IndianTechnoEra: Consonant Sounds

Consonant Sounds

The English alphabet has 26 letters. The five main vowel letters are a, e, i, o and u. Most of the remaining letters are called consonants.

Consonants represent many of the sounds we hear at the beginning, middle or end of words.

Learning Objectives

• Understand what consonant letters are.
• Recognise common consonant sounds.
• Identify consonant sounds in simple words.
• Use consonant sounds while reading simple words.

Vowels and Consonants

Vowels: A E I O U

The letters shown above are the five main vowel letters.

Letters such as b, c, d, f, g, h, m, p, r, s and t are consonant letters.

Common Consonant Sounds

b → /b/    m → /m/    s → /s/    t → /t/

These letters commonly represent the sounds heard in bat, map, sun and top.

Consonants in Words

Consonant sounds can appear in different places in a word.

c-a-t

In cat, the letters c and t represent consonant sounds, while a represents a vowel sound.

m-a-p

In map, m and p are consonants and a is the vowel.

Examples

• b → /b/ as in bat.
• f → /f/ as in fish.
• m → /m/ as in map.
• p → /p/ as in pen.
• r → /r/ as in rat.
• s → /s/ as in sun.

Common Mistakes

• Do not call every letter a consonant.
• Remember that a, e, i, o and u are the main vowel letters.
• Listen to the sound represented by the letter in the word.

Practice

1. Name the five main vowel letters.

2. Is m a vowel or a consonant?

3. Is t a vowel or a consonant?

4. Which consonant begins the word fish?

5. Which consonants can you find in map?

Try It Yourself

Choose the words cat, sun, pen and dog. Say each word and identify the consonant letters you can see.

Quick Revision

• Consonants are letters other than the five main vowel letters.
• Consonants represent many sounds in spoken words.
• Consonants can appear at the beginning, middle or end of words.

Next Step

Now that you understand common vowel and consonant letters, the next lesson will help you match written letters with the sounds you hear.