What are consonants?

A consonant is a sound you make by blocking or changing the air as it moves through your mouth.

Imagine you're blowing bubbles with your mouth, that's like making a vowel sound, smooth and open. But when you say a consonant, you’re like a bubble blower who suddenly stops the air or changes its path, making a different kind of sound.

Think of a consonant as a gate in a playground. When you're playing freely, that's like a vowel, open and flowing. But when the gate closes or swings shut, that’s like a consonant, it makes a new sound by stopping or changing how the air moves.

For example, when you say "b", your lips close together to stop the air before it comes out, just like closing a gate. When you say "s", your teeth and tongue change the way the air flows, making that hissy sound.

Here are some consonants you might know:

• b, d, f, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z

These sounds help you make words, like "cat" or "dog", just like blocks help you build a tower.