The /d/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar Plosive
/d/
/d/ is a voiced alveolar plosive. To make it, the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth and the airflow is stopped completely and then released. It is voiced, so the vocal folds vibrate.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| dog | /dɒɡ/ | /dɔːɡ/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| under | /ˈʌn.də/ | /ˈʌn.dɚ/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| bed | /bed/ | /bed/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/d/ is told apart from every other English sound by four distinctive features.
Allophones Of /d/
/d/ has 5 allophones in the app, starting with [d̚], a word-final plosive. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /d/ Sound
/d/ At The Start Of A Word
- dad
- day
- dew
- did
- die
- dig
- dim
- dip
- dog
- dry
- due
- dug
- dye
- daft
- damn
- damp
- dare
- dark
- dash
- data
- date
- dawn
- dead
- deaf
- deal
- dear
- debt
- deck
- deed
- deem
/d/ In The Middle Of A Word
- body
- edit
- idea
- idle
- idol
- lady
- soda
- tidy
- undo
- adapt
- adept
- admit
- adopt
- adore
- adorn
- adult
- audio
- audit
- badly
- cadet
- candy
- cedar
- edict
- elder
- endow
- gaudy
- goods
- handy
- ideal
- idiom
/d/ At The End Of A Word
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /d/ voiced or voiceless?
/d/ is voiced.
What is the place of articulation of /d/?
/d/ is alveolar, which means the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth.
What is the manner of articulation of /d/?
/d/ is a plosive, which means the airflow is stopped completely and then released.
Which words have the /d/ sound?
For example dog, under, bed.
Related Sounds
The /p/ Sound, Voiceless Bilabial PlosiveThe /b/ Sound, Voiced Bilabial PlosiveThe /t/ Sound, Voiceless Alveolar PlosiveThe /k/ Sound, Voiceless Velar PlosiveThe /ɡ/ Sound, Voiced Velar PlosiveThe /s/ Sound, Voiceless Alveolar FricativeThe /z/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar FricativeThe /n/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar NasalThe /l/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar LateralThe /r/ Sound, Voiced Alveolar Approximant