The P in English

24 Oct 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

Short YouTube video by Hadar Shemesh explaining the difference in English between unaspirated and aspirated P sounds. The speaker demonstrates pairs (e.g., 'bay' vs 'pay') and states that aspiration (a brief burst of air) occurs for sounds /p, t, k/ at the beginning of words or stressed syllables, with examples like 'pay', 'time', 'atomic', 'kiss', and 'apartment'.

Chapters

What's the difference between pay and pay? Bees and peace. Can you hear the difference in the way I pronounce the P sound? Bay. Pay. The second time I pronounce this word was with a little bit of an H. Bay. No, air. Pay. So I allow the air to build up in my throat, in my mouth, and then I release it all at once. Hey. It's called an aspirated P, and it appears in English in words that start with P, T, or k at the beginning of words or at the beginning of stressed syllables. For example, time. Atomic. Kiss. Pay. Apartment. Can you hear it versus apartment? Apartment. Kiss and not kiss.