Consonant Sounds — Voiced and Voiceless
A1 · Sounds · p/b · t/d · k/g — and why final consonants matter
Many English consonants come in pairs made with the same mouth position: one is quiet (voiceless), one buzzes (voiced). Pat vs bat, ten vs den. And the final consonant of a word is precious — drop it, and the word changes or vanishes.
Step 1 — Notice
- Voiceless: /p/ /t/ /k/ — air only, no throat buzz. /p/ even puffs: hold paper before your lips for 'pat'.
- Voiced: /b/ /d/ /g/ — same positions, plus the buzz.
- Never swallow the last consonant: 'dog' without the /g/ sounds like 'daw' — a different (non)word.
- Final voiced consonants also stretch the vowel before them slightly: 'cab' is a touch longer than 'cap'.
Step 2 — Listen
AI-generated American voice. Natural first, then slow. Listen as many times as you need.
pat
Voiceless /p/ — feel the puff of air.
bat
Voiced /b/ — same lips, plus the buzz.
ten
Voiceless /t/.
den
Voiced /d/.
coat
Voiceless /k/ … /t/.
goat
Voiced /g/ … /t/.
Pat has a big dog.
Hear every final consonant land: big, dog.
Ear Training — Which Word Did You Hear?
Play the word, then choose what you heard. After you answer, hear both words and compare.
Step 4 — Repeat & Record
Say each model out loud, right after the voice. Then record yourself saying the target line: pat
Record yourself, play it back, and compare with the model. Recordings stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Step 5 — Compare & Self-Check
Play your recording from Step 4. Then play the model again. No scores — just honest ears. Tick what you truly did:
Step 6 — Shadow
The text starts hidden. Listen first, then reveal it, then speak with the voice — same rhythm, half a second behind.
Pat has a big black dog.
The cat sat on the red coat.
Practice Quiz
Keep going
🇺🇸 Real American Listening — hear it in real conversation🎙️ Speaking Studio — use your voice in dialogues🌱 Vocabulary Builder — words with pronunciation🔗 Phrasal Verbs Lab📚 Graded Stories — shadow a story← Previous lesson · A1 — all lessons · Next: Difficult Sounds — TH, R/L, W/V →
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