Plosives /p/, /b/, /t/, /m/, /d/

• The six plosives are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/ and /g/.

Symbol	Word	Transcription	Place of articulation
/p/ (voiceless) /b/ (voiced)	Pin Bin	[pin] [bin]	Bilabial
/t/ (voiceless) /d/ (voiced)	Toy Dog	[toi] [dɒg]	Alveolar
/k/ (voiceless) /g/ (voiced)	Kind Give	[kaind] [giv]	Velar

• They are also known as “stops” or “occlusive”.
• They are formed by a temporary blocking off the air, then explode rapidly (hence the name plosive).

/p/ /b/

• To produce /p/ fist close your lips hard.
• Push air forward in your mouth and then open your lips quickly.
• Do not use your voice because it is a voiceless sound.
• Spanish speakers may fail to aspirate this sound, causing confusion with /b/.
• To produce /b/ use your voice. 

Spelling:

• The sound /p/ is written with the letter “p”

Paper	[peipə]
People	[pi:pl]
Pupil	[pju:p(ə)l]
Happy	[hӕpi]
Supper	[sɅpə]

• Sometimes English speakers do nor pronounce “p”: 

Cupboard	[kɅbəd]
Receipt	[ri’si:t]
Empty	[emit]
Jumped	[ʤɅmt]

• The sound /b/ is written with the letter “b”:

Big	[big]
Baby	[beibi]
About	[əbaʊt]

• English people do not pronounce the sound /b/ when it is followed by “t”: 

Debt	[dɛt]
Doubt	[daʊt]
Subtle	[sɅtl]

• Or when it is a final position following an “m”:

Lamb	[lӕm]
Comb	[kəʊm]
Bomb	[bom]
Plumber	[plɅmə]

Practice:

Butcher	[bʊʧə]
Picture	[pikʧə]
Footballer	[fʊtbɔlə]
Potatoes	[pəteitəʊz]
Pipe	[paip]
Bottle of beer	[bɔtl əv biə]
Bread and butter	[bred ən bɅtə]

/t/

• Sound production:
• Step 1: put the front of your tongue behind your yop teeth. Push air forward in your mouth.
• Step 2: move your tongue away, releasing the air.
• At the end of words, Spanish speakers may confuse the sounds /t/ and /d/.

Spelling:

The sound /t/ is written with the letter /t/.

Time	[taim]
Late	[leit]
Little	[litl]
Dirty	[də:rti]
Pretty	[priti]
Quiet	[kwaiet]
Quite	[kwait]
Telephone	[telifəʊn]

•    In some proper names “th” is pronounced /t/:

Thames	[temz]
Thomas	[tɔməs]
Sean	[ʃɔ:n]

• /t/ is not usually pronounced between /s/ and /l/, like in “castle”.
• We can also find some very well known words where the sound /t/ is not pronounced:

Christmas	[krisməs]
Ballet	[bӕlei]
Mortgage	[mɔ:giʤ]

• It is represented by the letter “d” or “dd”.
• This sound can be found in initial, medial and final position: dog, badly, mad.
• This is a voiced sound that is why you can feel your throat vibrates as you say the letter.
• The letter “d” does not always denote [d]: in the past participle of the verbs ending in a voiceless consonant.
• Washed, “d” is realized as an unvoiced [t].
• When a word ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant (except d), the –ed is pronounced /d/: played.
• Ed endings examples:

Played	[pleid]
Begged	[begd]
Showed	[ʃəud]
Shaved	[ʃeivd]

• Occasionally “d” is mute (above all when it is followed by another consonant:
• Wednesday [‘wenzdei/i]

Difficulties for Spanish speakers:

• Difference between /d/ and /ð/.
•  If you do not pronounce the ending clearly:

Lead	[li:d]	Lea	[li:]
Bead	[bi:d]	Bee	[bi:]
Road	[rəʊd]	Row	[rəʊd]
they	[ðei]	Day	[dei]