Consonant Sound / p / as in "pie" - American English Pronunciation

The /p/ sound is familiar to most people and its pronunciation may seem fairly easy. Yet the American /p/ is not that simple. There are many ways this sound is pronounced, depending on its position in a word.
In this video, you'll learn the American pronunciation of the /p/ sound, including little-known pronunciation rules, such as aspiration and the Final Stop Rule.
You'll also practice the /p/ sound with pronunciation exercises, professionally recorded by a speech-language pathologist specializing in American English pronunciation (and all-around a great guy).

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Quick links:
• Consonant sound /p/, as in "pie:" 00:00
• Review: 00:53
• How to make the /p/ consonant sound: 02:12
• Pronunciation exercise 1: 02:46
• Pronunciation exercise 2: 05:00
• Pronunciation exercise 3: 06:49

Related videos:
#AmericanPronunciation #ConsonantSounds #StopSounds
► Stop Sounds Overview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFPbLcUCraQ
► Consonant Sound /b/ as in "boy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbCOXRz7Uf8
► Consonant Sound /t/ as in "toy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLlotV_0dRI
► Consonant Sound Flap 'T' /t̬/ as in "water"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b-UIkuwOdU
► Consonant Sound Glottal 'T' /ʔ/ as in "button"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vabg-EUHOQk
► Consonant Sound /d/ as in "dog"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N73xPe0x79g
► Consonant Sound /k/ as in "key"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxrveu6yu6E&
► Consonant Sound /g/ as in "gift"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP5XKYvxe0Q

[ THIS VIDEO HAS ENGLISH, SPANISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, PORTUGUESE, AND KOREAN SUBTITLES]
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TRANSCRIPT

Hello there! This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video, we're going to talk about the American consonant sound /p/, as in the word "pie." You can also hear this sound in words like "play," "cup," "paper" or "supper."
We’ll be using a special phonetic symbol - /p/ - for this sound.

The /p/ is one of six sounds in the stop consonants category.
The stop sounds may seem easy to pronounce. But they're more difficult if you try to pronounce them with an American accent.
Why? Let's find out.
We'll start with reviewing what we learned in the Stops Sounds Overview video.
The /p/ is made by stopping the air with your lips.
The /p/ is a voiceless sound. It has a voiced counterpart, the consonant sound /b/.
Like with all stop consonants, aspiration is important when you pronounce the /p/ sound.
The /p/ is made with a strong puff of air at the beginning of words and stressed syllables.
At the end of words and syllables, the /p/ follows the final stop rule and is not aspirated.
There's one more thing. The /p/ sound is also unaspirated after the /s/ consonant.
Check out these examples:
• "peak," "repeat," "paper"
• "keep," "tape," "update"
• "speak," "spring," "spoil'

Now let's take a closer look at how to pronounce this sound.

First, press your lips together to stop the air in your mouth.
Next, part your lips and release the air with a strong puff.
If you make this sound correctly, you'll hear a burst of air.
Now, let’s try saying it: /p/, /p/, /p/.

[Pronunciation Exercise 1]
Now, let’s practice. We'll start with the /p/ at the beginning of words.
Remember that the /p/ in this position is aspirated, so make sure you pronounce it with a strong puff of air.
You already know how the practice works, but just in case, we'll say it again :).
You’ll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation. Like this.
You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word. Try to practice as many words as possible, this is the most important part of the whole lesson.
Let’s begin!
• pack
• pad
• page
• paint
• park
• part
• paw
• peace
• pet
• place
• plan
• please
• plus
• point
• port
• post
• prepare
• present
• puff
• put

[Pronunciation Exercise 2]
Let’s pause here for a second and review the final stop rule: stop sounds at the end of words are made without a puff of air. This is what we'll practice with the next group of words.
Let's continue practicing.
• cap
• cheap
• chip
• chop
• clap
• drip
• drop
• flap
• group
• gulp
• help
• jump
• keep
• map
• shape
• sharp
• shop
• sleep
• step
• swipe

[Pronunciation Exercise 3]
Awesome! Now let's practice pronouncing words with the /p/ sound following the /s/ sound. Remember to make the /p/ without a puff of air.
Here you go.
• speak
• spear
• speech
• spell
• spend
• spent
• spider
• spill
• spin
• spit
• spite
• spoil
• spoke
• spree
• spy

You're done! Congratulations!

Now that you know how to make the /p/ stop sound, all you need is to practice regularly. This is how you'll improve your American accent.

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