Which IPA symbol represents the voiceless velar plosive?

• A. /p/
• B. /k/
• C. /g/
• D. /h/

Answer: (B)

A voiceless velar plosive is made with the tongue dorsum contacting the velum (the soft area near the back of the roof of the mouth) to momentarily block the airflow, then released suddenly to create a burst, all without vibration of the vocal folds. The IPA symbol that encodes that exact combination is /k/. You can hear it in English words like cat or kick, where the sound is a clean, brief stop at the back of the mouth.

Other options don’t fit because they differ in place, manner, or voicing. A voiceless bilabial stop, /p/, is produced with both lips, not the velar place. A voiced velar stop, /g/, shares place and manner with /k/ but adds voicing, so the vocal folds vibrate during the articulation. A voiceless glottal fricative, /h/, involves a very different production—no complete closure (it’s a fricative) and it’s produced at the glottis, not the velum.