One sound, many letters: the final consonant groups

You've seen that several letters can share one final sound. Here's the full picture: at the end of a syllable, Thai has only eight sounds, and every final letter belongs to one of them.

The eight final sounds

• -k: กgaw, ขkǎw, คkaw, ฆkaw, as in เลขlêek (number)
• -t: ดdaw, ตdtaw, จjaw, ชchaw, ซsaw, ทtaw, ธtaw, ถtǎw, ศsǎw, ษsǎw, สsǎw and a few rare letters, as in บาทbàat (baht) and พิเศษpí-sèet (special)
• -p: บbaw, ปbpaw, พpaw, ฟfaw, ภpaw, as in ภาพpâap (picture)
• -n: นnaw, ณnaw, ญyaw, รraw, ลlaw, ฬlaw, as in คุณkun (you) and บอลbawn (ball)
• -m: มmaw, as in สามsǎam (three)
• -ng: งngaw, as in ทางtaang (way)
• -y: ยyaw, as in ยายyaai (grandma)
• -w: วwaw, as in แมวmaew (cat)

These letters never end a syllable: หhǎw, ฮhaw, อaw, ฉchǎw, ผpǎw, ฝfǎw, ฌchaw.

Two new letters

• ณnaw (ณ เณรnaw neen, novice monk) sounds n. It mostly lives in Sanskrit words, but you'll see it every day in คุณkun (you).
• ญyaw (ญ หญิงyaw yǐng, woman) sounds y at the start of a syllable and n at the end: เชิญchoen (please, go ahead), บุญbun (merit).

Both are low class.

Live or dead?

It depends on the final sound, not the letter. พิเศษpí-sèet ends in a t sound, so its last syllable is dead; คุณkun ends in n, so it's live.

Loanwords

Thai fits English words into its own finals: ฟุตบอลfút-bawn (football), ก๊าซgáat (gas).

Typical mistake: pronouncing the letter instead of the sound. บาทbàat ends in a short, unreleased t, never in a "th".