/k/

consonant · voiceless

The K Sound

as in cat

How to make the /k/ sound

Voiceless — no vocal cord vibration
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Raise the back of the tongue to the soft palate.
  2. 2Release with a burst.
  3. 3Spelled c, k, ck, ch, or q — but silent in "knife" and "knee".

⚠ The most common mistake

Forgetting that "ch" in "chaos", "architect", "stomach" is a K sound.

Especially tricky for speakers of: Arabic, Tagalog.

Train your ear: /k/ vs /g/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying cat, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /k/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More consonants

See all 44 sounds of English →