The /p/ Sound, Voiceless Bilabial Plosive
/p/
/p/ is a voiceless bilabial plosive. To make it, both lips come together and the airflow is stopped completely and then released. It is voiceless, so the vocal folds do not vibrate.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pen | /pen/ | /pen/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| apple | /ˈæp.əl/ | /ˈæp.əl/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| cap | /kæp/ | /kæp/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/p/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /p/
/p/ has 5 allophones in the app, starting with [p], after /s/, before another consonant, or in an unstressed syllable, so it has no aspiration. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /p/ Sound
/p/ At The Start Of A Word
- pad
- pan
- paw
- pay
- pea
- pen
- per
- pet
- pew
- pie
- pig
- pin
- pit
- pop
- pot
- pry
- pun
- put
- pace
- pack
- pact
- page
- paid
- pain
- pair
- pale
- pall
- palm
- pang
- pant
/p/ In The Middle Of A Word
- apt
- spy
- apex
- copy
- epic
- kept
- oops
- opal
- open
- pupa
- span
- spar
- spew
- spin
- spit
- spot
- spry
- upon
- adapt
- adept
- adopt
- ample
- apart
- apple
- apply
- april
- apron
- bumpy
- depot
- depth
/p/ At The End Of A Word
- up
- cap
- cop
- cup
- dip
- gap
- hip
- lap
- lip
- map
- mop
- pop
- sip
- tap
- tip
- top
- yep
- zip
- beep
- bump
- burp
- camp
- chip
- chop
- clap
- clip
- cope
- crop
- damp
- deep
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /p/ voiced or voiceless?
/p/ is voiceless.
What is the place of articulation of /p/?
/p/ is bilabial, which means both lips come together.
What is the manner of articulation of /p/?
/p/ is a plosive, which means the airflow is stopped completely and then released.
Which words have the /p/ sound?
For example pen, apple, cap.