Summary
Highlights
The 'b' sound is produced by first making an 'm' sound, then blocking the airflow through the nose so the air and sound pass through the mouth. It's a voiced bilabial plosive, meaning air pressure builds behind the lips and is released explosively with vocal cord vibration.
The 'b' sound is usually spelled with a single or double 'b'. However, the letter 'b' can be silent, particularly before 't' (e.g., debt) and after 'm' at the end of words (e.g., lamb).
Practice pronouncing the 'b' sound with phrases like 'Betty bought a bit of butter', 'The bar sells bottles of beer', 'Light bulbs shine brightly', 'A robber grabbed the bag', and 'Blood flows between the limbs'.
The 'b' sound can be partially devoiced when it appears at the end of a word (e.g., cab, rib). This can make it difficult to distinguish from similar unvoiced sounds, but the shorter vowel sound before unvoiced consonants helps differentiate minimal pairs. The 'b' sound can also be devoiced when followed by an unvoiced consonant (e.g., obtain, subsidy), a form of energy assimilation that usually doesn't cause confusion.