 One consonant, sometimes written "l" or "th," is a velarized lateral approximant with interdental release, , found for example in "ní btháska" "flat water" (Platte River), the source of the name Nebraska.It varies freely from to a light , and derives historically from Siouan *r.

Initial consonant clusters include approximates, as in and .Consonants are written as in the IPA in school programs, apart from the alveopalatals "j, ch, chʰ, zh, sh, shʼ", the glottal stop "’", the voiced velar fricative "gh", and the dental approximant "th".