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vocaboo
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fricative

Pronunciation: [ˈfrɪkətɪv]

Word

Context: "linguistics"

(noun) a type of speech sound made by forcing air through a narrow space in the mouth. You know how you can make sounds by squeezing your lips or tongue? A fricative happens when the air hits your tongue or teeth and makes a scruffing sound.

Example

The 's' sound in 'see' is a fricative.

Example

The letter 'p' is not a fricative because it is made by stopping the air completely.

Example

Can you think of more words that start with a fricative sound?

Context: "speech sounds"

(adjective) describes a sound that is made by forcing air through a small opening in your mouth. When you talk, some sounds are made by opening your mouth wide, but fricative sounds are made with just a little space.

Example

The fricative sounds in English include 'f', 'v', 's', and 'z'.

Example

A fricative sound is not clear and easy to hear when someone covers their mouth while talking.

Example

Which letters can you think of that make fricative sounds?

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