Definition

Noun: A speech sound produced by completely blocking the airflow in the vocal tract and then releasing it suddenly. This creates a small burst or "explosion" of sound, which is why it is also called a stop or an explosive consonant.

Usage

The term "plosive consonant" is used in phonetics, the study of speech sounds, to classify and describe a specific manner of articulation. It refers to the physical process of creating the sound.

Examples

• In English, the sounds represented by the letters p, b, t, d, k, and g are all plosive consonants.
• The word "cat" begins and ends with a plosive consonant (/k/ and /t/).
• Linguists analyze how plosive consonants are articulated in different languages.

Advanced Usage

• Voiced vs. Voiceless: Plosive consonants are categorized as either voiced (the vocal cords vibrate, like /b/, /d/, /g/) or voiceless (the vocal cords do not vibrate, like /p/, /t/, /k/).
• Place of Articulation: This describes where in the mouth the airflow is blocked. For example, /p/ and /b/ are bilabial (lips together), while /t/ and /d/ are alveolar (tongue against the alveolar ridge).

Variants and Related Words

• Stop (consonant): A common synonym for "plosive consonant."
• Explosive (consonant): Another less common synonym.
• Plosion (n): The act or instance of the sudden release of air in producing a plosive sound.
• Plosive (adj/n): Can be used as an adjective ("a plosive sound") or as a noun, shortening "plosive consonant."

Synonyms

• Stop consonant
• Explosive consonant
• Occlusive

Related Terms and Phrases

• Aspiration: A puff of air that sometimes follows the release of a voiceless plosive, as in the /p/ in "pin."
• Nasal release: When the plosive is released through the nose, as in the final sound of "button" in some accents.
• Incomplete plosive: When a plosive sound is not fully released, often occurring when two plosives meet, as in "apt" or "big dog."

Noun

1. a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it
   • his stop consonants are too aspirated