Stop consonant

Stops or plosives are consonant sounds that are formed by completely stopping airflow.

Stop sounds can be voiceless, like the sounds /p/, /t/, and /k/, or voiced, like /b/, /d/, and /g/. In phonetics, a plosive consonant is made by blocking a part of the mouth so that no air can pass through. Pressure builds up behind the block, and when the air is allowed to pass through again, a sound is created. This sound is the plosive consonant. The blocking is usually done using the tongue, the lips or the throat. Plosives can be voiced or voiceless.

IPA

[p], [t], [k] are voiceless plosives.

[b], [d], [ɡ] are voiced plosives.

[ʔ], [∅] are a glottal stop and a null initial which are made in the throat.

Related pages

• Glottal stop