In this sense, alveolar names a consonant you make by putting the tip (or blade) of your tongue on the alveolar ridge — the little bumpy shelf of gum just behind your upper front teeth. In English, /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, and /l/ are alveolar in ordinary speech; /r/ can be alveolar too, depending on the accent.

In this sense在這個意思裡， alveolar names a consonantalveolar指的是一個子音 you make by putting the tip (or blade) of your tongue on the alveolar ridge把舌尖（或舌葉）放在齒齦上發出的 — the little bumpy shelf of gum just behind your upper front teeth也就是上排門牙後面那塊凸起的牙齦。In English在英文裡， /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, and /l/ are alveolar in ordinary speech一般說話時/t/、/d/、/n/、/s/、/z/和/l/都是齒齦音； /r/ can be alveolar too依口音不同/r/有時候也算是齒齦音。

It is a phonetics-classroom word, not a word you need at the shops. Teachers use it to split look-alike sounds: /t/ is alveolar, but the th-sounds /θ/ and /ð/ are dental — tongue on the teeth, not on that ridge.

It is a phonetics-classroom word這是語音學課堂上用的字， not a word you need at the shops不是去買東西時會用到的字。Teachers use it to split look-alike sounds老師會用它來區分看起來很像的音： /t/ is alveolar/t/是齒齦音， but the th-sounds /θ/ and /ð/ are dental但th的音/θ/和/ð/是齒音 — tongue on the teeth, not on that ridge舌頭放在牙齒上，不是放在那個齒齦上。

The same spelling also belongs to anatomy (the tiny air sacs of the lung are alveoli, and teeth sit in sockets called alveoli); that is the same family of “little hollows”, but this entry is the speech-sound use.

The same spelling also belongs to anatomy同樣的拼法也用在解剖學上 (the tiny air sacs of the lung are alveoli(肺部的小氣囊叫alveoli， and teeth sit in sockets called alveoli)牙齒所在的齒槽也叫alveoli)； that is the same family of "little hollows"這些都屬於「小凹洞」這個字族， but this entry is the speech-sound use但這個詞條講的是語音的用法。