What is a consonant?

A consonant is:

1.  a speech sound that is made by stopping the flow of air in the breath channel or mouth.

2. a letter of the alphabet that represents any of these speech sounds

Consonant letters

B b   Cc   Dd   Ff   Gg   Hh  Jj   Kk   Ll   Mm   Nn   Pp   Qq   Rr   Ss   Tt   Vv   Ww   Xx   Yy   Zz

The letter Y is traditionally counted as a consonant, but can be classed as both a consonant and a vowel.

For example:

In 'hymn' the letter Y is a vowel sound with the breath channel open.

In 'yellow' the letter Y is a consonant sound with the flow of air stopped in the mouth.

Image © David Lofink