nð vs tsʰ

Voiced Alveolar Affricate vs Voiceless Alveolar Affricate

How these sounds differ

nð

Voiced Alveolar Affricate

Voicing: voiced
Place: alveolar
Manner: affricate
Class: consonant
In languages: 1 / 500

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tsʰ

Voiceless Alveolar Affricate

Voicing: voiceless
Place: alveolar
Manner: affricate
Class: consonant
In languages: 41 / 500

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Cross-linguistic distribution

Languages with nð

Languages with both

Languages with tsʰ

0 languages in our database contrast both sounds as distinct phonemes. Languages that have one but not the other tend to merge them into a single phoneme — meaning speakers of those languages often struggle to hear the distinction when learning a language that contrasts them.

Has nð, not tsʰ (1)

Dholuo Nilotic

Has tsʰ, not nð (20)

AHTNA Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Kashimiri Indo-European Beembe Atlantic-Congo Aymara Aymaran Páez Language isolate Mazahua Otomanguean Zuni Language isolate TARASCAN Tarascan Yuchi Language isolate Lak Nakh-Daghestanian Burushaski Language isolate Kharia Austroasiatic Hakka Chinese Sino-Tibetan Yao Hmong-Mien Lakkia Tai-Kadai Adzera Austronesian Chipewyan Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Navaho Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Kwakiutl Wakashan Avar Nakh-Daghestanian