Voiced and Voiceless Sounds: The 8 English Pairs, With a Chart
Voiced sounds vibrate the vocal folds (b, d, g, v, z); voiceless sounds don’t (p, t, k, f, s). English has eight voiced–voiceless pairs that share the same mouth position. Put your fingers on your throat: “zzz” buzzes, “sss” doesn’t. This chart lists every pair, with example words and typical ages.
The eight voicing pairs
On the IPA chart, symbols to the right in a cell are voiced and those to the left are voiceless. English has eight such pairs. Ages are the bands by which 90% of US children produce each sound.1,2
| Voiceless | Voiced | Example pair | Ages (voiceless / voiced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| /p/ | /b/ | pig – big | 2;0–2;11 / 2;0–2;11 |
| /t/ | /d/ | tie – die | 3;0–3;11 / 2;0–2;11 |
| /k/ | /g/ | coat – goat | 3;0–3;11 / 3;0–3;11 |
| /f/ | /v/ | fan – van | 3;0–3;11 / 4;0–4;11 |
| /θ/ (think) | /ð/ (this) | thigh – thy | 6;0–6;11 / 5;0–5;11 |
| /s/ | /z/ | sip – zip | 4;0–4;11 / 4;0–4;11 |
| /ʃ/ (SH) | /ʒ/ (measure) | glacier – glazier | 4;0–4;11 / 5;0–5;11 |
| /tʃ/ (CH) | /dʒ/ (J) | chin – gin | 4;0–4;11 / 4;0–4;11 |
English voiceless–voiced consonant pairs (ages from Crowe & McLeod, 2020).2,1
Sounds without a partner
Nasals (/m/, /n/, /ŋ/), the liquids /l/ and /r/, and the glides /w/ and /j/ (Y) are voiced in English with no voiceless partner; /h/ is voiceless with no voiced partner.1
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Voicing in speech therapy
Because a pair shares placement, voicing is one of the three features SLPs use to describe and contrast sounds. ASHA’s description of maximal oppositions contrasts sounds that differ in voice, place, and manner, and Metaphon therapy teaches the voicing contrast with simple concepts — “noisy” for voiced and “quiet” for voiceless.3
- Throat test: fingers on the throat, buzz for voiced, no buzz for voiceless.
- Whisper test: whispered words lose voicing, so “big” and “pig” sound closer.
- Minimal pairs: pig/big, coat/goat, fan/van, sip/zip.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds?＋
Voiced sounds are made with the vocal folds vibrating; voiceless sounds are made with them apart, so only air passes. In a voicing pair, the mouth position is the same — /s/ and /z/ differ only in voicing.
How can you tell if a sound is voiced?＋
Rest your fingers on the front of your throat and hold the sound: “zzzz” and “vvvv” buzz, while “ssss” and “ffff” do not. Covering your ears works too — voiced sounds hum inside your head.
Is TH voiced or voiceless?＋
Both. The same TH spelling covers voiceless /θ/ as in “think” and voiced /ð/ as in “this.” In US norms, voiced TH is acquired at 5;0–5;11 and voiceless TH at 6;0–6;11.
Which sounds have no voicing partner?＋
In English, the nasals (m, n, ng), L, R, W, and Y are voiced with no voiceless partner, and H is voiceless with no voiced partner.
Put this into practice today
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References
3 sources from authoritative bodies. Last reviewed October 2026.
- 1.International Phonetic AssociationThe International Phonetic Alphabet and the IPA Chart — Official IPA chart.
- 2.Peer-reviewedCrowe & McLeod — Children’s English Consonant Acquisition in the United States: A Review — Systematic review (AJSLP), 2020.
- 3.ASHASpeech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology — Practice Portal page.