The difference between vowels and consonants is that you don't need any efforts to produce the sound of the vowels , as they are original sounds. As against, consonants require some efforts to produce them; they are not original sounds. Explore the key differences between vowels and consonants in the English alphabet, including their unique speech sounds. Learn the basics in our guide. What are vowels and consonants ? Since time immemorial, an aspect that relates to vowels and consonants has been acknowledged. There exist dual complementary classes of sounds of speech. These are, broadly, consonants and vowels .