Voicing Assimilation

Level 3

When voiced and voiceless obstruents meet, the first matches the second: dirbti sounds like dirpti, atgal like adgal. Before a pause at the end of a word, daug sounds like dauk. These pronunciation changes do not change the spelling.

How It Works

Consonant pairs

Seven pairs differ only in voice, that is, whether your throat buzzes: p–b, t–d, k–g, s–z, š–ž, c–dz, č–dž. See The Letters Č, Š and Ž and The Digraphs Dz, Dž and Ch.

The last consonant decides

  • Before p, t, k, s, š, a voiced consonant sounds voiceless: dirbti [dirpti], vežti [vešti], bėgti [bėkti].
  • Before b, d, g, z, ž, a voiceless consonant sounds voiced: atgal [adgal], išgirsti [ižgirsti], kasdien [kazdien].
  • One word can have both: išbėgti [ižbėkti].

The letters l, m, n, r, v, j neither cause nor undergo this change: atvažiuoti keeps a clear t, and svarbu keeps s.

The end of a word

At the end of a word before a pause, b, d, g, z, ž sound voiceless: daug [dauk], kad [kat], už [uš].

Why the spelling stays

For the assimilation patterns shown here, spelling preserves the root or prefix so you can recognize it. To choose the letter, find a related form where a vowel follows the consonant:

  • dirba, dirbo → dirbti, dirbsiu
  • veža → vežti
  • daugiau, daugelis → daug
  • The prefixes in these examples keep their spelling: iš- in išeiti and išgirsti, at- in ateiti and atbėgti [adbėkti].

See The Infinitive in -ti, The Prefix Iš- and The Prefix At-.

Examples (6)

  1. dirbti

    to work

    Said [dirpti]: b turns voiceless before t. Compare dirba (works), where b is clear.

  2. Darbo yra daug.

    There is a lot of work.

    Word by Word: Of-work is much.

    Before the pause at the end of this sentence, the g of daug is pronounced [k].

  3. Grįšiu atgal po valandos.

    I will come back in an hour.

    Word by Word: Will-return back after hour.

    atgal is said [adgal]: t turns voiced before g.

  4. Nieko neišgirdau.

    I did not hear anything.

    Word by Word: Nothing not-heard.

    The prefix iš- sounds like [iž] before g, but it is still written iš-.

  5. Kasdien vežu vaikus į mokyklą.

    Every day I drive the kids to school.

    Word by Word: Every-day (I) carry children to school.

    kasdien is said [kazdien]. In vežu, ž stays voiced because a vowel follows; in vežti it would sound like [š].

  6. Vaikai išbėgo į kiemą.

    The children ran out into the yard.

    Word by Word: Children out-ran into yard.

    išbėgo is said [ižbėgo]. Here g stays voiced, because a vowel follows it.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling a verb the way it sounds.

    Šiandien dirpsiu namie.
    Šiandien dirbsiu namie.

    The root is dirb-, as you can hear in dirba. The b only sounds like p before s.

  • Writing k at the end of daug.

    Turiu dauk darbo.
    Turiu daug darbo.

    The g of daug is clear in daugiau (more), so it is always written g.

  • Changing a prefix to match its sound.

    Nieko neižgirdau.
    Nieko neišgirdau.

    The prefix iš- is always written iš-, even when it sounds like [iž].

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Voicing AssimilationLevel 3

Learn This First

Neighboring consonants can change their spoken voicing without changing their spelling.