The /k/ Sound, Voiceless Velar Plosive
/k/
/k/ is a voiceless velar plosive. To make it, the back of the tongue touches the soft palate (the velum) and the airflow is stopped completely and then released. It is voiceless, so the vocal folds do not vibrate.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| cat | /kæt/ | /kæt/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| /ˈpɒk.ɪt/ | /ˈpɑː.kɪt/ | Syllables · Pronounce | |
| back | /bæk/ | /bæk/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/k/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /k/
/k/ has 5 allophones in the app, starting with [k], after /s/, before another consonant, or in an unstressed syllable, so it has no aspiration. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /k/ Sound
/k/ At The Start Of A Word
- cap
- car
- cat
- coo
- cop
- cow
- cry
- cup
- cut
- key
- kid
- kin
- cafe
- cage
- cake
- calf
- call
- calm
- came
- camp
- card
- care
- cart
- case
- cash
- cast
- cave
- clap
- clay
- clip
/k/ In The Middle Of A Word
- act
- axe
- box
- fax
- fix
- fox
- lax
- mix
- sex
- six
- ski
- sky
- tax
- vex
- wax
- acne
- acre
- apex
- axle
- axon
- coax
- echo
- fact
- hoax
- icon
- next
- okay
- okra
- pact
- scar
/k/ At The End Of A Word
- ask
- ink
- oak
- ache
- back
- bake
- balk
- bank
- bark
- bask
- bike
- book
- buck
- bunk
- cake
- chic
- cook
- cork
- dark
- deck
- desk
- disc
- disk
- dock
- duck
- dunk
- dusk
- epic
- fake
- folk
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /k/ voiced or voiceless?
/k/ is voiceless.
What is the place of articulation of /k/?
/k/ is velar, which means the back of the tongue touches the soft palate (the velum).
What is the manner of articulation of /k/?
/k/ is a plosive, which means the airflow is stopped completely and then released.
Which words have the /k/ sound?
For example cat, pocket, back.