# consonant

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/ · frequency rank #25,715

## Definitions
1. A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant sound generally being a vowel.
2. A letter representing the sound of a consonant.

## Etymology
From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).

## Easily confused with
- **constant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/consonant-vs-constant)

## Common misspellings (14)
`cconsonant`, `cnosonant`, `connsonant`, `conosnant`, `consnoant`, `consoannt`, `consonannt`, `consonantt`, `consonatn`, `consonnant`, `consonnat`, `conssonant`, `cosnonant`, `ocnsonant`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/consonant