A consonant is such a speech sound or a letter that is not a vowel. It means that in English alphabets, other than vowels, all the other letters are consonants.
Check out the below lists of vowels and consonants.
- Vowels: A, E, I, O, U.
- Consonants: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.
Note: Sometimes, Y does not act as a consonant.
About Syllables
A syllable is known as a unit of pronunciation which is formed with the combination of vowels and consonants. See the examples below,
1. Remove
In the above word, there are two syllables. ‘Re’ (in which ‘r’ is a consonant and ‘e’ is a vowel) and ‘move’ (in which ‘m’ and ‘v’ are consonants whereas, ‘o’ and ‘e’ are vowels.)
2. Please
In the above word, there is only one syllable having three consonants (‘p’, ‘l’, and‘s’) and two vowels (‘e’ and ‘a’).
Check Out: What Is a Conjunction?
Consonant as an Adjective
Consonant is also used as an adjective within a sentence which is synonymous with agreeable, in agreement, or consistent. See the example sentence below,
- Nothing is more consonant with Nature than that she puts into operation in the smallest detail that which she intends as a whole. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Types of Consonants
Consonants can be categorized into several types based on their articulation and characteristics. Two important distinctions are between voiced and voiceless consonants, as well as hard and soft consonants.Voiced vs. Voiceless Consonants:
Voiced consonants occur when the vocal cords vibrate during the articulation of the sound.
- The sound /b/ in “bat” is voiced; you can feel the vibration in your throat when pronouncing it.
Voiceless consonants are produced without vocal cord vibration.
- The sound /p/ in “pat” is voiceless; there’s no vibration when you say it.
Hard vs. Soft Consonants
Hard consonants are those that create a stronger, more abrupt sound.
- The sound /k/ in “cat” is a hard consonant, producing a sharp, clear sound.
Soft consonants have a gentler, more fluid sound.
- The sound /s/ in “see” is a soft consonant, characterized by its smoother articulation.
What Did You Learn?
As a grammatical term, consonants are speech sounds. Other than vowels, rests of the letters are all consonants, for instance, b, d, p, q, z, etc. Vowels and consonants, when paired together, make up syllables.