When a syllable does not have a final consonant, it is called open—the pronunciation of the vowel ends the pronunciation of the syllable. If there is a final consonant, the syllable is called closed. In this article we will be discussing closed syllables and the characteristics of their final consonants. There are only six consonant ending sounds used in Thai (eight if you count diphthong endings -ย /-y/ and ว /-w/). It's important to recognize the endings of closed syllables as either live or dead; this information is used in the tone rules to determine the lexical tone of the syllable.