CONTRAST /t/ and /s/

/t/ and /s/ are both consonant sounds in English, but they differ in terms of their place and manner of articulation.

Table of Contents

1. Place of Articulation

– /t/: This sound is produced by placing the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, which is the bumpy ridge just behind the upper front teeth.
– /s/: This sound is produced by bringing the front of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, but allowing air to pass through a narrow gap between the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

2. Manner of Articulation

– /t/: It is a voiceless stop sound. This means that the airflow is completely blocked for a brief moment by the tongue touching the alveolar ridge, and then released abruptly.
– /s/: It is a voiceless fricative sound. The tongue forms a narrow passage with the alveolar ridge, causing the air to flow with a continuous, turbulent noise.

3. Voicing

– /t/: It is a voiceless sound, which means that the vocal cords do not vibrate during its production.
– /s/: It is also a voiceless sound, so the vocal cords do not vibrate during its production..

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Sigh /sai/ tie /tai/

Sin /sin/ tin /tin/

Sick /sik/ tick /tik/

Seem /si:m/ team /ti:m/

Sort /sᴐ:t/ taught/tᴐ:t/

To summarize:
/t/ is a voiceless alveolar stop sound, while /s/ is a voiceless alveolar fricative sound. The main difference lies in the manner of articulation, where /t/ is a stop sound involving a complete closure and release of airflow, while /s/ is a fricative sound with a narrow passage for air to create a continuous noise