What does plosive mean?
A plosive is a consonant sound produced when the airflow is completely blocked and then released in a sudden burst. English examples include the initial sounds in "pin," "ten," and "kit," as well as the consonants in words such as "stop" and "better." The defining feature is the complete closure, which distinguishes plosive sounds from fricatives, such as /f/ and /s/, where air continues to pass through a narrowed passage. In phonology, plosives are also called stop consonants. The word is useful when discussing articulation, pronunciation, sound patterning, and contrasts between different types of consonants. Although the term is most common in academic and technical language, understanding plosives can make many otherwise puzzling pronunciation rules easier to interpret.
Relating to or denoting a consonant sound made by completely closing the vocal tract and then suddenly releasing the closure.
"The /t/ at the end of "cat" is a plosive consonant."
A consonant sound produced by a complete closure of the vocal tract followed by a sudden release.
"The consonants /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/ are plosives in English."
The plural is used when referring to plosive consonants or sounds.
"The phoneme chart distinguishes plosives from fricatives and other consonant sounds."
A plosive is a tiny burst of sound: stop the airflow completely, then release it suddenly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of plosive
The word entered English from Latin plōsīvus, an adjective meaning "explosive" and associated with plaudere, "to strike" or "make a noise." It was later adopted in phonetics to describe sounds made through a complete closure followed by a release, borrowing the idea of force or sudden bursting associated with the Latin term.
Related word forms
How plosive is actually used
Plosive is primarily a term in phonetics and linguistics. In everyday speech, "stop consonant" is more widely understood.