How these sounds differ
tʰ
Voiceless Alveolar Stop
- Voicing
- voiceless
- Place
- alveolar
- Manner
- stop
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 89 / 500
d
Voiced Alveolar Stop
- Voicing
- voiced
- Place
- alveolar
- Manner
- stop
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 217 / 500
Cross-linguistic distribution
89
Languages with tʰ
55
Languages with both
217
Languages with d
55 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 tʰ, not d (20)
Beembe
Atlantic-Congo
Navaho
Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit
Mazahua
Otomanguean
Haida
Haida
Chasta Costa
Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit
Aymara
Aymaran
Kunjen
Pama-Nyungan
Hakka Chinese
Sino-Tibetan
DADIBI
Teberan
Andamanese
Great Andamanese
Maidu
Maiduan
BRAO
Austroasiatic
Min Dong Chinese
Sino-Tibetan
Lakkia
Tai-Kadai
Quechua
Quechuan
Mongghul
Mongolic-Khitan
JACALTEC
Mayan
Selepet
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Páez
Language isolate
Hupa
Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit
Has d, not tʰ (20)
Malagasy
Austronesian
CHUAVE
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
AIZI
Atlantic-Congo
BETE
Kru
Pashto
Indo-European
Lwaa
Atlantic-Congo
Zoque
Mixe-Zoque
Darkhat
Mongolic-Khitan
SALIBA
Saliban
GWARI
Atlantic-Congo
Toba-Batak
Austronesian
Ket
Yeniseian
KANAKURU
Afro-Asiatic
Sango
Atlantic-Congo
Moxo
Arawakan
MUINANE
Boran
Kabardian
Abkhaz-Adyge
Yakut
Turkic
Gbeya
Atlantic-Congo
Gadsup
Nuclear Trans New Guinea