There are 24 consonants in English phonetics.
This count includes both voiced and unvoiced consonants, as well as those that are considered "allophones" - variations of a sound that are not considered distinct phonemes.
Here's a breakdown of the English consonants, grouped by their place and manner of articulation:
Place of Articulation
- Bilabial: /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/
- Labiodental: /f/, /v/
- Dental: /θ/, /ð/
- Alveolar: /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, /l/, /r/
- Post-alveolar: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/
- Palatal: /j/
- Velar: /k/, /g/, /ŋ/
- Glottal: /h/
Manner of Articulation
- Stops: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/
- Fricatives: /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /h/
- Affricates: /tʃ/, /dʒ/
- Nasals: /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
- Liquids: /l/, /r/
- Glides: /w/, /j/
It's important to note that these are just the phonemes of English, which are the smallest units of sound that can distinguish meaning. There are also many allophones - variations of these sounds that are not considered separate phonemes. For example, the /t/ sound in "top" is pronounced differently than the /t/ sound in "stop." However, both are considered allophones of the same phoneme.
