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Consonant sounds and letters

The c0nsonants are all the letters that are NOT vowels.

Vowels= a , e,  i,  o,  u   (and sometimes  y  )

Every English word must have at least one vowel in it.
Every syllable (part of word) in a word  has one vowel sound in it.

All of the other  letters are called “consonants.”

a, e, i, o and u are called vowels!  (and sometimes  y  )
All of the other letters in the alphabet are called consonants.
Link, below, to the website, Starfall
Starfall has good, online videos about each letter in the alphabet.
In Starfall, you can listen to each letter sound and read each letter name.
Listen and read all letter names and sounds that each letter makes:

link:  http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?f

Babies love making these sounds because they can both hear the sounds and  feel the sounds as they move their mouths! 

You already know how to make these sounds,  because you made all of them when you were  a baby!

The letter name is different from the sound that letter makes.  Be sure to say the sound of the letter, not the name of the letter

Name of the letter b= bee      Sound of  b = buh    (voiced=louder)
Name of  letter p = pee            Sound of p = puh    (not voiced=quiet)

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It can be easier to learn and remember how to make the English consonant sounds if you learn how you move your lips, tongue and mouth when you make that sound.

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Some of the consonant sounds are made in a similar way.
(“similar” means almost the same )
When they are similar (almost the same), one sound is quiet, with no voice.
The other sound in that box  is made the same way, but is louder and has a voice.

Similar sounds are together in the boxes, below.

Practice saying each sound in the mouth pictures below
(not the letter name)

Examples:

• p  p  p  p  p  p  p  p  p
• b  b  b  b  b  b  b  b  b
• b  p  b  p  b  p  b  p  b p

• t  t  t  t  t  t  t  t  t  t  t  t
• d  d  d  d  d  d  d  d  d
• t  d  t  d   t  d  t  d  t  d

• k  k  k  k  k  k  k  k  k  k    (the letter c often says k sound)
• g  g  g  g  g  g  g  g  g  g  g
• k   g  k  g  k  g  k  g  k  g  k  g

• p  t  p  t  p  t  p  t
• b  d  b  d  b  d  b  d
• p  k  p  k  p  k  p  k
• b  g  b  g  b  g  b   g

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Examples: a simple explanation for each sound
Babies love making these sounds because they can both hear the sounds and  feel them as they move their mouths!  You already know these sounds,  because you made them as a baby!

p and b are both made by popping the lips=  lip poppers  ( p is quiet, b is voiced and  louder)

t and d are both made by tapping the tip of your tongue on the top of your mouth  =  tongue tappers
( t= quiet,    d= voiced, loud )

k and g are both made by tapping or scraping the back of your tongue on the back top of your mouth = back scrapers
(k= quiet,   g= voiced and loud)

f and v are made by putting your teeth on you lips and blowing out a little bit of air  = lip coolers  (f=quiet, v= voiced, loud)

m, n and ng are all called nose sounds. You can feel those sounds in your nose= nose sounds

l and r are called lifters because you lift your tongue to make them= lifters

th is made with your tongue between your teeth, with a little bit of soft, blowing air coming out between your tongue and your upper teeth= tongue coolers

s and z are made with a smile and air coming out = skinny sounds
(s=quiet, z=voiced, loud)

sh and zh are made with your lips puckered and soft air being blown out of your mouth (sh= quiet,   zh=loud )= fat sounds

ch and tch and j  are made by combining t and sh….tsh!…. a big puff out!
(ch=quiet, j= voiced, loud)= fat pushed sounds

w, h and wh are soft, quiet windy sounds = windy sounds

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Please practice:
saying each sound below
be sure one sound is quiet and the other sound is loud
Practice saying these sounds again and again and again

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