A voiced nasal is a type of consonant sound produced when air flows through the nose while the vocal cords vibrate. In English, the most common voiced nasals are the sounds represented by the letters m, n, and ng. These sounds are created by closing the mouth and allowing the airflow to escape through the nasal cavity. Voiced nasals play an important role in speech and language, as they help distinguish words and contribute to their meaning. For example, the difference between the words man and pan relies on the presence of the voiced nasal sound m versus the voiceless sound p.