consonant
A consonant is a speech sound made with some closure or constriction of the vocal tract.
Examples include
- [p] pronounced with closure at the lips;
- [d] pronounced with closure at the front of the tongue and the alveolar ridge;
- [k] pronounced with the back of the tongue against the velum;
- [m] and [n], which have air flowing through the nose (nasals)
Contrasting with consonants are vowels.