Hindko contrasts stop consonants at the labial, alveolar, retroflex, palatal and velar places of articulation. The palatals have been described as pure stops (/ /) in Awankari, but as affricates () in the varieties of Hazara. For the stop consonants of most varieties of Hindko there is a three-way contrast between voiced (), voiceless () and aspirated (). Awankari, Kohati, and the varieties of Neelum Valley of Kashmir also distinguish voiced aspirated stops (). The disappearance of the voiced aspirates from most Hindko varieties has been linked to the development of tone (see below).