consonant

In addition to vowels, the English alphabet is also made up of consonants. While vowels represent open-mouthed speech sounds, consonants represent sounds that are made when part or all of the vocal tract is closed. Because they require a specific position of the lips, cheeks, tongue, etc., there is generally little to no difference in how consonants are pronounced between different speakers of English. (The pronunciation of vowels, on the other hand, can differ drastically depending on dialect).

There are 21 consonants: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, and Z.

con·so·nant

(kŏn′sə-nənt)

adj.

1. Being in agreement or accord: remarks consonant with our own beliefs.

2. Corresponding or alike in sound, as words or syllables.

3. Harmonious in sound or tone.

1. A speech sound produced by a partial or complete obstruction of the air stream by any of various constrictions of the speech organs, such as (p), (f), (r), (w), and (h).

2. A letter or character representing such a speech sound.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cōnsonāns, cōnsonant-, present participle of cōnsonāre, to agree : com-, com- + sonāre, to sound; see swen- in Indo-European roots.]

con′so·nant·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

consonant

(ˈkɒnsənənt)

(Grammar) a speech sound or letter of the alphabet other than a vowel; a stop, fricative, or continuant

adj

1. (postpositive; foll by with or to) consistent; in agreement

2. harmonious in tone or sound

3. (Music, other) music characterized by the presence of a consonance

4. (Grammar) being or relating to a consonant

[C14: from Latin consonāns, from consonāre to sound at the same time, be in harmony, from sonāre to sound]

ˈconsonantly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•so•nant

(ˈkɒn sə nənt)

n.

1. a speech sound produced by occluding (p, b, t, d, k, g), diverting (m, n, ng), or obstructing (f, v, s, z, etc.) the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to vowel).

2. a letter or other symbol representing or usu. representing a consonant sound.

adj.

3. in accord: behavior consonant with his character.

4. corresponding in sound, as words.

5. pertaining to or being a musical consonance.

[1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin consonant-, s. of consonāns, present participle of consonāre to sound with or together. See con-, sonant]

con′so•nant•ly, adv.

consonant

A speech sound or letter representing one that is not a vowel and is pronounced by constriction, for example, “t.”

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	consonant - a speech sound that is not a vowel speech sound, phone, sound - (phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language alveolar, alveolar consonant, dental, dental consonant - a consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge obstruent - a consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouth aspirate - a consonant pronounced with aspiration labial, labial consonant - a consonant whose articulation involves movement of the lips labiodental, labiodental consonant - a consonant whose articulation involves the lips and teeth nasal, nasal consonant - a consonant produced through the nose with the mouth closed lingual - a consonant that is produced with the tongue and other speech organs liquid - a frictionless continuant that is not a nasal consonant (especially `l' and `r') geminate - a doubled or long consonant; "the `n' in `thinness' is a geminate" surd, voiceless consonant - a consonant produced without sound from the vocal cords velar, velar consonant - a consonant produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate guttural, guttural consonant, pharyngeal, pharyngeal consonant - a consonant articulated in the back of the mouth or throat vowel, vowel sound - a speech sound made with the vocal tract open
	2.	consonant - a letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken consonant alphabetic character, letter of the alphabet, letter - the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; "his grandmother taught him his letters"
Adj.	1.	consonant - involving or characterized by harmony harmonical, harmonised, harmonized, harmonic harmonious - musically pleasing
	2.	consonant - in keeping; "salaries agreeable with current trends"; "plans conformable with your wishes"; "expressed views concordant with his background" concordant, accordant, agreeable, conformable consistent - (sometimes followed by `with') in agreement or consistent or reliable; "testimony consistent with the known facts"; "I have decided that the course of conduct which I am following is consistent with my sense of responsibility as president in time of war"- FDR

consonant

adjective in agreement, correspondent, consistent, compatible, in accordance, harmonious, concordant, congruous, according Their work is very much consonant with this way of thinking.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

consonant

adjective

1. In keeping with one's needs or expectations:

accordant, agreeable, compatible, conformable, congenial, congruous, consistent, correspondent, corresponding, harmonious.

2. Characterized by harmony of sound:

harmonic, harmonious, musical, symphonic, symphonious.

Translations

حَرْف سَاكِنحَرْف ساكِن، حَرْف صامِت

souhláska

konsonant

Konsonant Mitlaut

σύμφωνο

consonante

konsonanttikerake

consonne consonant consonante

עיצור

suglasniksuglas

mássalhangzó

samhljóîi

consonante

子音

자음

priebalsėpriebalsis

līdzskanis

spoluhláska

soglasnik

konsonant

ตัวพยัญชนะ

ünsüz

phụ âm

辅音辅音字母

consonant

[ˈkɒnsənənt]

A. N → consonante f

B. ADJ consonant with → de acuerdo or en consonancia con

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

consonant

[ˈkɒnsənənt]

n → consonne f

adj (formal) (= compatible) to be consonant with sth → être en accord avec qch

consonant

n (Phon) → Konsonant m, → Mitlaut m; consonant shift → Lautverschiebung f

adj (Mus) → konsonant (with zu); to be consonant with something (fig) → mit etw in Einklang zu bringen sein

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

consonant

[ˈkɒnsənənt] n → consonante f

consonant

(ˈkonsənənt) noun

any letter of the alphabet except a, e, i, o, u which are vowels.

consonant

→ حَرْف سَاكِن souhláska konsonant Konsonant σύμφωνο consonante konsonantti consonne suglasnik consonante 子音 자음 medeklinker konsonant spółgłoska consoante согласный konsonant ตัวพยัญชนะ ünsüz phụ âm 辅音