Obstruent refers to a consonant that obstructs or interrupts the airflow during speech. A few of the synonyms for this term are the following, Plosive, Stop, and Mute. Plosive describes the sound made by the obstruction of airflow followed by a sudden release, such as the sounds of p, b and t. Stop is used to refer to the abrupt manner in which these consonants stop the airflow. Mute is a term often used in French, where it describes the sound made by the obstruction of airflow without the following release. Additional synonyms include Occlusive, Fricative, and Affricate, which are all consonant types that obstruct airflow in different ways.