Ten normal adult speakers produced the alveolar consonants /t, d, n, s, z/ in VCV bisyllables embedded in a carrier sentence. The stimulus consonants were produced in the symmetrical contexts /j/ and /a/ under voiced and whispered speaking conditions. Spectrographic analysis of steady‐state portions of vowels and closure and constriction durations for consonants revealed significant durational differences associated with speaking conditions for /t, d, s, z, i, a/. Durational effects for /n/ were nonsignificant. Implications with regard to the Schwartz hypothesis [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 51, 2025–2029 (1972)] that individuals prolong air‐arresting articulatory gestures in whispered speech are discussed.