A voiceless alveolar affricate is a type of affricate consonant pronounced with the tip or blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge (gum line) just behind the teeth. This refers to a class of sounds, not a single sound.

Ram Raja Temple, Orchha, from the top of the old temple

A voiceless alveolar affricate is a type of affricate consonant pronounced with the tip or blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge (gum line) just behind the teeth. This refers to a class of sounds, not a single sound. There are several types with significant perceptual differences:The voiceless alveolar sibilant [ts] is the most common type and has an abrupt hissing sound, as the ts in English cats.The voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant [t��s��], also called apico-alveolar or grave, has a weak hushing sound reminiscent of retroflex affricates. It is found e.g. in Basque, where it contrasts with a more conventional non-retracted laminal alveolar affricate.The voiceless alveolar non-sibilant affricate [t������] or [t������], using the alveolar diacritic from the Extended IPA, is somewhat similar to the th in English eighth. It is found as a regional realization of the sequence /tr/ in some Sicilian dialects of Standard Italian.The voiceless alveolar lateral affricate [t����] is found in certain languages, such as Cherokee, Icelandic and Nahuatl.