How to Pronounce EARTH American English Pronunciation
In this American English pronunciation video,
we’re going to go over how to pronounce
a very tricky word: Earth. What on earth?
That word is hard. We’ll also go over some
idioms with this word.
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The word ‘earth’. Five letters, three
IPA symbols, but only two sounds. In American
English, the UR vowel is always the same as
the R consonant. The R symbol always follows
this vowel, and we just make one sound. UR.
So we have the R vowel/consonant, which can
be tricky, and the TH consonant, which can
also be tricky.
Let’s go over how to pronounce this word.
To make the R vowel/consonant, the tongue
pulls back and up from the middle. So the
sides of the middle of the tongue can touch
the sides of the roof of the mouth. Urr. The
tongue tip isn’t touching anything. It looks
like this. The lips flare out some, ur. And
notice that the jaw doesn’t drop much. Many
drop the jaw too much, and that messes up
the vowel. Ar. No. Just ‘ur’. Earth. It
might help you to think of this word starting
with R and no vowel at all. RRRth, earth.
To transition into the TH, relax the lips
and bring the tongue tip forward so just the
tip comes through the teeth. Earth. The tongue
has to be really relaxed so the air doesn’t
get stuck. It should flow freely, th. Earth.
Let’s look at this word up close and in
slow motion.
The lips flare and you can see the inside
of the mouth is dark. This is because the
tongue is pulled back. You can see some of
the tongue that is hanging down. Now, for
the transition, the tongue moves forward,
and the tip comes through the teeth. Watch
again.
Earth.
Now you try it, slowly. Earth. Earth. Just
two positions. Earth.
Ok, now a few idioms with ‘earth’. We
have the phrase ‘down to earth’. This
is used to describe someone who is very real.
Not arrogant. For example, Even though LaBron
James is incredibly famous, he still seems
kind of down-to-earth. Down to earth. Do you
notice that I’m reducing ‘to’? I’m
making it more like a light D sound and a
schwa. Down to, down to. You try it. Down
to. Down to earth.
The phrase ‘salt of the earth’. This is
used to describe someone who is just good.
Kind to others. Maybe has a simple lifestyle.
For example, Mother Theresa was focused on
helping others. She was very salt-of-the-earth.
The phrase “to move heaven and earth”
means you would do anything to get the result
you want. I would move heaven and earth to
get you that job. I would move heaven and
earth to get tickets to that opera. It’s
my dream to see that opera!
And finally: earth to Rachel! You can say
this to someone when they have spaced out,
when they’re not paying any attention.
Earth to Rachel!
Yes, thank you. Back to the video.
I hope this video has made this tricky word
a little easier. Remember, it’s just two
sounds. Practice the word many times and you’ll
get it! Let’s watch a few more times. Speak
out loud with the video.
Earth. [3x]
What words or phrases are difficult for you?
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have already made your video.
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