This is the b sound. As in the words:
- begin /bɪ’gɪn/
- bring /brɪŋ/
- believe /bə’liːv/
How to Pronounce the b Sound
It is a sound from the ‘Consonants Pairs’ group and it is called the ‘Voiced bilabial stop’. This means that you use both of your lips to block your mouth.
The b sound is made through the mouth and it is Voiced which means that you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound.
It is defined by the shape of your lips and the motion of airflow through your mouth. and it is a stop sound, which is a sound made by building up air pressure by stopping air flow and then releasing it. In this case you use both your lips to create the stop and then release it.
To produce the sound bring both of your lips together and build up some pressure in your mouth, then release it, whilst voicing out at the same time.
How the b Sound is Spelled
The /b/ phoneme is normally spelled with the letter ‘b’ as in the words:
- be /bi:/
- but /bʌt/
- job /dʒɒb
- about /əbaʊt/
Examples of the b Sound
Here are some words that begin with the b sound:
- between /bɪ’twiːn/
- before /bɪ’fɔː/
- black /blæk/
- best /best/
Here are some words with the b sound in the middle:
- problem /’prɒbləm/
- number /’nʌmbə/
- public /ˈpʌblɪk/
- maybe /ˈmeɪbi/
Here are some words with the b sound at the end:
- tube
- describe /dɪˈskraɪb/
- absorb /əbsɔ:b/
- suburb /sʌbɜ:b/
So thats it for the b sound but we have made additional videos on each of the groups of sounds Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants, or Consonant Pairs as well as a video explaining the phonetic chart. Remember we also teach classes via Skype and Google Hangouts, you can book a class right here on our site. Visit the ‘Shop‘ to choose your teacher and start learning.