Voiced vs. Unvoiced Consonants
Why this distinction changes how clearly you’re understood
Have you ever been in this situation?
You are melting in the heatwave that is sweeping the world. You tell your colleague you’re going to go get a “fan”.
They look at you weirdly and then ask “Oh, are you going on a road trip?”.
You stare at them blankly wondering why your cooling device prompted them to think you are travelling. Then you realize… they heard “van”, not “fan.”
This kind of miscommunication is very common, and it’s all because of one specific, learnable distinction: voiced and unvoiced consonants.
It’s a simple change, but it makes a world of difference in your pronunciation. Let’s explore why.
What do “voiced” and “unvoiced” consonants actually mean?
Consonants are sounds that are created by blocking or partially blocking the airflow as it passes through the vocal tract. Depending on the shape of the articulators--the lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue, and the soft palate--these restrictions of sounds result in different effects.
We can group consonants based on the type of sound, how they are created, and whether they are voiced or unvoiced.
In fact, many consonants are created similarly, but they differ based on phonation. If there is a vibration in your throat when you say a consonant, it’s voiced. If you don’t feel a vibration, it’s unvoiced.
Give it a try:
Put two fingers on the front of your throat and say “ffffff”. Do you feel a vibration? You shouldn’t.
Now, do the same thing except say “vvvvv”. Do you feel the vibration now? That’s because “v” is a voiced consonant.
Voiced and unvoiced consonant pairs
Think about the consonants “v” and “f”. They are produced with the same formation and are considered the same type of sound. The only difference is that “v” is voiced and “f” is unvoiced.
We often group consonants in pairs of similarly produced sounds where one is voiced and the other is unvoiced. Here are some common pairs that appear in English all the time:
Voiced Consonant Example Unvoiced Consonant Example
/b/ bin /p/ pin
/d/ dip /t/ tip
/g/ good /k/ could
/v/ van /f/ fan
/ð/ then /θ/ thin
/z/ zip /s/ sip
/ʒ/ measure /ʃ/ sure
/ʤ/ Jeep /ʧ/ cheap
For a lot of my clients, the first four sets of pairs are pretty easy -- they are common in French. The voiced and unvoiced TH (/ð/,/θ/), however, can cause some challenges. Especially since those two sounds don’t exist in French.
Here’s how to create those sounds:
Put your tongue between your teeth. Really stick it out. Then, push air out.
That’s the unvoiced TH (/θ/), found in words like “thin”, “think”, and “bath”.
Now, do the same thing, but turn your voice on. That’s the voiced Th (/ð/) in words like “the”, “then”, and “bathe”.
By mastering the voiced and unvoiced difference in those two sounds -- and the other pairs -- you can go a long way in improving your English clarity.
The importance of correct consonant voicing
Have you ever been told your English is hard to understand? Your voiced and unvoiced consonants very well could be the reason -- especially at the end of words.
Not clear consonants can cause confusion because you might be producing sounds that are close to English words, but ultimately not real words. This can be difficult for a listener to decode and could lead to misunderstandings.
Voiced and unvoiced consonants also hold linguistic significance. Imagine you’re talking to someone and you ask for a “rope”, and they bring you a terry cloth bath “robe”. Well, that’s because the voiced/unvoiced difference between the “p” and “b” weren’t clear, so they heard a completely different word.
Sure, native English speakers often de-voice final consonants in slightly casual speech, but they still preserve a slight difference. Often, the vowel before a voiced consonant is held slightly longer than in an unvoiced one. For example, the /ae/ in “bad” is slightly longer in sound than the same vowel in “bat”, even though both final consonants can sound similar.
Furthermore, past tense endings ("-ed") and plural/possessive endings ("-s") change pronunciation entirely based on whether the sound before them is voiced or unvoiced.
"-ed" sounds like /t/ after unvoiced sounds (walked), but it sounds like the voiced /d/ after voiced sounds (played), /ɪd/ after /t/ or /d/ (wanted)
"-s" sounds like an unvoiced /s/ after unvoiced sounds (cats), but it sounds like the voiced /z/ after voiced sounds (dogs)
How to practice consonant clarity
Like most skills in pronunciation, consonant clarity requires practice. Remember, you’re training your muscles to do new things!
Minimal pair drills of voiced/unvoiced consonants are a great way to quickly practice repeated sounds. To get started, download my free Voiced/Unvoiced Consonant minimal pair guide -- and have fun practicing!
