In this video you will learn all about the nine fricative consonant sounds in English: /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/ & /h/. Five of these are unvoiced (/f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/ & /h/) and four are voiced, which means we use our vocal chords to produce the sound (/v/, /ð/, /z/ & /ʒ/).

Fricatives are formed when two articulators come close and form a small gap somewhere in the vocal tract. This then generates audible friction because the airflow is obstructed. The small gap can be formed when the top teeth touch the bottom lip, also called labio-dental, as in /f/ and /v/. The air friction could also be generated by placing the tongue between the teeth as is done in the delta fricatives /θ/, /ð/ – the two ‘th-sounds’ in English. /s/ and /z/ are alveolar fricatives with the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, just behind the top teeth. /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are both post-alveolar fricatives with the tongue forming a small gap just behind the alveolar ridge. Last but not least, /h/ is a glottal fricative which is formed in the throat. We also go over typical spellings of each fricative consonant and finally we have a look at some important minimal pairs.