1. speech sounds produced by blocking or restricting airflow through the mouth, such as b, d, f, k, m, n, p, s, t
Usage: linguistics; phonetics
2. letters of the alphabet that represent consonant sounds

Examples

• The word ‘stop’ begins and ends with consonants.
• Children learn to identify vowels and consonants in kindergarten.
• The consonants in ‘hello’ are h, l, and l.
• Some consonants like ‘m’ and ‘n’ can be pronounced without vowels.
• Double consonants appear in words like ‘butter’ and ‘happy’.
• Silent consonants make English spelling challenging for learners.