Which word contains only voiceless consonants: cat, mouse? - briefly
The word "cat" consists only of voiceless consonants. The word "mouse" includes voiced consonants, specifically the 'm', 'ou' and 'z'.
Which word contains only voiceless consonants: cat, mouse? - in detail
To determine which word contains only voiceless consonants, it is essential to understand the phonetic properties of the sounds in each word. Voiceless consonants are produced without vibration of the vocal cords, whereas voiced consonants involve vocal cord vibration.
First, let's analyze the word "cat." The phonetic transcription of "cat" in English is /kæt/. Breaking it down:
- /k/ is a voiceless velar plosive.
- /æ/ is a vowel sound.
- /t/ is a voiceless alveolar plosive.
Clearly, the word "cat" contains both voiceless consonants (/k/ and /t/) and a vowel (/æ/).
Next, consider the word "mouse." The phonetic transcription of "mouse" is /maʊs/. Breaking it down:
- /m/ is a voiced bilabial nasal.
- /aʊ/ is a diphthong, consisting of two vowel sounds.
- /s/ is a voiceless alveolar fricative.
The word "mouse" includes one voiceless consonant (/s/) and one voiced consonant (/m/).
Given this analysis, neither "cat" nor "mouse" consists solely of voiceless consonants. Both words contain a mix of voiceless consonants, voiced consonants, and vowels. Therefore, neither word meets the criterion of containing only voiceless consonants.