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

/p/

LISTEN

p_listen.mp3
File Size: 226 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/p/…/p/…/p/…/p/…

p​eace…price…top​...
apple...

WHAT IS IT?

​Pronunciation:
The sound /p/ is a voiceless, bilabial, stop consonant.
  • Press your lips together
  • Move your lips outward while pushing air out in a short burst.
  • Your vocal cords should not vibrate.

​Note: A /p/ at the beginning of a word or syllable should be pronounced with a stronger burst of air than a /p/ at the end of a word or syllable (or in a consonant cluster). This is called aspiration.
​​
The sound /p/ can be in these consonant clusters:
  • Beginning of a Syllable
  • ​End of a Syllable
<
>
p_initial_clusters.mp3
File Size: 187 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/pl/ ("pl)" - please 
/pr/ ("pr") - pray
/sp/ ("sp") - spell

/spl/ ("spl") - split
/spr/ ("spr") - spring​
p_final_clusters.mp3
File Size: 641 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/ps/ ("ps" / "pes" / "pes"/ "pps" / "ppes") - lips, hopes, apps, steppes
/pt/ ("pt" / “ped” / "pped") - slept, hoped, ripped
/mp/ ("mp") - lamp
/mps/ ("mps") - pumps
/mpt/ ('mpt" / “mped”) - prompt, pumped
​
/lp/ ("lp") - gulp

​​/lps/ ("lps") - yelps
/lpt/ (“lped”) - helped
/rp/ ("rp") - sharp
/rps/​ ("rps") - harps
/rpt/ (“rped”) - warped
/sp/ ("sp") - rasp
/sps/ ("sps") - wasps
/spt/ (“sped”)  - lisped​
​​​

Spelling:
  • “p” – pie, tap
  • ”pe” - grape, rope​
  • “pp” – apple, ripped
​
p_grammar1.mp3
File Size: 148 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

Grammar Tip:
The sound /p/ is in the common prefix "pre-". This prefix usually means "before" and can be part of a noun or verb. The prefix is usually unstressed, but it can be stressed.
  • predict
  • prepay
  • pretest
  • precaution
p_grammar2.mp3
File Size: 141 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

The sound /p/ is also in the prefix "pro." This prefix can mean "for," "advance/forth," "forward/in front of" or "in place of." 
  • ​proclaim
  • produce
  • promote
  • proportion

COMPARE

Compare /p/ and /b/:
compare_p-b_1.mp3
File Size: 105 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/p/…/b/…/p/…/b/…/p/…/b/…

These are both bilabial stop consonants. However, /p/ is voiceless and /b/ is voiced. There is no aspiration after /b/ at the beginning of a word. At the end of a word, the vowel before /b/ will be longer than the vowel before /p/.
​
You can hear the difference between /p/ and /b/ in these words.
compare_p-b_words.mp3
File Size: 428 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. pie, B. buy
2. A. planned, B. bland
3. A. pride, B. bride
4.
A. cup, B. cub

5. A. mops, B. mobs
6. A, staple, B. stable​

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

Now compare /p/ and /f/:
compare_p-f.mp3
File Size: 68 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/p/…/f/…/p/…/f/…/p/…/f/…

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

You can hear the difference between /p/ and /f/ in these words.

compare_p-f_words.mp3
File Size: 421 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. pat, B. fat
2. A. plush, B. flush
3. A. praise, B. phrase
4. A. lap, B. laugh
​5. A. gulps, B. gulfs
6.​ 
A. coffee, B. copy

Practice recognizing words with /p/ and /f/ by taking the quiz below.

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:
words_with_-p-.mp3
File Size: 704 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. past
2. pill
3. pray
4. please
5. spin
6. spring
7. wrap
8. lip
9. harp
10. grasp
11. lamp 
12. happy
13. apply
14. printer
15. complain
16. aspire
17. pedestrian
18. impossible
19. purpose
20. proportion

​Now, practice /p/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
sentences_with_-p-.mp3
File Size: 1207 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. please – sweep – mop
Please sweep and mop the floor.

2. spring – plant – grapevines
In spring we will plant some grapevines.

3. employment – apply – position
Contact the employment agency to apply for a position.

4. purpose – project – provide
The purpose of this project is to provide new community resources.

5. public – harp – performance
We attended a public harp performance last night.

6. explain – company – procedures
​Can you explain the company’s hiring procedures?
​

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 of these items do you have at your desk or workspace?​​
  • Printer
  • Copier
  • Lamp
  • Computer
  • Pens and pencils
  • Tape
  • Plant
  • Hole punch
  • Stamps
  • Stapler
  • Clipboard
  • Envelopes
  • Notepad
  • Paper
  • Printer
  • Copier
  • Lamp
  • Computer
  • Pens and pencils
  • Tape
  • Plant
  • Hole punch
  • Stamps
  • Stapler
  • Clipboard
  • Envelopes
  • Notepad
  • Paper

​Record:
In your recording, describe what your workspace looks like. Give enough details that the listener will be able to picture the workspace.


©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