Editing Consonant cluster (section)

== Frequency==
Not all consonant clusters are distributed equally among the languages of the world. Consonant clusters have a tendency to fall under patterns such as the [[Sonority Sequencing Principle|sonority sequencing principle]] (SSP); the closer a consonant in a cluster is to the syllable's vowel, the more [[Sonority hierarchy|sonorous]] the consonant is. Among the most common types of clusters are initial stop-[[liquid consonant|liquid]] sequences, such as in [[Thai language|Thai]] (e.g. {{IPA|/pʰl/}}, {{IPA|/tr/}}, and {{IPA|/kl/}}). Other common ones include initial stop-approximant (e.g. Thai {{IPA|/kw/}}) and initial fricative-liquid (e.g. English {{IPA|/sl/}}) sequences. More rare are sequences which defy the SSP such as [[Proto-Indo-European phonology|Proto-Indo-European]] {{IPA|/st/}} and {{IPA|/spl/}} (which many of its descendants have, including English). Certain consonants are more or less likely to appear in consonant clusters, especially in certain positions. The [[Tsou language]] of Taiwan has initial clusters such as {{IPA|/tf/}}, which doesn't violate the SSP, but nonetheless is unusual in having the labio-dental {{IPA|/f/}} in the second position. The cluster {{IPA|/mx/}} is also rare, but occurs in [[Russian language|Russian]] words such as {{lang|ru|мха}} ({{IPA|/mxa/}}).

Consonant clusters at the ends of syllables are less common but follow the same principles. Clusters are more likely to begin with a liquid, approximant, or nasal and end with a fricative, affricate, or stop, such as in English "world" {{IPA|/wə(ɹ)ld/}}. Yet again, there are exceptions, such as English "lapse" {{IPA|/læps/}}.