Russian Consonants: Voiced and Voiceless Pairs

Many Russian consonants come in voiced and voiceless pairs. Knowing them explains a lot about pronunciation.

The pairs

Voiced	Voiceless
б (b)	п (p)
в (v)	ф (f)
г (g)	к (k)
д (d)	т (t)
ж (zh)	ш (sh)
з (z)	с (s)

Final devoicing

At the end of a word, a voiced consonant is pronounced as its voiceless partner, though the spelling stays the same.

• хлеб (bread) is pronounced khlyep, with a final p sound.
• друг (friend) is pronounced druk.
• глаз (eye) is pronounced glas.

Assimilation inside words

A consonant can also take on the voicing of the next one. In вторник (Tuesday), the в sounds like f.

Always hard, always soft

• ж, ш and ц are always hard.
• ч, щ and й are always soft.

This explains a spelling rule: after ж, ш, ч and щ you write и, not ы, as in хороший (good).

Other useful sounds

• х is like the ch in Scottish loch.
• р is a rolled r, tapped against the ridge behind the teeth.
• щ is a long, soft sh.

Tips

1. Say the pairs aloud to feel the difference.
2. Remember final devoicing when you hear a word.
3. Use the dictionary to check the written form of what you hear.

Look up any Russian word with English Russian Dictionary →