20 English Consonant Sounds You Must Know – With Tamil Explanation

When you speak English, do you sometimes feel like your pronunciation is a little off?

You know the word… but when you say it, it doesn’t sound natural? 😬

That’s probably because you’re not fully aware of consonant sounds – the core building blocks of spoken English clarity.

In this blog, let’s break down the 20 most common consonant sounds in English, understand how to pronounce them, learn examples, and see how they differ from Tamil sounds.

And don’t worry – we’ll explain everything step by step in Tamil too, so you can speak better and clearer! ✨

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🧠 What Are Consonant Sounds?

In English, consonant sounds are the sounds made when airflow is blocked by the tongue, teeth, lips, or throat.

Examples: p, b, t, d, f, v etc.

🔤 Unlike Tamil, English consonants have both voiced (உயிருள்ள) and voiceless (உயிரில்லா) sounds.

Now let’s go into each sound and how to pronounce it 👇

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🗣️ 20 Consonant Sounds – With Tamil Meaning & Examples

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1. /p/ – as in pen

👉 Tamil: ‘ப்’ (மென்மையான)
📣 Example: pen, paper, pink
💡 Sound made by lips bursting open – no voice used.

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2. /b/ – as in book

👉 Tamil: ‘ப்’ (ஆனாலும் உயிருள்ளது)
📣 Example: book, baby, big
💡 Same as /p/, but with voice (voiced consonant).

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3. /t/ – as in top

👉 Tamil: ‘ட்’
📣 Example: top, time, take
💡 Tip of tongue touches upper mouth – quick burst.

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4. /d/ – as in dog

👉 Tamil: ‘ட்’ (voiced)
📣 Example: dog, door, drive
💡 Like /t/, but with sound from your vocal cords.

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5. /k/ – as in kite

👉 Tamil: ‘க்’
📣 Example: kite, king, kick
💡 Made from the back of your tongue.

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6. /g/ – as in go

👉 Tamil: ‘க்’ (voiced)
📣 Example: go, game, give
💡 Similar to /k/, but voiced.

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7. /f/ – as in fish

👉 Tamil: ‘ஃப்’
📣 Example: fish, food, fun
💡 Air passes between teeth and bottom lip.

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8. /v/ – as in van

👉 Tamil: ‘வ்’ + ‘ஃ’
📣 Example: van, very, voice
💡 Same as /f/, but with vocal vibration.

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9. /θ/ – as in think

👉 Tamil: ‘த்’ (மென்மை, dental sound)
📣 Example: think, thank, throw
💡 Tongue between teeth, air out. No voice.

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10. /ð/ – as in this

👉 Tamil: ‘த’ (voiced)
📣 Example: this, that, those
💡 Similar to /θ/, but voiced.

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😌 Pause & Reflect

Let’s pause here for a moment…

How are you feeling so far? Confused? Curious? 😅

🎧 Try saying each of these sounds out loud. Use your phone’s recorder and repeat the words.
You’ll start noticing how your mouth, lips, and tongue move differently.

Now that you’ve mastered 10, let’s finish strong with 10 more 👇

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11. /s/ – as in sun

👉 Tamil: ‘ஸ்’
📣 Example: sun, small, sound
💡 Hissing sound – no voice.

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12. /z/ – as in zoo

👉 Tamil: ‘ஜ்’ / ‘ஸ்ஸு’
📣 Example: zoo, zero, zip
💡 Like /s/ but voiced.

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13. /ʃ/ – as in she

👉 Tamil: ‘ஷ்’
📣 Example: she, shop, shoe
💡 Soft ‘sh’ sound – voiceless.

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14. /ʒ/ – as in measure

👉 Tamil: ‘ஜ்’ (மெல்லிய)
📣 Example: measure, treasure, vision
💡 Very soft buzzing sound – voiced.

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15. /h/ – as in hat

👉 Tamil: ‘ஹ்’
📣 Example: hat, hello, help
💡 Air from throat. No voice.

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16. /m/ – as in man

👉 Tamil: ‘ம்’
📣 Example: man, milk, meet
💡 Nasal sound. Lips closed.

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17. /n/ – as in no

👉 Tamil: ‘ன்’
📣 Example: no, nice, night
💡 Nasal sound with tip of tongue.

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18. /ŋ/ – as in sing

👉 Tamil: ‘ங்’
📣 Example: sing, ring, king
💡 Nasal from back of the mouth. Not common in Tamil at word-end.

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19. /l/ – as in lamp

👉 Tamil: ‘ல்’
📣 Example: lamp, love, look
💡 Tongue touches upper mouth, soft sound.

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20. /r/ – as in red

👉 Tamil: ‘ர்’ (but not fully rolled)
📣 Example: red, run, road
💡 English /r/ is smoother than Tamil ‘ர’.

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🏁 Final Thoughts

That’s it – you’ve now learnt 20 core consonant sounds in English! 🎉

This is not about perfection… it’s about awareness. Once you know how the sound is made, your pronunciation will naturally improve over time.

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📌 Try This!

✅ Pick 5 sounds
✅ Say 3 words for each
✅ Record your voice
✅ Repeat daily for 7 days!

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💡 Want to Go Deeper?

Check out our Tamil-English pronunciation course and learn all 44 English sounds with real examples, Tamil tips, and speaking practice.

👉 https://grammarganga.com/shop/

Speak confidently. Speak clearly. Grammar Ganga is here with you every step of the way! 🎤✨