Examples of voiceless consonants are _______.

• A. B, D, G and Z
• B. M, N, L and R
• C. P, T, K and S
• D. F, V, TH and SH

Answer: (C)

Voiceless consonants are produced without using the vocal cords, so there is no vocal cord vibration when you say them. The sounds in this group—P, T, K, and S—are all made without voicing: P, T, and K are stop consonants formed by briefly stopping the airflow and releasing it, while S is a fricative created by forcing air through a narrow gap. That combination makes them clearly voiceless.

By contrast, the other options mix sounds that do require vocal cord vibration—for example, B, D, G, Z are voiced stops and fricatives, and M, N, L, R are voiced nasal or lateral sounds. Some groups also include sounds like TH and SH that can involve voicing distinctions depending on the specific sound. A quick way to check is to place a finger on the throat and pronounce the sound: if you feel vibration, it’s voiced; if not, it’s voiceless.