What does sonant mean?
Sonant has two connected uses. In phonetics, it means voiced: a sonant sound is produced with vibration of the vocal folds, as in the consonants /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, and /v/. This contrasts with a voiceless sound, traditionally called a sourd. In more literary or musical contexts, sonant means sounding, resonant, or rich in tone. The word is uncommon in everyday speech but remains useful when precision about voicing matters or when a resonant sound or instrument needs an elevated description. Although people sometimes use sonant as a general synonym for “voiced,” its established technical application is chiefly to speech sounds. Its unusual sound can also cause confusion with sonant, a different word with a similar appearance but a different meaning and pronunciation.
Voiced, especially of a consonantal speech sound; also, sounding or resonant.
"Phonetic notation distinguishes the sonant consonant /v/ from its voiceless counterpart /f/."
The technical sense is most common in phonetics; the sense “sounding or resonant” is literary and comparatively rare.
A voiced speech sound, especially a voiced consonant.
"The student identified each sonant by placing a finger against the throat and feeling the vibration."
A specialized phonetic term, usually encountered in formal descriptions of speech sounds.
Used when referring to multiple voiced speech sounds, usually in a technical linguistic context.
"The chart classifies the consonants as either sonants or sourds."
A sonant is a sound your voice can make, while its silent counterpart is known in phonetics as a sourd.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of sonant
Sonant derives from Latin sonans, the present participle of sonare, meaning “to sound” or “resound.” The same Latin root also produced English cognates such as consonant, resonant, and sonorous. In English, sonant became established as a term for voiced sounds, contrasting with the older term sourd for unvoiced sounds.
How sonant is actually used
Sonant is primarily a technical term in phonetics and related language studies. Its broader sense of “sounding” is literary and relatively uncommon; in these contexts, “resonant” or “sonorous” may often sound more natural.
Easily confused with sonant
Sonant is pronounced with the vowel sound of “so,” whereas sonant is pronounced like “sonant” with the vowel sound of “son” as in “song.”
A sonant is voiced and involves vocal-fold vibration, while a sourd is unvoiced and therefore lacks that vibration.