Feel the Buzz: Voiced vs. Voiceless

Thai speakers commonly mix up consonant pairs that English keeps carefully separate, because Thai's own sound system groups these consonants differently. Pairs like B/P, D/T, and G/K in English are distinguished mainly by one thing: whether your vocal cords buzz. B, D, and G are voiced — cords buzzing the whole time. P, T, and K are voiceless — no buzz at all. Mixing these up can turn 'pig' into 'big' or 'ten' into 'den' without you realizing it. Try this: place two fingers lightly on your throat. Say 'b' — feel the buzz start right away. Now say 'p' — no buzz, just a puff of air. Go back and forth: 'big/pig,' 'den/ten,' 'goat/coat,' fingers on your throat each time to check for that vibration. Spend two minutes on this contrast today. Once your fingers can reliably feel the difference, your mouth will start producing it more consistently too — it just takes steady, honest practice.