Glossary · Sounds and phonemic awareness
What are voiced and unvoiced sounds?
Definition
Voiced sounds make the vocal cords vibrate, as /v/ and /z/ do; unvoiced sounds use air alone, as /f/ and /s/ do.
Many consonants come in pairs made in the same mouth position, one voiced and one unvoiced: /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/, /k/ and /g/, /f/ and /v/, /s/ and /z/, /th/ in thin and /th/ in this. All vowels are voiced.
Students can feel the difference by touching their throat. The buzz is there for /z/ and gone for /s/. That gives them a way to check a sound when they mix up b and p or d and t in spelling.
Voicing also explains the three sounds of -ed. After an unvoiced sound the ending says /t/ (jumped), after a voiced sound it says /d/ (hummed). Students who know voicing pick that rule up quickly.
In a lesson
“Put two fingers on your throat and say /fff/. Now /vvv/.” The student feels the buzz switch on. Then try thin and then, which differ only in voicing.
Examples
Each word with its spelling units, one per sound.
- thingth·i·ng
- thanth·a·n
- seals·ea·l
- zealz·ea·l
Words come from our lexicon, checked against a pronouncing dictionary. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out.
Why does this matter for the record?
Confusions between voiced and unvoiced partners (b and p, d and t) are common in spelling. Name the pair in the note.
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