The voiceless uvular stop is a consonant used in some spoken languages. The letter for it in the International Phonetic Alphabet is ⟨q⟩. This sound is not in the English language but is similar to [k], represented by the "k" in king and the "c" in cat.

Features

• The airstream mechanism is pulmonic. This means that this sound is produced by pushing air solely with the lungs and diaphragm, as in most sounds.
• The phonation is voiceless. This means that the vocal cords don’t vibrate while the sound is being pronounced.
• Its place of articulation is uvular, which means it is produced with the back of the tongue at the uvula.
• The manner of articulation (how the sound is produced) is stop, or plosive. This means that this sound is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract. (The term plosive contrasts with nasal stops, where the blocked airflow is redirected through the nose.)

Examples