Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does an approximant differ from a fricative?

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.

In phonetics, the primary distinction between an approximant and a fricative lies in the degree of constriction within the vocal tract and the resulting airflow.

  • Approximants: These sounds are produced by bringing two articulators close together, but the gap remains wide enough that the airstream passes through without creating turbulence or audible friction. Because of this, they are sometimes referred to as frictionless continuants, semivowels, or glides. Examples include the initial sounds in the words "yes" and "war".12
  • Fricatives: These consonants are produced by narrowing the vocal tract enough to partially obstruct the airstream. This constriction forces the air to move through a small space, generating turbulent airflow and audible friction, similar to the sound of wind whistling around a corner. Examples include the initial sounds in "fie," "thigh," "sigh," and "shy".34

In short, while both involve the positioning of articulators, only the fricative creates the narrow constriction necessary to produce audible friction.14