{"id":32868,"date":"2024-10-24T09:49:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T17:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/?p=32868"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:41:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T20:41:07","slug":"how-to-teach-consonants-letters-and-sounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/advice\/how-to-teach-consonants-letters-and-sounds\/32868","title":{"rendered":"How to Teach Consonants Letters and Sounds\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Are Consonants and Fun Ways to Teach Them <\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Help your child understand consonant letters and get great tips and activities for teaching them. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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By Jill Staake<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by Dr. Nika Fabienke<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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What Are Consonant Letters? <\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*What About Y? <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voiced Consonants vs. Unvoiced Consonants <\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Any Consonants Stand for More Than One Sound? <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can I Help My Child Pronounce Consonant Letters Accurately? <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Order Should You Introduce Consonant Letters? <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consonant Letter Activities <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How ABCmouse Helps Teach Consonants <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As your child becomes comfortable with the letters of the alphabet<\/a>, the next step is helping them learn the differences between vowels<\/a> and consonants. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about consonants and ways to help your child understand how they differ from vowels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Consonant Letters? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In English, vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Consonants are all the other letters in the alphabet<\/strong>. Fourteen consonants have only one sound: B, F, H, J, K, L M, N, P, R, T, V, W, and Z<\/strong>. However, seven consonants can have more than one sound: C, G, D, S, Y, and X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Consonant sounds are made by blocking air<\/strong> using your teeth, tongue, or lips. For example, say the word \u201cpad\u201d and emphasize the beginning consonant sound \u201cpuh\u201d while holding your hand in front of your mouth. Notice how you make the sound by bringing your lips together to block air.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For other consonants, you use the positions of your teeth or tongue to block the air. To see this in action, begin to say the letter \/k\/ and freeze your mouth in position. The back of your tongue is now touching the top of your mouth (known as the \u201cpalate\u201d), blocking the airflow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vowel sounds don\u2019t block the air flow<\/strong>. Try saying the various vowel sounds (like \u201cah\u201d or \u201coo\u201d) with your hand in front of your mouth. The air continues to flow no matter what vowel sound you make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*What About Y? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Y is a tricky letter, because while it\u2019s technically a consonant, it can also be used to stand for a vowel sound in certain situations. Generally, when Y is at the beginning of a word, it stands for a consonant sound and makes the \u201cyuh\u201d sound, as in yellow<\/em>. If it\u2019s in the middle of a word, or at the end of a syllable or word, it usually stands for a vowel sound, such as a long \/e\/, long \/i\/, or short \/i\/ sound, as in happy<\/em> or system<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Voiced Consonants vs. Unvoiced Consonants <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We can break consonants down further into two groups: voiced and unvoiced. When speaking, you use your vocal cords to make a voiced consonant sound. An unvoiced consonant sound doesn\u2019t need your vocal cords.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Try This: <\/strong>Lightly place a finger on your throat when you make a consonant sound. If you feel vibrations, the consonant is a voiced sound. (All vowel sounds are also voiced.) Unvoiced consonant sounds will not make your throat vibrate. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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