American English Sounds
  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors

/b/

LISTEN

b_listen.mp3
File Size: 242 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/b/…/b/…/b/…/b/…

buy…brain…lab…table...

WHAT IS IT?

​Pronunciation:
The sound /b/ is a voiced, bilabial, stop consonant.
  • Press your lips together.
  • Forcefully pull your lips apart while pushing air out in a short burst.
  • Your vocal cords should vibrate.

The sound /b/ can be in these clusters:​
  • ​Beginning of a Syllable
  • ​End of a Syllable
<
>
b_initial_clusters.mp3
File Size: 71 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/bl/ ("bl") - blue
/br/ ("br") - break
b_final_clusters.mp3
File Size: 289 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/bz/ (“bs”) - cabs
/​bd/ (“bed” / "bbed") - cubed, rubbed
/lb/ ("lb") - bulb
/lbz/ (“lbs”) - bulbs
/rb/ ("rb") - garb
/rbz/ (“rbs”) - orbs
/rbd/ (“rbed”) - barbed

​Spelling:
  • “b”  – break, lab
  • “be” - robe, tu​be
  • “bb” – bubble, robbing

COMPARE

Compare /b/ with /v/:
compare_b-v_1.mp3
File Size: 132 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/b/…/v/…/b/…/v/…/b/…/v/…

These are both voiced consonants that are pronounced using the lips. However, /b/ is a bilabial stop and /v/ is a labio-dental fricative. When you pronounce /b/, your teeth should not touch your lips and the air in your mouth should be stopped.


You can hear the difference between /b/ and /v/ in these words.

compare_b-v_words.mp3
File Size: 148 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. boat, B. vote
2. A. bury, B. very
3. A. dub, B. dove
4. A. curb, B. curve
​5. A. lobes, B. loaves
​6. A. rebel, B. revel

Practice recognizing words with /b/ and /v/ by taking the quiz below.

Now, compare /b/ with /m/:
compare_b-m_1.mp3
File Size: 114 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/b/…/m/…/b/…/m/…/b/…/m/…

These are both voiced bilabial consonants. However, /b/ is a stop and /m/ is a nasal. When you pronounce /b/, air should come through your mouth but not your nose.

You can hear the difference between /b/ and /m/ in these words.

compare_b-m_words.mp3
File Size: 153 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. bake, B. make
2. A. bug, B. mug
3. A. sub, B. sum
​4. A. robes, B. roams
5. A. chubby, B. chummy
6. A. unbarred, B. unmarred

Practice recognizing words with /b/ and /m/ by taking the quiz below.

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:
words_with_-b-.mp3
File Size: 675 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. best
2. burn
3. busy
4. brain
5. blow
6. broom
7. bless
8. bottle
9. cab
10. rob
​11. curb
12. bulb
13. about
14. mobile
15. stability
16. subtitle
17. bubble
18. abbreviate
19. barbecue
20. substitute

Now, practice /b/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.

sentences_with_-b-.mp3
File Size: 1047 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. bottles – bin  - curb 
Put your used bottles in the bin on the curb.

2. bring – ribs – barbecue
We’ll bring a package of ribs to the barbecue.

3. blow – bubbles – beverage
Don’t blow bubbles in your beverage.

4. public – believed – bad
The public believed the bad report.

5. brother – burned – bulb 
My brother replaced the burned-out lightbulb.

​6. big – blue – suburbs
​I live in a big blue house in the suburbs.

​To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
  • Male 1 (US Midwest - St Louis) - words, sentences
  • Male 2 (US Midwest - Iowa) - words, sentences
  • Male 3 (US Midwest) - words, sentences
  • Female 1 (US Northeast) - words, sentences
  • Female 2 (US Southeast) - words, sentences

USE IT!

​​Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

Prepare:
Which behaviors should be banned in public places (like restaurants, stores, and movie theaters)?
​​
  • Feeding a baby
  • Singing “Happy Birthday”
  • Starting a debate with a stranger
  • Using a business’s bathroom without buying something
  • Biting your nails
  • Blowing your nose
  • Being noisy
  • Bringing a pet​
  • Kissing a boyfriend or girlfriend
  • Feeding a baby
  • Singing “Happy Birthday”
  • Starting a debate with a stranger
  • Using a business’s bathroom without buying something​
  • Biting your nails
  • Blowing your nose
  • Being noisy
  • Bringing a pet​
  • Kissing a boyfriend or girlfriend

​Record:
​Choose at least 3 of these behaviors. In your recording, explain why they 
should or should not be banned in public places.

©2018-2021, Christine Wingate
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors