Class 02 — Consonant Power & Aspiration | British English Pronunciation Masterclass

MODULE 1 · THE FOUNDATION — CLASS 02 OF 10

Consonant Power & Aspiration

Eight voiced/unvoiced pairs give English its consonant system its texture. Then: the burst of air that makes "Time" sound like "T-hime" — and why it disappears after /s/.

Instructor Saroar Hossain Duration 90 minutes Series British English Pronunciation Masterclass

Voiced / Unvoiced Aspiration The /p t k/ Explosion Practice

VOICE

Voiced vs. Unvoiced Pairs

English builds eight of its consonants in pairs that use the exact same mouth shape — the only difference is whether your vocal cords buzz. Put two fingers on your throat as you say each pair.

Left — voiced, throat buzzesRight — unvoiced, breath only

Aspiration

At the start of a stressed syllable, /p/, /t/ and /k/ explode with a burst of air. Hold a strip of paper in front of your mouth — it should flutter on the left word in each pair, and stay still on the right.

The /p t k/ Explosion

Why a word as ordinary as "time" comes out sounding like "T-hime."

/tʰaɪm/

Aspiration is a burst, not a letter

When /t/ opens a stressed syllable, English releases it with a small puff of air before the vowel starts — written /tʰ/. Say "time" naturally and you're already doing it; the trick is noticing it, and controlling it on demand.

💡Tissue test: hold a piece of paper an inch from your lips. Say "time" — it should move. Say "sty" — it should barely move at all, because the /t/ follows /s/ and loses its aspiration.

Practice

Decide whether the underlined sound is voiced or unvoiced. Ten questions, drawn from today's pairs.

Lesson 2: Consonant Power & Aspiration

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