Modifier Letter Small P

Modifier Letter Small P at U+1D56 is a superscript-style phonetic modifier letter used to mark a following or secondary p-like articulation rather than to spell an ordinary word. It belongs to the Phonetic Extensions block, which contains small letterforms and signs for detailed linguistic notation. Its most common use is in phonetic transcription for labialization or release-related detail involving a voiceless bilabial stop. In narrow descriptions of speech, a small raised p can be placed after another consonant to show that a brief p-like closure or offglide accompanies the main sound, as in transcriptions that distinguish subtle consonant releases. It also appears in linguistic databases, grammars, and fieldwork materials that need plain-text modifier letters instead of typographic superscripting. This matters when transcriptions must remain searchable and stable across corpora, dictionaries, interlinear glossed texts, or pronunciation records. Because it resembles a superscript lowercase p, it can be mistaken for styled text or an exponent in copied material. In specialist phonetics, however, it is a distinct character with modifier-letter behavior, not just a regular p raised by formatting.