How these sounds differ
b
Voiced Bilabial Stop
- Voicing
- voiced
- Place
- bilabial
- Manner
- stop
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 339 / 500
p
Voiceless Bilabial Stop
- Voicing
- voiceless
- Place
- bilabial
- Manner
- stop
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 424 / 500
Cross-linguistic distribution
339
Languages with b
284
Languages with both
424
Languages with p
284 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 b, not p (20)
Avar
Nakh-Daghestanian
ARCHI
Nakh-Daghestanian
ALAMBLAK
Sepik
AHTNA
Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit
Aghem
Atlantic-Congo
AMELE
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Persian
Indo-European
Mahas-Fiyadikka
Nubian
Ga
Atlantic-Congo
Kadugli (Miri)
Kadugli-Krongo
Angas
Afro-Asiatic
Tunica
Language isolate
Seneca
Iroquoian
Kwakiutl
Wakashan
Adzera
Austronesian
Chamorro
Austronesian
Ket
Yeniseian
Lak
Nakh-Daghestanian
Garo
Sino-Tibetan
Bats
Nakh-Daghestanian
Has p, not b (20)
Aleut
Eskimo-Aleut
Auyana
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Gadsup
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Sentani
Sentanic
Asmat
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Wik Mungkan
Pama-Nyungan
Alawa
Mangarrayi-Maran
Wubuy
Gunwinyguan
Maung
Iwaidjan Proper
Maranungku
Western Daly
Kunjen
Pama-Nyungan
Nyangumata
Pama-Nyungan
Western Desert
Pama-Nyungan
Kaliai
Austronesian
Atayal
Austronesian
Lakkia
Tai-Kadai
SEDANG
Austroasiatic
Hakka Chinese
Sino-Tibetan
Karen
Sino-Tibetan
Inuit
Eskimo-Aleut