This is the p sound. As in the words:
- place /pleIs/
- play /pleɪ/
- pay /peɪ/
How to Pronounce the p Sound
It is a sound from the ‘Consonants Pairs’ group and it is called the ‘Voiceless bilabial stop’. This means that you use both of your lips to block your mouth.
The /p/ phoneme is made through the mouth and it is Unvoiced which means that you don’t use your vocal chords to make the sound.
It is defined by the shape of your lips and the motion of airflow through your mouth. and it is a stop sound, which is a sound made by building up air pressure by stopping air flow and then releasing it. In this case you use both your lips to create the stop and then release it.
To produce the sound bring both of your lips together and build up some pressure in your mouth, then release it.
How the /p/ phoneme is Spelled
The /p/ phoneme is normally spelled with the letter ‘p’ as in the words.
- problem /’prɒbləm/
- part /pɑːt/
- company /’kʌmpəni/
- power /ˈpaʊə/
Examples
Here are some words that begin with the p sound:
- program /’prəʊgræm/
- provide /prəˈvaɪd/
- potato /pəteɪtəʊ/
- point /pɔɪnt/
Here are some words with the p sound in the middle:
- happen /’hæpən/
- people /’piːpəl/
- important /ɪmˈpɔːtənt/
- appear /əˈpɪə/
Here are some words with the /p/ phoneme at the end:
- help /help/
- up /ʌp/
- keep /kiːp/
- group /gruːp/
So, that’s it for the /p/ phoneme but we have made additional videos on each of the groups of sounds Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants, or Consonant Pairs as well as a video explaining the the phonetic chart.