What describes a sound produced with an aspiration?

The correct choice emphasizes that a sound produced with aspiration involves a puff of air that accompanies the articulation of certain consonants, particularly voiceless stops. In languages like English, aspiration can be heard in the initial sounds of words, such as the 'p' in "pat." This puff of air makes aspiration distinct, as it contrasts with unaspirated sounds, which do not involve the additional burst of breath. This characteristic is crucial in phonetics and helps in differentiating sounds in both production and perception.

While other options may mention characteristics of sounds, they do not accurately describe aspiration. For instance, aspirated sounds do not inherently have a rough sound quality; rather, the aspirated quality is specifically about the breathy release that follows the articulation of the consonant. Additionally, aspiration can occur at the beginning of words, and the aspiration itself is related to voiceless sounds, which can occur with either voiced or voiceless consonants but does not dictate that all aspirated sounds are voiced. Thus, the focus on the accompanying puff of air defines aspiration accurately, making it the correct answer.