What are Consonants?

There are two types of letters in the alphabet: consonants and vowels. Consonants are all the letters in the alphabet except for the vowels (a, e, i, o, u).

So, the full list of consonants are:

b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.

Most consonant letters have only one sound and infrequently sound like their name. The letter c, for example, does not represent a sound of its own: When it is followed by a, o, or , u, it is pronounced /k/ (e.g., castle, coffee, cut), and when it is followed by e, i, or, y, it is pronounced /s/ (e.g., cell, city, cycle). The letter g represents two sounds, as the word garbage illustrates: It is usually pronounced /g/ (e.g., glass, go, green, guppy), but when g is followed by e, i, or y, it is pronounced /j/, as in giant. The letters w and y are particularly interesting: At the beginning of a word or a syllable, they are consonants (e.g., wind, yard), but when they are in the middle or at the end, they are vowels (e.g., saw, flown, day, by).

Teachers can teach students consonants by going over the different sounds and having them write the letters. There is an alphabet writing worksheet for the letter B below. This worksheet is a simple writing practice sheet with a single picture representing a word that starts with b.

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