Consonant

A consonant is a sound in spoken language (or a letter of the alphabet denoting such a sound) that has no sounding voice (vocal sound) of its own, but must rely on a nearby vowel with which (con = Latin for "with") it can sound (sonant). Some consonants can function like vowels (in that they occasionally occupy the nucleus of the syllable), like Czech [r] in krk 'neck' or English [m] in (disyllabic) prism. The sounds [j] as in English yoke and [w] as in English woman are sometimes called semivowels, because although they function as consonants in some languages (e.g. English or Latin), phonetically they are vowel-like, or to be more exact, are very short realizations of [i] and [u] respectively.

Consonant letters in the Latin alphabet are BCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXZ. The letter Y stands for a consonant in yoke but for a vowel in myth. Originally, Y was a vowel letter in Greek, representing [u] (later on, front rounded [y], and in Modern Greek, [i]), and it normally has the sound value [y] in German, in Finnish and other Scandinavian languages. The letter Y nicely shows how letters change their function. In Afrikaans, Y denotes the diphthong [EI], probably as a result of mixing lower case i and y. In Dutch, Y appears only in loanwords and is usually pronounced [i]. Italian, too, has Y only in very few loanwords.

Obviously, consonants and vowels are difficult to transcribe adequately with the alphabet we use in everyday life. Therefore, linguists have devised phonetic alphabets such as the IPA alphabet or the computer readable SAMPA script.

Consonants are distinguished mainly by voice, manner and place of articulations.

Approximants are sounds between consonants and vowels.

English consonants arranged according to these properties (horizontal - manner; vertical - place), with voiceless and voiced consonants given in the form [t]-[d], and rounded forms marked by an asterix:

Stops Fricatives Affricates Nasals Approximants

Bilabial [p]-[b] [m]

Labiodental [f]-[v]

Dental [T]-[D]

Alveolar [t]-[d] [s]-[z] [n] [l], [r]

Palatoalveolar [S]-[Z] [tS]-[dZ]

Palatal [j]

Velar [k]-[g] [N] [w] (rounded)

Glottal [h] (voiceless)

See stop, fricative, affricate, nasal, approximant, bilabial, labiodental, dental, alveolar, palatoalveolar, palatal, velar, uvular, glottal, retroflex.

Remarks

Traditionally the above diagram is shown with place of articulation in the horizontal direction and manner of articulation in the vertical direction. (Perhaps somebody might redo this with a HTML-table)

For English speakers, [D] is as in this, [j] as in you, [N] as in song, and [T] as in thing. There are actually two sorts of [l], the normal one as in liquid and a velarized form as in all. [t] and [d] are usually alveolar in Germanic languages but dental e.g. in Slavic and Romance languages, and postalveolar in the affricates [tS] and [dZ].

Many languages also distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated stops, depending on whether there is a release of air after the noise. A stop can also release easily into a fricative, giving us what is called an affricate. Finally, voice refers to whether or not the vocal chords are moving, so we have both voiced and voiceless consonants.

Synonyms within Context: Consonant

Commercial Usage: Consonant

Non-Fiction Usage: Consonant

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Different sounds move to the population of hair cells in different ways, thus allowing the brain to distinguish among various sounds, for example, different vowel and consonant sounds. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	JUSTICE, n. A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service. K K is a consonant that we get from the Greeks, but it can be traced away back beyond them to the Cerathians, a small commercial nation inhabiting the peninsula of Smero. In their tongue it was called Klatch, which means "destroyed." The form of the letter was originally precisely that of our H, but the erudite Dr. Snedeker explains that it was altered to its present shape to commemorate the destruction of the great temple of Jarute by an earthquake, circa 730 B.C. This building was famous for the two lofty columns of its portico, one of which was broken in half by the catastrophe, the other remaining intact. As the earlier form of the letter is supposed to have been suggested by these pillars, so, it is thought by the great antiquary, its later was adopted as a simple and natural -- not to say touching -- means of keeping the calamity ever in the national memory. It is not known if the name of the letter was altered as an additional mnemonic, or if the name was always Klatch and the destruction one of nature's pums. As each theory seems probable enough, I see no objection to believing both -- and Dr. Snedeker arrayed himself on that side of the question.
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speeches: Consonant

Usage Frequency: Consonant

Expressions: Consonant

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Consonant

Modern Translation: Consonant

Language		Translations for "consonant"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		i pajtueshëm (compatible, consistent, reconcilable), i harmonishëm (concordant, harmonious, tunable, well-rounded), harmonik (balanced, harmonic), bashkëtingëllore. (various references)

Arabic		‏منسجم مع (accordant, congruous), ‏منسجم (compatible, concordant, congruent, corresponding, harmonious, in agreement), ‏ملائم (acceptable, accordant, adapted, adequate, advantageous, agreeable, agreeing, appropriate, apt, becoming, click, compatible, concordant, conformable, conforming, congruent, congruous, consistent, convenient, expedient, favorable, favourable, feasible, fit, fitting, harmonious, in accord, in agreement, in conformity, in harmony, matching, opportune, proper, propitious, right, seasonable, seemly, suitable, suited, timely), ‏متماثل الأصوات, ‏متناغم الأصوات, ‏متوافق (convenient, correspondent, harmonious, suitable), ‏الحرف أو الصوت الساكن. (various references)

Bulgarian		съгласна буква, съответствуващ (coincident, coincidental, compatible, keyed, suitable), асонантен. (various references)

Chinese		辅音, �"音 , 子音 . (various references)

Czech		souhláska, konsonant. (various references)

Danish		konsonant. (various references)

Dutch		medeklinker, consonant. (various references)

Esperanto		konsonanto. (various references)

Farsi		همخوان , هم اهنگ (Symphonic, Unisonous(Onal-Onant), حرف صامت , حرف بی صدا. (various references)

Finnish		konsonantti, kerake. (various references)

French		consonne. (various references)

German		Konsonant, mitlaut. (various references)

Greek		σύμφωνοσ (accordant, agreed, compatible, concordant, concurrent, conformable, congruent, pursuant), σύμφωνο γραμματικήσ, σύμφωνο (covenant), συνηχών (resonant), ευχάριστοσ (agreeable, congenial, convivial, cosy, cozy, delectable, engaging, gladsome, groovy, jaunty, piquant, pleasant, pleasing, satisfactory), αρμονικόσ (concordant, congruous, harmonic, harmonious, symphonic, symphonious). (various references)

Hebrew		עצור (detained, forbidden, halt, imprisoned, repressed, restrained, shut in, whoa), � עים לשמיע�". (various references)

Hungarian		mássalhangzó. (various references)

Indonesian		konsonan, huruf mati. (various references)

Italian		consonante. (various references)

Japanese Kanji		子音 . (various references)

Japanese Katakana		しい�" (a taste, cause of death, personal seal, sampling drink). (various references)

Korean		자음. (various references)

Manx		rere (accordance, accordance law, according to, cater, order, pursuant, reputedly), freggyragh (amenable, answerable, conformable, congruent, liable, reactive, responsive), corockle. (various references)

Papiamen		konsonante. (various references)

Pig Latin		onsonantcay

Portuguese		conforme a (accordant, agreeable), harmonioso (accordant, canorous, concordant, conformable, euphonious, flowing, harmonious, melodious, numerous, orphic, regular, sweet, tunable, tuneful, tuny, united). (various references)

Romanian		consonant, consoanã, în armonie (accordant, harmonious). (various references)

Russian		согласный звук, согласный (accordant, agreeable, concordant, consilient, consonantal, content, correspondent, like minded), созвучный (assonant, harmonious). (various references)

Scottish		connrag, comh-fhoghar. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		suglasnik, suglasnički (consonantal), odgovarajući (agreeable, compatible, convenient, corresponding, homologous, matching, respondent), konsonantni (consonantal), konsonant. (various references)

Spanish		consonante. (various references)

Swedish		konsonant, överensstämmande (equivalent, harmonised, harmonized). (various references)

Turkish		uyumlu (accommodating, canorous, coherent, compatible, concordant, conformable, congenial, congruent, congruous, consentient, consequent, deferent, deferential, elastic, eurhythmic, harmonic, harmonious, melodious, responsive, rhythmic, supple, symphonious, tuneful, unisonous, well-matched), uyuşan (concurrent), sessiz harf, ses uyumu olan, bağdaşan (compatible, Square), ahenkli (cadenced, canorous, coherent, concordant, congruent, congruous, euphonic, euphonious, harmonic, harmonious, homophonic, in accord, in order, melodic, melodious, symphonious, tuneful), ünsüz (surd, unvoiced). (various references)

Turkmen		зekimsiz ses. (various references)

Ukrainian		сумісний (compatible, consistent, reconcilable), співзвучний (accordant, assonant, concordant, harmonious), згодний (agreeable, consent, consentient, content, game for smth., like minded, ready, right-ho), приголосний звук. (various references)

Vietnamese		phù hợp (accordant, congruous, suitable), du dương ho� hợp, êm ái (cushy, dulcet, gently, sweet, tender, tunable, tuneful). (various references)

Welsh		cytsain. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Ancestral Language Translations: Consonant

Derivations & Misspellings: Consonant

Rhyming with "Consonant"

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "consonant" (pronounced kÄ"nsununt)
6	-s u n u n t	dissonant.
5	-u n u n t	abstinent, contaminant, continent, covenant, determinant, dominant, eminent, immanent, imminent, impertinent, incontinent, permanent, pertinent, predominant, preeminent, prominent, recombinant, resonant, ruminant, semipermanent, subcontinent.
4	-n u n t	complainant, component, exponent, indignant, lieutenant, malignant, opponent, pennant, pregnant, proponent, remnant, repugnant, stagnant, tenant.
3	-u n t	abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complaisant, complement, compliant, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contentment, contestant, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissident, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immigrant, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, percipient, persistent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, pronouncement, propellant, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, sacrament, salient, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Anagrams: Consonant

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-c-n-n-n-o-o-s-t"
	-2 letters: cannons, cantons.
	-3 letters: cannon, cannot, canons, canton, cantos, contos, cotans, nostoc, octans, sonant.
	-4 letters: ancon, ascot, canon, canso, canst, canto, cants, coast, coats, conns, conto, coons, coots, costa, cotan, nonas, noons, octan, santo, scant, scoot, snoot, tacos, toons.
	-5 letters: acts, anon, ants, cans, cant, cast, cats, coat, conn, cons, coon, coos, coot, cost, cots.
	Words containing the letters "a-c-n-n-n-o-o-s-t"
	+1 letter: consonants, nonactions.
	+2 letters: consonantal, consonantly, inconsonant, nonconstant, noncontacts.
	+3 letters: condensation, condonations, connotations, consignation, nonconstants.
	+4 letters: canonizations, condemnations, condensations, consentaneous, consignations, consternation, continuations, noncombatants, noncontagious, noneducations.
	+5 letters: concatenations, concentrations, condensational, confrontations, consternations, contaminations, contraventions, nonantibiotics, nonpoliticians, preconsonantal, pronunciations.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Agreement	Adjective: agreeing, suiting; Verb: in accord, accordant, concordant, consonant, congruous, consentaneous, correspondent, congenial; coherent; becoming; harmonious reconcilable, conformable; in accordance with, in harmony with, in keeping with, in unison with; Noun: at one with, of one mind, of a piece; consistent, compatible, proportionate; commensurate; on all fours.
Letter	Consonant, vowel; diphthong, triphthong; mute, liquid, labial, dental, guttural. syllable; monosyllable, dissyllable, polysyllable; affix, suffix.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Title
Books	Articulation Therapy and Consonant Drill Book. (reference) Beginning Book of Letters and Consonant Sounds (reference) Consonant Blends (reference) Consonant Blends and Digraphs Coloring Book (reference) Consonant Sounds B-J Workbook (reference) (more book examples)

Music	Before.../ Consonant... [IMPORT] (reference) Consonant (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
Andrew Jackson	1829-1837	This disposition is founded as well on the most grateful and honorable recollections associated with our struggle for independence as upon a well grounded conviction that it is consonant with the true policy of both.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	54.97%	94	33,845
Adjective (general or positive)	45.03%	77	37,929
Total	100.00%	171	N/A

Expressions using "consonant": affricate consonant ♦ alveolar consonant ♦ consonant into ♦ consonant rhyme ♦ consonant shifting ♦ consonant system ♦ continuant consonant ♦ dental consonant ♦ fricative consonant ♦ guttural consonant ♦ labial consonant ♦ lip consonant ♦ liquid consonant ♦ mute consonant ♦ nasal consonant ♦ open consonant ♦ plosive consonant ♦ sibilant consonant ♦ stop consonant ♦ voiceless consonant. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "consonant": consonant-cracking, consonant-group, consonant-vowel, consonant-vowel-consonant, consonant-vowel-constant.
	Ending with "consonant": consonant-vowel-consonant, four-consonant, one-consonant, semi-consonant, single-consonant, two-consonant.
	Containing "consonant": two-consonant-phoneme.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

	Stops	Fricatives	Affricates	Nasals	Approximants
Bilabial	[p]-[b]			[m]
Labiodental		[f]-[v]
Dental		[T]-[D]
Alveolar	[t]-[d]	[s]-[z]		[n]	[l], [r]
Palatoalveolar		[S]-[Z]	[tS]-[dZ]
Palatal					[j]
Velar	[k]-[g]			[N]	[w] (rounded)
Glottal					[h] (voiceless)

Expression	Frequency per Day
consonant	33
consonant blend	18
vowel and consonant	6
consonant sound	6
consonant digraphs	5
cluster consonant	5
consonant english	3
consonant syllabic	2
blend consonant lesson plan	2
consonant digraphs game	2
consonant double	2
consonant greek	2
consonant diagraphs	2
consonant deletion final	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	consona. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "consonant": consonantal, consonantly, consonants. (additional references)
	Words ending with "consonant": inconsonant. (additional references)
	Words containing "consonant": postconsonantal, preconsonantal. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Consonant" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cconsonant, consanant, consenant, consonans, consonante, consonent, consonnant, constonant, kosovan, Sonsonate. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Consonant

Definition: Consonant

Consonant

Adjective

Noun

Synonyms: Consonant

Specialty Definition: Consonant

Remarks

Synonyms within Context: Consonant

Agreement

Letter

Crosswords: Consonant

Commercial Usage: Consonant

Books

Music

Non-Fiction Usage: Consonant

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Speeches: Consonant

Andrew Jackson

Usage Frequency: Consonant

Expressions: Consonant

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Consonant

Modern Translation: Consonant

Albanian

Arabic

Bulgarian

Chinese

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Esperanto

Farsi

Finnish

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese Kanji

Japanese Katakana

Korean

Manx

Papiamen

Pig Latin

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Scottish

Serbo-Croatian

Spanish

Swedish

Turkish

Turkmen

Ukrainian

Vietnamese

Welsh

Ancestral Language Translations: Consonant

Derivations & Misspellings: Consonant

Derivations

Misspellings

Rhyming with "Consonant"

Anagrams: Consonant

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

INDEX