Describe consonants by how they are made
Before you begin: No IPA knowledge needed. This introductory analysis uses English consonants; it is not a complete pronunciation guide.
For a first consonant description, ask where airflow is constricted, how it is constricted and whether the vocal folds vibrate. These are place, manner and voicing. The IPA chart arranges symbols to make these comparisons visible.
Square brackets such as [s] describe a speech sound. Ordinary spelling may use several letters for one sound or one letter for different sounds. Analyse what is pronounced before counting letters.
Worked example & observations
Original comparison exercise: sustain [s], then [z]. Both are alveolar fricatives: the tongue makes a narrow passage near the ridge behind the upper teeth. [z] is voiced and [s] voiceless. Compare [t] with [s]: their broad place can match, while a stop briefly closes the airflow and a fricative maintains a narrow turbulent passage. Exact realizations depend on speaker and context.
Your turn
For [f] versus [v], identify what stays the same and what changes. Why is counting the two letters in English ‘sh’ not a sound analysis?
Show answer and reasoning
Both [f] and [v] are labiodental fricatives; [v] is voiced and [f] voiceless. English ‘sh’ commonly represents the single consonant [ʃ]. Spelling length does not count speech segments.
Watch for: The chart is a map of articulatory categories, not an automatic pronunciation model for every language. Do not assume that a familiar-looking symbol has its English letter value.
Published and planned
Published: this starter lesson, worked example and exercise with an answer.
Planned: Vowels, phonemic contrasts, connected speech and reviewed audio examples.
Validation: source review and mathematical checks where applicable. Photography captures, audio listening and device workflows have not been performed for these lessons. Synthetic cases are labelled; no personal media or field observations are implied.
References
Original AUWEN teaching and examples. Sources reviewed 14 September 2026.
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