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Glite Dictionary
👄 Using both lips 👄 A lip sound
bilabial

bilabial

7.7
A consonant sound made by bringing both lips together, like p or b
  • noun
  • /bɪˈleɪbiəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bilabial
  • Students learned that the bilabial sounds in English include /p/, /b/, and /m/.

Examples

  • The difference is that for Bab you're making a bilabial stop, and for GAG you're making a Wheeler stop.

  • The sound /p/ is a bilabial consonant because it is made with both lips coming together.

  • In phonetics, a bilabial is a consonant sound like /b/ or /w/ that involves both lips.

How Back

glottal
  • Specialized
2 8.6
pharyngeal consonant
  • Specialized
9.9
uvular
  • Specialized
1 8.7
velar consonant
  • Specialized
8.4
palatal
  • Specialized
8.9
alveolar consonant
  • Specialized
7.7
bilabial
  • Specialized
7.7

Surface Forms

bilabial singular
bilabials plural

Morphology

bilabial = labial (semi-transparent) = bi + labial

Formally 'bi-' (two/both) + 'labial' (relating to the lips) yields 'produced with both lips', but 'labial' is a technical term that may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Bilabial comes from the Latin parts bi- 'two' and labium 'lip'. As a noun, a bilabial is a consonant sound made with both lips, like /p/, /b/, or /m/.