What does consonant mean?
A consonant is one of the two fundamental classes of human speech sound, defined by some degree of obstruction to airflow — whether from the lips, teeth, tongue, palate, or throat. Unlike vowels, which pass through an open vocal tract, consonants involve constriction, producing sounds such as /b/, /t/, /k/, and /m/. The term also refers to letters of the alphabet that represent these sounds. In formal writing, 'consonant' serves as an adjective meaning 'in agreement with', as when a policy is said to be consonant with established principles. Music borrows the same idea: consonant intervals are those heard as harmonious and settled, as opposed to dissonant ones. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'sounding together', the word captures the notion of sounds coexisting within speech and harmony alike. Understanding consonants is essential to linguistics, literacy education, spelling instruction, and music theory, making this one of the most broadly useful terms across language study.
A speech sound articulated with partial or complete closure of the vocal tract, or a letter representing such a sound.
"Children learning to read are taught to blend consonants and vowels into syllables."
In phonetics, consonants are classified by voicing, place of articulation, and manner of articulation.
In agreement, harmony, or consistency with something else.
"Her actions were consonant with her stated beliefs."
Typically used in the construction 'consonant with'. Formal register.
Standard plural form; used freely in linguistic, educational, and general contexts.
"English has twenty-four distinct consonant sounds, though the alphabet uses fewer letters to represent them."
The English word 'rhythms' contains not a single conventional vowel — yet every one of its letters is doing a consonant's job.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consonant
Consonant comes from Latin consonare, meaning 'to sound together', formed from com- ('together') plus sonare ('to sound'). It passed into medieval Latin as consonans before entering English in the late Middle Ages, initially referring both to alphabetic letters other than vowels and to harmonious musical combinations. Its cognates share the son- root: words like sonic, unison, and resonant all descend from Latin sonus ('sound'), while the noun form consonance preserves the original sense of sounding together.
Related word forms
How consonant is actually used
As an adjective meaning 'in agreement', 'consonant' carries a formal register and typically takes 'with' ('consonant with'). The noun sense dominates everyday usage; the adjective appears mostly in academic, legal, and musical writing.
Easily confused with consonant
'Conservant' is not a standard English word, but it is sometimes mistakenly written for 'consonant'; the latter refers to a speech sound or letter.
'Consistent' means unchanging or coherent over time, whereas 'consonant' as an adjective specifically denotes being in accord with something else.