The /b/ as in BED /b/

One of the most common consonants in American English. Hear it in big, boy, bad, bed.

IPA /b/ Respell b Category Consonant
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The /b/ consonant, the bed sound, is a voiced lip sound where you press your lips together, turn on your voice, and let the air pop out. It uses the exact same lip movement as /p/, but with vibration from your vocal cords. In American English, the biggest trick is what happens at the end of words like cab or job. Instead of releasing the sound with a hard pop, Americans simply close their lips to stop the air, leaving them closed.

How to make it

Three small adjustments.

Get them right and the sound takes care of itself.

Press your lips together, add vocal cord vibration, then release.

Mouth position for /b/ in big

Mouth shape

/b/ as in big

Lips

Press together, then open for the release.

Quick tips

Two things to remember.

Same lip position as /p/, but with vocal cord vibration.

Unlike /p/, this sound doesn't use a strong puff of air. Focus on a gentle release.

Hear it in words

16 everyday words.

Tap any word for its full breakdown — every reduction, every flap-T.

big
BIHG
back
BAK
book
BUUK
boat
BOHT
boot
BOOT
bring
BRIHNG
bright
BRAHYT
bless
BLEHS
bold
BOHLD
brick
BRIHK
bone
BOHN
band
BAND
breath
BREHTH
brief
BREEF
crab
KRAB
rib
RIHB
Hear it in sentences

In real conversation.

5 short sentences where this sound shows up. Tap to play; click the title for the full breakdown.

The big blue bus broke down on the bridge.

dhuh BIHG BLOO BUHS BROHK DOWN AHN dhuh BRIHJ.

Bob brought a bunch of balloons for the baby.

BAHB BRAHT uh BUHNCH uhv buh·LOONZ fer dhuh BAY·bee.

The bank balance began to bounce back.

dhuh BANGK BA·luhns buh·GAN tuh BOWNS BAK.

I bet the biology lab is busy before breaks.

ahy BEHT dhuh bahy·AH·luh·jee LAB ihz BIH·zee buh·FOR BRAYKS.

She borrowed a stack of biographies from the public library.

shee BAH·rohd uh STAK uhv bahy·AH·gruh·feez fruhm dhuh PUH·bluhk LAHY·brair·ee.
Where this sound transforms

Connected-speech rules involving /b/.

Each rule has its own page with examples and practice tips.

Rule 11

Unreleased Stops

Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.
FAQ

Common questions about /b/.

How is the /b/ sound different from /p/?
The biggest difference is the puff of air. For the /p/ in pie, you build up pressure behind your lips and release it with a strong puff of air before the vowel starts. For the /b/ in boy, there is no puff; your vocal cords turn on exactly as your lips open, and the sound flows straight into the vowel. If you put your hand in front of your mouth, you should feel a clear puff for /p/ and almost nothing for /b/.
Why do Spanish speakers often mix up /b/ and /v/ in English?
In Spanish, the letters B and V often make the same soft, blended sound between vowels, but in English, they are always strictly separated. The English /b/ requires your upper and lower lips to press completely together to stop the air. The English /v/ requires your top teeth to rest lightly on your bottom lip while air continuously flows out. Mixing them up makes boat sound like vote, which can easily confuse American listeners.
Do Americans pronounce the /b/ at the end of words like "job"?
They do, but they rarely release it with a sharp pop of air. When a word ends in /b/, like job, cab, or web, Americans usually just press their lips together and stop the air there. This is a connected-speech rule called stop non-release. If you force a release at the end, it sounds like JAH-buh, which feels over-articulated. Close the lips, cut the air, move on to the next word.

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