Place of Articulation

Where in the vocal tract a consonant is made, from the lips back to the glottis — one axis of the IPA chart.

Core Principles & Analysis

• The IPA consonant chart’s columns run front to back: bilabial, dental, alveolar, velar, uvular, glottal.
• English uses about seven places; some Caucasian languages exploit uvular and pharyngeal territory heavily.
• Moving one articulation spot changes the word: "pat" (lips) versus "cat" (velum).