Examples how to pronounce T American English Pronunciation
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 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 at the 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
in a sentence. That’s it, and thanks so
much for using Rachel’s English.