As your child becomes comfortable with the letters of the alphabet, the next step is helping them learn the differences between vowels and consonants. Here’s everything you need to know about consonants and ways to help your child understand how they differ from vowels. 

What Are Consonant Letters? 

Consonant sounds are made by blocking air using your teeth, tongue, or lips. For example, say the word “pad” and emphasize the beginning consonant sound “puh” while holding your hand in front of your mouth. Notice how you make the sound by bringing your lips together to block air.  

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 “palate”), blocking the airflow. 

Vowel sounds don’t block the air flow. Try saying the various vowel sounds (like “ah” or “oo”) with your hand in front of your mouth. The air continues to flow no matter what vowel sound you make. 

*What About Y? 

Y is a tricky letter, because while it’s 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 “yuh” sound, as in yellow. If it’s 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 or system. 

Voiced Consonants vs. Unvoiced Consonants 

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’t need your vocal cords.  

• Voiced: b, d, g, j, l, m, n, r, v, w, y, z 
• Unvoiced: p, t, k, f, s, h 

Another easy way to tell the difference? Try singing! You can sing voiced consonants and vowels, but not unvoiced consonants. Try singing a scale using “la-la-la,” and then “ta-ta-ta.” You can connect the la-la-las, but not the ta-ta-tas. 

Do Any Consonants Stand for More Than One Sound? 

You probably know that vowels can stand for more than one sound (long and short sounds, among others), and some consonants stand for multiple sounds too. We’ve already mentioned the letter Y, which stands for a consonant sound and a vowel sound. Here are other consonants that stand for multiple sounds. 

• C has a hard sound, /k/, as in cookie, and a soft sound, /s/, as in city. 
• G also has hard and soft sounds. The hard sound /g/ is found in rag, while the soft sound /j/ is heard in cage.
• S can make three sounds. In words like snake, it makes the simple /s/ sound. In rose, it makes a /z/ sound. And in some words, like sugar or sure, it makes the /sh/ sound, even without the h as part of the spelling. 
• X can also make three different sounds. At the end of words like fix, it makes a /ks/ sound. In the middle of words, like exact or exam, it makes a /gs/ sound. And when it’s at the beginning, X makes a /z/ sound, as in xylophone. 
• T makes three sounds too. Usually it makes the standard /t/ sound, as in top or cat. But in combination with the letters -ion or -ial, it makes a /sh/ sound, as in fiction or financial. And in some words, T can sound like /ch/, as in nature. 
• Z has two possible sounds: /z/ as in zebra, and a softer /zj/ as in seizure.  

How Can I Help My Child Pronounce Consonant Letters Accurately? 

Learning the different sounds of some consonants takes practice and can feel tricky for children. However, it’s an essential skill to master. In order to spell, children must hear the sounds in words clearly and, in order to read, children must recognize then blend together the sounds that consonants stand for. That’s why it’s important to spend time helping them grow a true understanding of these letters and all the different sounds they can make. Try the following tips as you teach and practice with consonants: 

Use visuals to sort consonants from vowels 

Look for alphabet letter magnet sets in which the vowels are a different color from the consonants. Sort these letters with your child and use them to talk about the differences. After they have more experience, have them practice sorting letter tiles or cards that aren’t color-coded to show their mastery. 

Use a mirror 

Look into a mirror with your child as you make different sounds to see what you notice. Is your mouth open or closed? Does your tongue touch your teeth or the roof of your mouth? Try to notice the very small differences that make various vowel or consonant sounds. 

What Order Should You Introduce Consonant Letters? 

There are a variety of opinions on the best order for teaching consonants. Some prefer to group them by voiced and unvoiced types, while others arrange them by how easy or difficult they are to say or learn. 

Research indicates it’s best to begin with the more commonly-used consonants, which gives new readers a boost and enables them to read simple sentences right away. Remember that all kids learn at their own pace, and there’s no need to rush. You can introduce two to four new letters a week, but don’t worry if your child needs to work at a slower pace. 

• m, t, s, paired with the vowel a 
• b, c, n, paired with the vowel i 
• f, p, g, paired with the vowel o 
• h, r, d, paired with the vowel u 
• l, j, k, paired with the vowel e 
• v, w, x 
• y, z, q  

Once your child is fully comfortable with all of the individual consonants, you can move on to consonant blends. These include blends in which both letters say their sound (/tr/ or /pl/) or those that combine the letters to make a new sound (/ch/ or /th/). Use this order when teaching blends: 

• sh, th, ch 
• sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw 
• bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl 
• br, cr, fr, gr, pr, dr, tr 
• Sk, st, lk, lp, mp, nt, nd 

Consonant Letter Activities 

With 21 consonants to learn (many of which make more than one sound), regular practice is incredibly important. Give these activities a try with your child!  

Vocal Exercises 

Singers often warm up by singing sounds like “mah, meh, mee, moh, moo.” These exercises combine beginning consonants with short vowel sounds, and they’re terrific for little learners too. They emphasize the combination of phonetic sounds and show the differences between the consonants. Try them with every consonant in the alphabet, singing or just saying them aloud.  

Stand Up/Sit Down 

Choose two consonants to work on and make one “stand up” and the other “sit down.” For instance, if you use D and T, your child would stand up when they hear “dog” or “hidden,” and sit down for “town” or “bite.” This active learning exercise is great for working out the wiggles. 

Trace and Say 

Trace consonant sounds with your finger or a writing instrument, making their associated sound as you do. Be sure to grab our free printable alphabet coloring pages for younger learners, and our letter tracing worksheets for those learning to write. 

Color by Letter 

Who doesn’t love to color? ABCmouse has two options for consonant letter coloring pages: color by letter and alphabet pictures. As you and your child color together, come up with a list of words that use that consonant’s sounds. 

Online Consonant Games 

When kids play ABCmouse online games, they learn essential skills like consonant letters and sounds. Here are a few of our favorites. Note: These games may require an ABCmouse subscription to play. 

• Alphabet Sounds on the Farm: Click the pictures to hear the sounds each farm item begins with, exploring beginning consonant sounds. 

• Last Letter in Line: Modify CVC words to create new words with this simple game that focuses on ending consonant sounds. 

• Goldie’s C and G Sounds: Join Goldie the giraffe to identify words that include hard and soft c and g sounds. 

How ABCmouse Helps Teach Consonants 

ABCmouse’s interactive games and activities can help kids practice all the phonics fundamentals that build the foundation for confident readers, including types of consonant sound.  

ABCmouse’s early childhood and elementary curriculum focuses on children in preschool through second and growing fundamental literacy and math skills. When specifically looking at consonants, our program contains activities and games designed to help your child practice proper mouth and tongue formation when working with consonant sounds.  

For example, activities such as “First Letter in Line,” help your child listen for and use beginning consonant sounds. The sounds are isolated and then blended to show how letters work to build sounds and words.

ABCmouse also provides entertaining interactions for your child to hear articulation of types of consonant sounds, such as in the book series Alphabet Sounds on the Farm. 

In addition, your child can listen to and practice voiced and unvoiced beginning consonant sounds and letter blends through learning games like “Ring the Bell.”  

ABCmouse aims to make learning consonants an engaging and fun experience for children, offering a variety of games, songs, puzzles, and activities that allow many opportunities for practice with consonant sounds.  

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