Fricatives are a type of consonant sound produced by forcing air through a narrow channel in the vocal tract, creating turbulence. Common examples of fricatives include the sounds represented by the letters f, v, s, z, ʃ (as in "sh"), and ʒ (as in "measure"). These sounds can be voiced, where the vocal cords vibrate, or voiceless, where they do not. In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), fricatives are categorized based on their place of articulation, such as labiodental, dental, alveolar, and glottal. Understanding fricatives is essential for studying phonetics and linguistics, as they play a significant role in the pronunciation of many languages.