The term used to describe sounds produced with no vocal fold vibration is:

• A. Voiceless sounds
• B. Voiced sounds
• C. Glottal stops
• D. Fricatives

Answer: (A)

Voicing is about whether the vocal cords vibrate when we make a sound. When the cords do not vibrate, the sound is voiceless; you can feel the difference by placing a hand on your throat and saying “s” or “f”—there’s little to no sensation of vibration. If the cords do vibrate, the sound is voiced, as in the consonants in “zoo” or “bat.” This distinction helps explain why some consonants like p, t, and k are called voiceless, while their partners b, d, and g are voiced. Glottal stops refer to a specific vocal-tract gesture at the glottis, not a general category of voicing, and fricatives describe how air is forced through a narrow passage (they can be either voiceless or voiced). So the term for sounds produced with no vocal fold vibration is voiceless sounds.