The letter B makes the /b/ sound. This is what we call a voiced bilabial stop. Voiced means your vocal cords vibrate when you make the sound. Bilabial means both lips come together. And stop means the airflow is completely blocked then released. You can hear this sound in words like ball, book, baby, and big.
Now let's learn how to make the B sound correctly. First, close your lips together completely. Then build up air pressure behind your closed lips. Make sure your vocal cords are vibrating. Finally, release the air by quickly opening your lips. Try practicing with the syllables ba, be, bi, bo, bu.
Let's look at some common words that start with the B sound. Ball is a round object used in games. Book is something you read to learn or for fun. Baby means a very young child. Big describes something large in size. Blue is a color like the sky. And banana is a yellow fruit that's good to eat.
Now it's time to practice! Let's say the B sound together. Start by saying /b/ three times slowly. Then try the syllables ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Finally, practice with the words ball, book, and baby. Remember to close your lips completely, make your vocal cords vibrate, and release the air quickly.
Let's review what we learned about the letter B. The letter B makes the /b/ sound, which is a voiced bilabial stop consonant. To make this sound, close your lips together, make your vocal cords vibrate, then quickly release the air. We practiced with common B words like ball, book, baby, big, and blue. Keep practicing regularly to master this important sound!