English Sounds - B[b] and P[p] Consonants - How to make the B and P Consonants

In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to learn how to pronounce the

P and B consonants.

These two sounds are paired together because they take the same mouth position.

P is unvoiced, pp, meaning only air passes through the mouth.

And B is voiced, bb, meaning, you make a sound with the vocal cords, bb.

The lips stay together while the teeth part a little.

The tongue position doesn’t matter for these consonants,

so the tongue can start to get into position for the next sound.

For example, if the next sound is the R consonant, the tongue can move back and up for the R

while the lips close for the B, bring.

Let’s see the sounds up close and in slow motion.

The lips press together, and then release.

These are stop consonants.

In stop consonants, there are two parts.

There is a stop of the airflow, and a release.

The stop of the airflow happens as the lips close

Hap-pen.

The release is when the lips part and the air comes through, -pen, hap-pen, happen.

Sometimes native speakers don’t release stop consonants when they come at the end

of a sentence, or when the next word begins with a consonant.

For example, the common phrase ‘What’s up?’.

My lips closed in the P position, but I didn’t release the air.

What’s up?

Another example: nap time!

Nap---time!

My lips came together for the P, but they didn’t release the air.

I stopped the air with my lips, then released it with the next sound, the T consonant.

Nap time.

Let’s look at some words up close and in slow motion.

The word ‘best’.

The lips press together, and then release into the EH as in BED vowel.

The word ‘spot’.

The lips press together, and then release into the AH as in FATHER vowel.

The word ‘rip’.

The lips press together, and then release.

The P and B consonants: best, spot, rip.

Example words. Repeat with me:

Bring

Baby

Job

Peace

Price