Pronunciation: [plˈə͡ʊsɪv] (IPA) 
Plosives are a class of speech sounds made by closing and then abruptly opening the vocal tract. The word "plosive" is spelled with the letter "p" and is pronounced /ˈpləʊsɪv/ according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The symbol /p/ represents the sound made when the vocal tract is closed by the lips and then opened abruptly, creating a little explosion of air. Plosives include sounds like "p", "b", "t", and "d".
Plosive is an adjective that describes a specific type of consonant sound produced by momentarily blocking the airflow in the vocal tract and then releasing it forcefully. Also known as an occlusive, this type of sound is characterized by a sudden burst of air resulting from the complete closure and subsequent release of the articulatory organs involved in its production.
In phonetics and linguistics, plosives are often categorized based on the place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing. They are typically formed by completely closing the vocal tract, either by the lips (bilabial plosive), the tongue and alveolar ridge (alveolar plosive), or the back of the oral cavity (velar plosive), among other possibilities. The release of air after this closure creates distinct sounds such as /p/, /t/, and /k/, respectively. Plosives can also be voiced or voiceless depending on whether the vocal cords are vibrating during their production, which results in further contrasts, such as /b/ and /p/.
Due to their explosive nature, plosives produce a noticeable sound onset and are often found at the beginning of syllables and words in various languages. They play a crucial role in the phonological systems of many languages and contribute to differences in speech patterns and accents. Understanding plosives is essential for language learners, phoneticians, and those studying the intricacies of speech production and sound patterns in human communication.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "plosive" comes from the Latin word "plosivus", which means "striking" or "bursting". It is derived from the Latin verb "plaudere", meaning "to clap" or "to strike". The term was adopted into English in the early 20th century to describe a specific type of consonant sound produced by a sudden release of air after a complete stoppage in the vocal tract.
