Approximant consonant sounds are made by bringing two articulators close together without touching, allowing sound to pass through without audible friction. Examples of approximant sounds include /w/ as in "went" and "quite", /r/ as in "road", and /j/ as in "yawn" and the beginning sounds of "fuel" and "few". Approximants differ from other consonants by not fully obstructing airflow in the vocal tract.

1. Approximants
Prepared by: Banwan Ali

2. Approximant Consonant Sounds
• Approximant consonant sounds are made by bringing
two articulators close together without them
touching as sound leaves the body.
• Approximant, in phonetics, a sound that is produced
by bringing one articulator in the vocal tract close to
another without, however, causing audible friction
• For example:
• /w/: went /wɛnt/, quite /kwaɪt/, once /wʌns/
• /r/: road /rəʊd/
• /j/: yawn /jɔːn/, fuel /fjʊəl/, few /fjuː/