Examples: How to Pronounce T
The [t] sound is not always the [t] sound in American English! Learn how and when to make the alternate pronunciations of the Flap T and the Stop T to greatly improve your accent. Go over examples to help you solidify the rules.
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Video Text:
This is a follow up video to different pronunciations for the T. If you haven’t watched that video, you should, because everything that was learned there is going to be reviewed via testing in this video. First what we’re going to do is look at a list of words and decide how the T is pronounced in the word.
First, this word. How do you pronounce that T? It is at the beginning of the word, therefore it is pronounced with the real T sound, T, time. This word. How to pronounce this T? This T comes between two vowel sounds. Therefore it is pronounced as the flap/tap T, or, in other words, the D sound. Water, water. How do you pronounce the T in this word? It comes at the end of a syllable in the consonant cluster FT. Therefore, as it is part of this cluster, it is pronounced as a real T sound. Softer, tt, tt, softer.
How do you pronounce the T in this word? In this word it is followed by a schwa [ə] and the N sound. Therefore it is pronounced as a stop. Fountain, fountain. How do you pronounce the T in this word? It ends the word. It is not part of a consonant cluster. Therefore, it is a stop. Carpet, carpet. How do you pronounce this word? It is part of a consonant cluster, therefore, it is pronounced as a real T. St, st, string, string. How do you pronounce the T’s here?They come between two vowel sounds. Therefore, it is the flap/tap T or the D sound. How do you pronounce the T here? It is beginning a stressed syllable. Therefore, it is pronounced as the real T. Tt, tt, until, until.
Let’s compare these two words. In one of the words, the double T is pronounced as the tt, real T sound. In the other word it is the flap or tap T, in other words, the D sound. Which is which? The first word: the stress falls on the second syllable, which is begun with the T sound. Therefore, it is a true T. A real, tt, T sound. Attack, attack. In the second word, it begins an unstressed syllable, and it falls between two vowel sounds. Attitude. Attitude. Therefore it is the flap/tap T or, dd, the D sound.
Let’s look at some sentences now. How do you pronounce the first T? The T at the end of the word ‘what’. Well, the T is at the end of the word, it is not part of a consonant cluster, and it does not link to a next word that begins with a vowel or diphthong. Therefore, it must be a stop. The second word, how do you pronounce that T? It begins the word. Therefore, it is the, tt, actual T sound. What time, what time. And the next T, also it’s beginning a word.Therefore, it is the actual T sound. What time tomorrow? And the answer, how do you pronounce that T? Again it is ending a word, and the word that comes after does not begin with a vowel or diphthong sound. Therefore, it’s a stop. At, at, at, at seven. At seven. What time tomorrow? At seven.
This sentence. How do you pronounce that T? It’s at the end of a word, but it does link to the next word, which begins with a vowel sound. Therefore, the sound comes between two vowel sounds. It is then going to be pronounced as the flap/tap T, or, in other words, the D sound. I’m outta, I’m outta. Now, in this particular phrase, the word ‘of’ is generally reduced to simply being the schwa sound. No consonant. I’m out of here. I’m out of here. How do you pronounce the T in this sentence? Not the TH. It begins a word, so it would be the tt, real T sound. But as I said in the different T pronunciations video, it is a reduced word, and it might be reduced to the point of actually having a voiced sound there. Dd, dd, rather than tt, tt. I’m going to the bank, I’m going to the bank, I’m going – to – the bank.
How do you pronounce the Ts in this sentence? In the first word, it begins the word, so it is the tt, actual T sound. Tell. The next T is part of the TR consonant cluster, and also, it’s beginning a word. Again, it’s the tt, real T sound. Tell me the truth.
How do you pronounce the Ts in this sentence? In the first word. It is part of a consonant cluster atthe beginning of a syllable. It is pronounced as a real T. Tt, chemistry. Chemistry. How do you pronounce the next T? It’s at the end of a word, not part of a consonant cluster, but it does connect to the next word, which begins with a vowel sound. Therefore it would be dd, dd, the flap T sound, or, the D sound. At eight, at eight. I just gave away the next word. How do you pronounce that T? Well, the next word, Anatomy, does begin with a vowel. But there’s a comma there, which means we’re not going to connect it. Therefore it is a T at the end of a word, not part of a consonant cluster, it’s a stop. At eight, at eight. Chemistry’s at eight. how do you pronounce the T in the next word? Again it is a T between two vowel sounds. Anatomy, anatomy. Therefore it is the flap T sound, or, D. Anatomy. And again, the T in the next word is pronounced as a stop. It comes at the end of the word. At, at. And finally, it begins the word. Therefore it is pronounced as the real T. Tt, ten.
How do you pronounce the T’s in this sentence. The first T. It’s followed by the schwa and N sounds. Therefore, it is a stop. An acquaintance, an acquaintance. And the next T? It begins a word. Therefore it is, tt, the actual T sound. An acquaintance told me. How do you pronounce the Ts in this sentence? The first T finishes the word, but it is part of a consonant cluster, therefore it is pronounced as the actual T. I slept, tt, tt, I slept. The next T? Again, it is part of a consonant cluster at the end of a word. It is pronounced, tt, as an actual T. I slept well last… And finally, the T here is the end of the word. Not part of a consonant cluster. It is a stop. I slept well last night.
How do you pronounce the T in this sentence? It’s an ending T, it’s part of a consonant cluster, but remember NT was the exception consonant cluster. So the T here is a stop. I was sent, I was sent, I was sent home. I was sent home.
I hope this has helped to clarify this pretty complicated situation: how to pronounce a T, depending on where it falls in a word or sentence. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
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