Meaning & use
consonant
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A speech sound made by narrowing or closing part of the mouth or throat so the air is blocked or squeezed, such as the sounds b, t, or s.
Grammar: Counted and contrasted with vowel: the word cat has two consonants and one vowel.
Patterns
- a consonant sound
- a consonant cluster
The word strength begins with three consonants in a row.
Children often learn the consonant sounds m and b first.
In Spanish, the letter n is a consonant that is easy to hear.
nouncountable
A letter of the alphabet that normally stands for such a sound, for example every letter except a, e, i, o, and u in English.
Grammar: Refers to the written letter, not the sound: the letter y can act as a consonant or a vowel.
Patterns
- a double consonant
- a silent consonant
Double the final consonant before adding -ing to the word run.
The k in knife is a silent consonant.
Which consonants appear most often in your name?
adjectiveafter a verbformal
In agreement or harmony with something; consistent with it.
Grammar: Used after be and followed by with: the result was consonant with our hopes.
Patterns
- consonant with something
His actions were consonant with the values he preached.
The new rules are consonant with international law.
Word forms
| plural | consonants |
|---|
Common combinations
- consonant sound
- The word hour begins with a vowel sound, not a consonant sound.
- consonant cluster
- Many learners struggle with the consonant cluster in the word sprints.
- double consonant
- The word swimming has a double consonant before the ending.
- silent consonant
- The b in lamb is a silent consonant.
- voiced consonant
- The sound z is a voiced consonant, but s is voiceless.
- consonant with
- Her calm tone was consonant with her gentle character.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harmonious
- Harmonious is warmer and fits things blending pleasantly, while consonant with is a formal way of saying consistent with.
- consistent
- Consistent is the everyday word for agreeing with something, and consonant is its more formal and bookish match.
- compatible
- Compatible suggests two things can work together without conflict, while consonant suggests they actually agree in character.
Opposites
Word family
- consonance noun
- agreement, or repeated consonant sounds in poetry
- consonantal adjective
- relating to consonants
- dissonant adjective
- clashing or harsh in sound
- consonantly adverb
- in an agreeing way
Commonly confused: consonant or consonants vs. consonance?
consonant vs consonants vs. consonance
Consonants are speech sounds or letters, whereas consonance is agreement or the repetition of sounds, as in poetry.
Practice
The spelling of the word hopping has a double ___ in the middle.
Choose one answer.
The doubled letter p is a consonant. The two vowels in hopping are o and i, which are not doubled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consonant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.