consonants

Cultural  

1. Letters of the alphabet that stand for sounds often made with a closed or partially closed mouth: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Z, and sometimes Y (as in yellow). (Compare vowels.)

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Example Sentences

To create an otherworldly voice, Elordi studied Tibetan throat singing and incorporated the slurred consonants caused by dentures he’d been given for the role.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025

Even to native English speakers, the transliteration of familiar words into an alphabet with imperfectly matched consonants — lacking, for example, a precise “F” or “R” sound — can be confusing.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2025

They were prone to making simple mistakes, including basic addition errors and mistaking consonants for vowels, which led them to provide incorrect answers.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

The women did not attempt to imitate instruments but instead used humming for sounds and consonants to obtain a sense of rhythm.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024

I know it’s hard to pronounce, foreign, unlovely to those who don’t understand—a peculiar jumble of unmatched consonants.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline