# Trill consonant

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Type of consonant

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This article contains **[phonetic transcriptions](/source/Phonetic_transcription) in the [International Phonetic Alphabet](/source/International_Phonetic_Alphabet) (IPA)**. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see [Help:IPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA). For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see [IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters](/source/International_Phonetic_Alphabet#Brackets_and_transcription_delimiters).

In [phonetics](/source/Phonetics), a **trill** is a [consonantal](/source/Consonant) sound [produced](/source/Manner_of_articulation) by vibrations between the [active articulator](/source/Active_articulator) and [passive articulator](/source/Passive_articulator). [Standard Spanish](/source/Standard_Spanish) ⟨[rr](/source/Rr_(digraph))⟩ as in *perro*, for example, is an [alveolar trill](/source/Alveolar_trill).

A trill is made by the articulator being held in place and the airstream causing it to vibrate. Usually a trill vibrates for 2–3 contacts, but may up to 5, or even more if [geminate](/source/Geminate_consonant).[1] However, trills may also be produced with only one contact. While single-contact trills are similar to [taps and flaps](/source/Flap_consonant), a tap or flap differs from a trill in that it is made by a muscular contraction rather than an airstream.[2] Individuals with [ankyloglossia](/source/Ankyloglossia) may have issues producing the trill sound.

## Phonemic trills

Trill consonants included in the [International Phonetic Alphabet](/source/International_Phonetic_Alphabet):

- [ʙ] – [Voiced bilabial trill](/source/Voiced_bilabial_trill)

- [ʙ̥] – [Voiceless bilabial trill](/source/Voiceless_bilabial_trill)

- [r] – [Voiced alveolar trill](/source/Voiced_alveolar_trill)

- [r̥] – [Voiceless alveolar trill](/source/Voiceless_alveolar_trill)

- [ɽ͡r] – [Voiced retroflex trill](/source/Voiced_retroflex_trill)

- [ɽ͡r̥] – [Voiceless retroflex trill](/source/Voiceless_retroflex_trill)

- [ʀ] – [Voiced uvular trill](/source/Voiced_uvular_trill)

- [ʀ̥] – [Voiceless uvular trill](/source/Voiceless_uvular_trill)

- [ʢ] – [Voiced epiglottal trill](/source/Voiced_epiglottal_trill)

- [ʜ] – [Voiceless epiglottal trill](/source/Voiceless_epiglottal_trill)

In addition,

- [𝼀] – [Velopharyngeal trill](/source/Velopharyngeal_trill); the [velopharyngeal fricative](/source/Velopharyngeal_fricative) [ʩ] found in disordered speech sometimes involves trilling of the velopharyngeal port, producing a 'snort'.

The bilabial trill is uncommon. The coronal trill is most frequently [alveolar](/source/Alveolar_consonant) [r͇], but [dental](/source/Dental_consonant) and [postalveolar](/source/Postalveolar_consonant) articulations [r̪] and [r̠] also occur. An alleged [retroflex trill](/source/Retroflex_trill) found in [Toda](/source/Toda_language) has been transcribed [ɽ] (that is, the same as the [retroflex flap](/source/Retroflex_flap)), but might be less ambiguously written [ɽr], as only the onset is retroflex, with the actual trill being alveolar. The epiglottal trills are identified by the IPA as fricatives, with the trilling assumed to be [allophonic](/source/Allophone). However, analyzing the sounds as trills may be more economical.[3] There are also so-called [strident vowels](/source/Strident_vowel) which are accompanied by epiglottal trill.

The cells in the IPA chart for the [velar](/source/Velar_consonant), [(upper) pharyngeal](/source/Pharyngeal_consonant), and [glottal](/source/Glottal_consonant) places of articulation are shaded as impossible. The glottis quite readily vibrates, but this occurs as the [phonation](/source/Phonation) of vowels and consonants, not as a consonant of its own. Dorso-palatal and velar vibratory motions of the tongue are occasionally produced, especially during the release of dorsal stops,[4] and *ingressive* [velar trills](#Velar_trill) occur in snoring, but not in normal speech. The upper pharyngeal tract cannot reliably produce a trill, but the epiglottis does, and epiglottal trills are pharyngeal in the broad sense.[5] A partially devoiced uvular or pre-uvular (i.e. between velar and uvular) trill [ʀ̝̊] with some frication occurs as a [coda](/source/Syllable#Coda) allophone of /ʀ/ in the [Limburgish](/source/Limburgish_language) dialects of [Maastricht](/source/Maastricht) and [Weert](/source/Weert).[6][7]

Voiceless trills occur phonemically in e.g. [Welsh](/source/Welsh_language) and [Icelandic](/source/Icelandic_language). (See also [voiceless alveolar trill](/source/Voiceless_alveolar_trill), [voiceless retroflex trill](/source/Voiceless_retroflex_trill), [voiceless uvular trill](/source/Voiceless_uvular_trill).) Mangbetu and [Ninde](/source/Ninde_language) have phonemically voiceless bilabial trills.

The [Czech language](/source/Czech_language) has two contrastive alveolar trills, one a fricative trill (written *ř* in the orthography). In the fricative trill the tongue is raised, so that there is audible [frication](/source/Fricative_consonant) during the trill, sounding a little like a simultaneous [r] and [ʐ] (or [r̥] and [ʂ] when devoiced). A symbol for this sound, [ɼ], has been dropped from the IPA, and it is now generally transcribed as a raised *r*, [r̝].

[Nuosu Yi](/source/Nuosu_Yi) has two labiodental fricativized vowels [v͡ʊ v̙͡ɵ̙] (phonemically /u u/, with the underline indicating tenseness) in which the initial fricative elements are often realized as voiceless or voiced bilabial trills [ʙ̥ ʙ] following bilabial and alveolar plosives; both the lax and tense variants may be either type of voicing, depending on the context.[8]

A number of languages have [trilled affricates](/source/Trilled_affricate) such as [mbʙ] and [dʳ]. The [Chapacuran languages](/source/Chapacuran_languages) [Wariʼ](/source/Wari%CA%BC_language), [Itene](/source/Itene_language), and [Oro Win](/source/Oro_Win_language), as well as the [Naga language](/source/Naga_language) [Sangtam](/source/Sangtam_language), have a very unusual trilled phoneme, a [voiceless bilabially post-trilled dental stop](/source/Voiceless_bilabially_post-trilled_dental_stop), [t̪͡ʙ̥].

A nasal trill [r̃] has been described from some dialects of Romanian, and is posited as an intermediate historical step in [rhotacism](/source/Rhotacism_(sound_change)). However, the phonetic variation of the sound is considerable, and it is not clear how frequently it is actually trilled.[9] In [Inor](/source/Inor_language), [n] can mutate to [r̃], often when prefixes are attached to words beginning with [n], resulting in nasal [vowel-consonant harmony](/source/Vowel-consonant_harmony).[10] Despite these examples, no language is known to contrast [r̃] phonemically.

## Paralinguistic trills

A [linguolabial](/source/Linguolabial_consonant) trill [r̼] (or, more precisely, a labiolingual trill [r᫥]) is not known to be used phonemically but occurs when [blowing a raspberry](/source/Blowing_a_raspberry).[11]

[Snoring](/source/Snoring) typically consists of vibration of the uvula and the [soft palate](/source/Soft_palate) (velum), which may be described as an [ingressive](/source/Ingressive_sound) velic trill.[12][a] Like the uvular trill, the ingressive velic trill does not involve the tongue; it is the velum that passively vibrates in the airstream. The *[Speculative Grammarian](/source/Speculative_Grammarian)* has proposed a jocular symbol for the sound (and also the sound used to imitate a pig's snort), a wide O with a double dot ([ꙫ](/source/%EA%99%AA)), suggesting a pig's snout.[15] The [Extensions to the IPA](/source/Extensions_to_the_IPA) identifies an egressive fricative pronounced with this same configuration, common with a [cleft palate](/source/Cleft_palate), as [velopharyngeal](/source/Velopharyngeal) [ʩ], and with accompanying uvular trill as [ʩ𐞪] ([ʩʀ]) or [𝼀] ().[16]

[Lateral](/source/Lateral_consonant) trills are also possible and may be pronounced by initiating [ɬ] or [ɮ] with an especially forceful airflow.[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] There is no symbol for them in the IPA.

[Ejective](/source/Ejective_consonant) trills are not known from any language although they are easy to produce. [rʼ] may occur as [mimesis](/source/Linguistic_mimesis) of a cat's purr.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Summary

Attested trilled consonants (excluding secondary phonations and articulations) Sounds in yellow are only attested in disordered speech (extIPA). Sounds in red are only attested from mimesis. Labial Labio- lingual Dental Alveolar Post- alveolar Retroflex Uvular Velo- pharyngeal Epiglottal Plain ʙ̥ ⓘ ʙ ⓘ r̼̊ ⓘ r̼ ⓘ r̪̊ r̪ r̥ ⓘ r ⓘ r̠ ⓘ ɽr̥ ⓘ ɽr ⓘ ʀ̥ ⓘ ʀ ⓘ ʜ ⓘ ʢ ⓘ Fricative r̝̊ ⓘ r̝ ⓘ ʀ̝̊ ⓘ ʀ̝ ⓘ 𝼀 ⓘ 𝼀̬ Affricate p͡ʙ̥ b͜ʙ t͡r̥ d͜r ʡ͜ʜ ʡ͜ʢ

## See also

- [List of phonetics topics](/source/List_of_phonetics_topics)

- [Bronx cheer (gesture)](/source/Bronx_cheer_(gesture))

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** 'Velic' is the term in Pike (1948) for [velopharyngeal](/source/Velopharyngeal): articulation between the upper surface of the velum and the back wall of the [naso-pharynx](/source/Naso-pharynx);[13] this usage of the term can be found in the 1995 preview of the *Handbook of the IPA* (Figure 2),[14] but was removed in the 1999 published version.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELadefogedMaddieson1996218_1-0)** [Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996)](#CITEREFLadefogedMaddieson1996), p. 218.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELadefogedJohnson2010175_2-0)** [Ladefoged & Johnson (2010)](#CITEREFLadefogedJohnson2010), p. 175.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEsling2010695_3-0)** [Esling (2010)](#CITEREFEsling2010), p. 695.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELadefogedMaddieson1996230_4-0)** [Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996)](#CITEREFLadefogedMaddieson1996), p. 230.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEsling2010688_5-0)** [Esling (2010)](#CITEREFEsling2010), p. 688.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGussenhovenAarts1999156_6-0)** [Gussenhoven & Aarts (1999)](#CITEREFGussenhovenAarts1999), p. 156.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHeijmansGussenhoven1998108_7-0)** [Heijmans & Gussenhoven (1998)](#CITEREFHeijmansGussenhoven1998), p. 108.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Edmondson, Jerold A.; [Esling, John H.](/source/John_Esling); Ziwo, Lama (April 2017). "Nuosu Yi (Illustrations of the IPA)". *Journal of the International Phonetic Association*. **47** (1): 87–97. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0025100315000444](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0025100315000444).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESampson1999312–3_9-0)** [Sampson (1999)](#CITEREFSampson1999), pp. 312–3.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Abza, Tsehay (2016). Binyam Sisay Mendisu; [Janne Bondi Johannessen](/source/Janne_Bondi_Johannessen) (eds.). ["Consonants and Vowels in the Western Gurage Variety Inor: Complex Connections between Phonemes, Allophones, and Free Alternations"](https://doi.org/10.5617%2Fosla.4416). *Oslo Studies in Language*. **8** (1): 31–54. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5617/osla.4416](https://doi.org/10.5617%2Fosla.4416).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Odden, David (2005), *Introducing Phonology*, New York: [Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-511-10970-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-511-10970-6), p. 130: Even staying within the vocal tract, languages also do not, for example, use whistles or inhalation to form speech sounds, nor is a labiolingual trill (a.k.a. "the raspberry") a speech sound in any language. It is important to understand that even though these various odd sounds are not language sounds, they may still be used in communication.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** University of Hawaii *Working Papers in Linguistics*, 1969, Volume 1, Parts 4–6, Page 115.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Bertil Malmberg & [Louise Kaiser](/source/Louise_Kaiser), 1968, *Manual of phonetics*, North-Holland, p. 325

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** "Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet", *Journal of the International Phonetic Association*, **25** (1): 3–47, 1995, [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [44526849](https://www.jstor.org/stable/44526849)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["SpecGram—Letters to the Editor"](http://specgram.com/CLI.3/02.letters.html). *specgram.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Unicode support from 2021.

## Bibliography

- Esling, John H. (2010), "Phonetic Notation", in Hardcastle, William J.; Laver, John; Gibbon, Fiona E. (eds.), *The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences* (2nd ed.), Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 678–702, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/9781444317251.ch18](https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9781444317251.ch18), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4051-4590-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4051-4590-9)

- Gussenhoven, Carlos; Aarts, Flor (1999), ["The dialect of Maastricht"](http://gep.ruhosting.nl/carlos/gussenhoven_aarts.pdf) (PDF), *Journal of the International Phonetic Association*, **29** (2), University of Nijmegen, Centre for Language Studies: 155–166, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0025100300006526](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0025100300006526), [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [145782045](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:145782045)

- Heijmans, Linda; Gussenhoven, Carlos (1998), ["The Dutch dialect of Weert"](http://gep.ruhosting.nl/carlos/weert.pdf) (PDF), *Journal of the International Phonetic Association*, **28** (1–2): 107–112, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0025100300006307](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0025100300006307), [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [145635698](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:145635698)

- [Ladefoged, Peter](/source/Peter_Ladefoged); [Maddieson, Ian](/source/Ian_Maddieson) (1996), [*The Sounds of the World's Languages*](/source/The_Sounds_of_the_World's_Languages), Oxford: Blackwell, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-631-19815-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-631-19815-6)

- [Ladefoged, Peter](/source/Peter_Ladefoged); Johnson, Keith (2010), *A Course in Phonetics* (6th ed.), Wadsworth, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-42823126-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-42823126-9)

- Sampson, Rodney (1999), *Nasal Vowel Evolution in Romance*, Oxford University Press, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-19-823848-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-823848-7)

v t e International Phonetic Alphabet (chart) IPA topics IPA International Phonetic Association History of the alphabet Extensions for disordered speech (extIPA) Voice Quality Symbols (VoQS) Journal of the IPA (JIPA) Special topics Cursive forms Case variants Obsolete and nonstandard symbols Naming conventions Sinological extensions World Orthography IPA chart for English dialects Encodings ASCII encodings SAMPA X-SAMPA Usenet ASCII-IPA TIPA Phonetic symbols in Unicode IPA number IPA Braille Consonants Pulmonic consonants Place → Labial Coronal Dorsal Laryngeal Manner ↓ Bi­labial Labio­dental Linguo­labial Dental Alveolar Post­alveolar Retro­flex (Alve­olo-)​palatal Velar Uvular Pharyn­geal/epi­glottal Glottal Nasal m̥ m ɱ̊ ɱ n̼ n̪̊ n̪ n̥ n n̠̊ n̠ ɳ̊ ɳ ɲ̊ ɲ ŋ̊ ŋ ɴ̥ ɴ Plosive p b p̪ b̪ t̼ d̼ t̪ d̪ t d ʈ ɖ c ɟ k ɡ q ɢ ʡ ʔ Sibilant affricate t̪s̪ d̪z̪ ts dz t̠ʃ d̠ʒ tʂ dʐ tɕ dʑ Non-sibilant affricate pɸ bβ p̪f b̪v t̪θ d̪ð tɹ̝̊ dɹ̝ t̠ɹ̠̊˔ d̠ɹ̠˔ cç ɟʝ kx ɡɣ qχ ɢʁ ʡʜ ʡʢ ʔh Sibilant fricative s̪ z̪ s z ʃ ʒ ʂ ʐ ɕ ʑ Non-sibilant fricative ɸ β f v θ̼ ð̼ θ ð θ̠ ð̠ ɹ̠̊˔ ɹ̠˔ ɻ̊˔ ɻ˔ ç ʝ x ɣ χ ʁ ħ ʕ h ɦ Approximant β̞ ʋ ð̞ ɹ ɹ̠ ɻ j ɰ ˷ Tap/flap ⱱ̟ ⱱ ɾ̥ ɾ ɽ̊ ɽ ɢ̆ ʡ̮ Trill ʙ̥ ʙ r̥ r r̠ ɽ̊r̥ ɽr ʀ̥ ʀ ʜ ʢ Lateral affricate tɬ dɮ tꞎ d𝼅 c𝼆 ɟʎ̝ k𝼄 ɡʟ̝ Lateral fricative ɬ̪ ɬ ɮ ꞎ 𝼅 𝼆 ʎ̝ 𝼄 ʟ̝ Lateral approximant l̪ l̥ l l̠ ɭ̊ ɭ ʎ̥ ʎ ʟ̥ ʟ ʟ̠ Lateral tap/flap ɺ̥ ɺ 𝼈̊ 𝼈 ʎ̮ ʟ̆ IPA help audio full chart template Symbols to the right in a cell are voiced, to the left are voiceless. Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible. Non-pulmonic consonants BL LD D A PA RF P V U Implosive Voiced ɓ ɗ ᶑ ʄ ɠ ʛ Voiceless ɓ̥ ɗ̥ ᶑ̊ ʄ̊ ɠ̊ ʛ̥ Ejective Stop pʼ tʼ ʈʼ cʼ kʼ qʼ Affricate p̪fʼ t̪θʼ tsʼ t̠ʃʼ tʂʼ tɕʼ kxʼ qχʼ Fricative ɸʼ fʼ θʼ sʼ ʃʼ ʂʼ ɕʼ xʼ χʼ Lateral affricate tɬʼ c𝼆ʼ k𝼄ʼ q𝼄ʼ Lateral fricative ɬʼ Click (top: velar; bottom: uvular) Tenuis kʘ qʘ kǀ qǀ kǃ qǃ k𝼊 q𝼊 kǂ qǂ Voiced ɡʘ ɢʘ ɡǀ ɢǀ ɡǃ ɢǃ ɡ𝼊 ɢ𝼊 ɡǂ ɢǂ Nasal ŋʘ ɴʘ ŋǀ ɴǀ ŋǃ ɴǃ ŋ𝼊 ɴ𝼊 ŋǂ ɴǂ ʞ Tenuis lateral kǁ qǁ Voiced lateral ɡǁ ɢǁ Nasal lateral ŋǁ ɴǁ IPA help audio full chart template Co-articulated consonants Nasal n͡m Labial–alveolar ɳ͡m Labial–retroflex ŋ͡m Labial–velar Plosive t͡p d͡b Labial–alveolar ʈ͡p ɖ͡b Labial–retroflex k͡p ɡ͡b Labial–velar q͡ʡ Uvular–epiglottal q͡p Labial–uvular Fricative/approximant ɥ̊ ɥ Labialized palatal ʍ w Labialized velar ɧ Sj-sound (variable) Lateral approximant ɫ Velarized alveolar Implosive ɠ̊͜ɓ̥ ɠ͡ɓ Labial–velar Ejective t͡pʼ Labial–alveolar IPA help full chart template Other Voiceless bidental fricative [h̪͆] Voiceless bilabially post-trilled dental stop [t̪ʙ̥] Voiceless upper-pharyngeal plosive [ʡ̟] Voiced upper-pharyngeal plosive [ʡ̟̬] Bilabial percussive [ʬ] Bidental percussive [ʭ] Sublaminal lower-alveolar percussive [¡] Vowels Front Central Back Close i y ɨ ʉ ɯ u Near-close ɪ ʏ ʊ Close-mid e ø ɘ ɵ ɤ o Mid e̞ ø̞ ə ɤ̞ o̞ Open-mid ɛ œ ɜ ɞ ʌ ɔ Near-open æ ɐ Open a ɶ ä ɑ ɒ IPA help audio full chart template Legend: unrounded • rounded

v t e Articulation Articulatory phonetics – Co-articulation – International Phonetic Alphabet Place Labial Bilabial Labiodental Dentolabial Coronal Linguolabial Interdental Dental Denti-alveolar Alveolar Postalveolar Retroflex Active place Apical Laminal Subapical Dorsal Alveolo-palatal Palatal Velar Uvular Laryngeal Pharyngeal/epiglottal Glottal Double articulation Labial–coronal Labial–alveolar Labial–retroflex Labial–palatal Labial–velar Labial–uvular Coronal–velar Uvular–epiglottal Pathological Velopharyngeal Other Bidental Manner Obstruent Plosive Pre-plosion Lateral release Nasal release Unreleased Affricate Trilled Fricative Sibilant Sonorant Nasal Prenasal Vowel Nasal Strident Approximant Semivowel Vibrant Tap/flap Trill Liquid Rhotic Lateral Occlusive Continuant Nonexplosive Airstream Egressive Pulmonic Ingressive Glottalic Ejective Implosive Click Pulmonic Ejective Nasal Glottalized Percussive Secondary articulation Labialization Roundedness Palatalization Labio-palatalization Velarization Uvularization Pharyngealization Related Nasalization Sulcalization Phonation (Voice) Glottal Voiceless Tenuis Whispery Aspirated Preaspirated Breathy Slack Modal Stiff Creaky Glottalized Supra-glottal Faucal Harsh Register Whistle Falsetto Vocal fry Transitional Vibrato Passaggio Resonance Onset time

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trill consonant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trill_consonant) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trill_consonant?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.