Alveolar consonant
Alveolars are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, the internal side of the upper gums (known as the alveoles of the upper teeth).The alveolar consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:
| IPA Symbol | Name | Example | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| t | Voiceless alveolar plosive | English | [thæp] | tap |
| d | Voiced alveolar plosive | English | [dɛt] | debt |
| n | Alveolar nasal | English | [ɹʌn] | run |
| r | Alveolar trill | Spanish | [pero] | perro (="dog") |
| ɾ | Alveolar flap | Spanish | [peɾo] | pero (="but") |
| s | Voiceless alveolar fricative | English | [sut] | suit |
| z | Voiced alveolar fricative | English | [zu] | zoo |
| ɬ | Voiceless alveolar lateral fricative | |||
| ɮ | Voiced alveolar lateral fricative | |||
| ɹ | Alveolar approximant | English | [ɹu] | rue |
| l | Alveolar lateral approximant | English | [lup] | loop |