tɬ vs d

Voiceless Alveolar Stop vs Voiced Alveolar Stop

How these sounds differ

tɬ

Voiceless Alveolar Stop

Voicing: voiceless
Place: alveolar
Manner: stop
Class: consonant
In languages: 8 / 500

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Voiced Alveolar Stop

Voicing: voiced
Place: alveolar
Manner: stop
Class: consonant
In languages: 217 / 500

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Cross-linguistic distribution

Languages with tɬ

Languages with both

217

Languages with d

2 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 tɬ, not d (6)

Chipewyan Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Navaho Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Squamish Salishan Nootka Wakashan HADZA Language isolate NAHUATL Uto-Aztecan

Has d, not tɬ (20)

Gadsup Nuclear Trans New Guinea Telefol Nuclear Trans New Guinea Adzera Austronesian Iai Austronesian Chamorro Austronesian Sa'ban Austronesian Toba-Batak Austronesian Cham Austronesian Malagasy Austronesian Yay Tai-Kadai Garo Sino-Tibetan Lahu Sino-Tibetan Dafla Sino-Tibetan Yao Hmong-Mien Kota Dravidian Burushaski Language isolate Kabardian Abkhaz-Adyge Lak Nakh-Daghestanian Ket Yeniseian Salish Salishan