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How are stop consonants such as /p/, /t/, and /k/ formed?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Diagram of a human head in profile showing the location of vocal organs and possible places of articulation for speech sounds, with labels for lips, teeth, tongue, palate, uvula, pharynx, and vocal cords, and numbered regions corresponding to types of articulation such as bilabial, alveolar, and velar.
phonetics Diagram depicting the location of human vocal organs and possible places of articulation used for speech.

Stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/ are produced through the complete obstruction of the airstream in the oral cavity, followed by a release of that air. This process typically involves three distinct stages:12

  • The catch (implosion): The beginning of the blockage where the articulators close.1
  • The hold (occlusion): The period where the soft palate is raised to block the nasal tract, causing air pressure to build up behind the closure in the mouth.12
  • The release (explosion): The opening of the air passage, which releases the built-up air with a plosive quality.12

These sounds are classified by their place of articulation: /p/ is a bilabial stop (formed with the lips), /t/ is an alveolar stop (formed with the tongue against the alveolar ridge), and /k/ is a velar stop (formed with the back of the tongue against the soft palate). In English, these are voiceless stops, meaning they are produced without vibration of the vocal cords. When occurring at the beginning of words, they are often aspirated, meaning they are accompanied by a forceful expulsion of air.1345