air
t and d – touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your top front teeth (the alveolar ridge) to stop the air
Because stop consonants require two steps, it’s difficult to speak quickly when you say the letter correctly and completely. That’s why we rarely release the air of a stop consonant when the next letter is another consonant sound.
When the next letter is a vowel, the stop consonant can usually be pronounced correctly. The release of air blends easily with the vowel sound.
Let's Practice with "Top" and "Hot"
Try this for yourself. T is a stop consonant. When you say the word top, you pronounce the t sound by stopping the air with your tongue behind your front teeth, then you drop your tongue to release the air. Two steps – stop, then release.
When you say the word hot, you will stop the air for the t sound, but then you don’t release it. Your tongue just stays at the top of your mouth. Hot becomes ho, keeping the same short o vowel sound.
Here’s another example. When pronounced in a sentence, the word cat becomes ca, keeping the short “a” vowel sound. You begin to make the “t” sound by stopping the air, but you don’t finish the sound. Instead, your mouth gets ready to begin producing the next sound.
Wait a Minute! How Can I Understand the Word if You Aren't Pronouncing It Correctly?
You might think, “But how will I understand the word if the letters aren’t pronounced clearly?” That’s a really good question! This is the biggest reason why it’s important to practice your English listening skills. As you practice, hearing stop consonants will become normal to you. Even if the word is not pronounced completely, your brain will be able to fill in the missing sounds so you can understand.
Examples of Stop Consonants
This pronunciation pattern can appear in the middle of a word or at the end of a word, if the next word starts with a consonant.
Here are some sentences that have a b or p followed by another consonant. First, I’ll say the sentence and completely pronounce the stop consonant. Then, I’ll say the sentence without releasing the air, the way most English speakers do. Can you hear the difference?
I’m going to mop the floor.
The lamp fell off the table.
Take a cab to the airport.
I ate a sub sandwich for lunch.
Incorrect
Correct
Tell Me Again How This Works!
How does this work? Just stop the air, and then let your mouth begin to form the next sound. It may sound odd to you, but I promise it is very normal. To most American English speakers, it actually sounds odd to completely pronounce the letter. (Be aware that you may not hear this in other English accents.)
Here are some sentences where you will not release the air when you make k and g. Practice them with me. First, I’ll say them with the letters fully pronounced. Then, I’ll say the sentences using stop consonants.
Put your fork down.
Please lock the door.
The flag flies today.
Tie the bag tightly.
Incorrect
Correct
Now try these sentences with me that contain t and d. Because the t in the word cat is followed by a vowel sound, we will usually fully pronounce the t at the end of the word. (In the correct audio version, you will hear me pronounce cat as cad. This is another strange habit of t – when it is between two vowel sounds, it is usually pronounced as a d. More about this in another post.)
What did she say?
The cat is outside.
Goodbye!
The road stops here.
Incorrect
Correct
Practice Listening for Stop Consonants
How did you do? This is something that you will have to actively think about until it becomes your habit. If you spend time learning how to do this, your English will sound more fluent, and it will be easier to pronounce two or more consonants together.
We can study each of these sound pairs individually. Click the button to study the first pair, t and d.
