What does labiodental mean?
Labiodental describes articulation involving the lips and teeth. In English, the principal labiodental consonants are /f/ and /v/: when making either sound, the lower lip approaches or touches the upper teeth while the tongue remains out of the way. The term is used chiefly in phonetics, phonology, linguistics, language teaching, and speech therapy, where precise descriptions of sound production are useful. It also appears in descriptions of other languages, many of which use labiodental sounds that English does not. “Labiodental” may function as an adjective, as in “a labiodental consonant,” or as a noun naming such a consonant. It should not be confused with “bilabial,” which describes sounds made by bringing both lips together, as in /p/ and /b/. Though technical, the word is useful because it pinpoints exactly how a sound is articulated and distinguishes lip-to-teeth sounds from lip-only, tongue-to-teeth, and other kinds of consonants.
Relating to or involving the contact of a lip with the teeth in the production of a sound.
"Phonetic analysis identified the sound as labiodental."
Common technical usage in descriptions of consonants and articulation.
A consonant produced by contact between a lip and the teeth, especially /f/ or /v/.
"The /v/ in “voice” is a labiodental."
Used primarily in specialist descriptions of speech sounds.
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; individual sounds are more often identified by their phonetic symbols or by their place of articulation.
"The chapter compares the two English labiodentals."
The words “fine” and “voice” share a secret: both feature tongue-free labiodental sounds, /f/ and /v/.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of labiodental
The English word combines the form labio-, derived from Latin labium (“lip”), with dental, from Latin dens, dentis (“tooth”). It reflects an anatomical approach to describing consonants according to the organs involved in producing them. Labial, dental, labium, and dentate independently preserve or derive from the same two Latin roots.
How labiodental is actually used
This is a specialized term used in phonetics, phonology, linguistics, language teaching, and speech therapy. It is used in British and American English without a major regional difference.
Easily confused with labiodental
A bilabial sound is made with both lips, as in /p/ and /b/, whereas a labiodental sound uses the lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/.