How to pronounce the word the

How Do You Pronounce ‘The’?

There are two ways to pronounce that essential and rightfully-ubiquitous word, the. Despite their good intentions, those who say that it must always be rhymed with me and tree are flat-out wrong. And those who say that its pronunciation has something to do with verbs and nouns are likewise misinformed.

Pictured: the (rhyming with ‘me’) ice cream cone you deserve for reading good content.

Here are the facts: the standard way the word is pronounced has to do with what follows it. If the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound, then it’s pronounced \t͟hə\—that is, with the same vowel sound as the word of—and it is unstressed:

the one (note that although «o» is a vowel, the word one begins with the sound usually made by «w,» a consonant)

If the word that follows it begins with a vowel sound, the is usually pronounced \t͟hē\ (to rhyme with me), but is also sometimes pronounced \t͟hə\, as above. Again, it is unstressed:

Occasionally the is stressed, for instance to provide emphasis, or before a long pause. In those cases it’s pronounced \t͟hē\:

the queen of hip-hop

If you’re a native speaker of English, this information only confirms what you’ve been hearing and likely doing all your life. And as linguist Mark Liberman points out at Language Log (a group blog about all things linguistic), what we hear today is what our grandparents heard all their lives, and their grandparents before them, in both American and British English. And they had to hear it while walking uphill, both ways, in the snow.

Learn English: The 2 ways to pronounce “THE”

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103 COMMENTS

Thank you so much madam. I always enjoy your lessons.

Now I just know that

I got 9 correct out of 10

Hi, Linh. Let’s study English together )

Nice Lesson. 6 out of ten before I watch it and 10 out of 10 after I watch it! Good Job!

Another interesting aspect to take into account at the time of speaking.
Thanks a lot Gill.

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I have also same feelings for her ❤

I have got 10 out of 10

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I got 9/10.best wishes.

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I got 8 correct out of 10
🙂

will it be a big mistake if I always prounce “The” like after consonant?

I got 10 out of 10, thank you Gill.

I like so much all of your lessons… =) thanks so much.

its really helpful

I got 10 out of 10! Thank you Gill.

thank you very much Grill.

Thank’s for your lesson 🙂

Very good morning to you Gill! You lesson is very easy to understand and very nice. I love it! However, a question popped up in my mind about the correct pronunciation of the word “vegetable”. It seems you are saying the word fully at the minute 9.40 of the video, but many new folks on Youtube are saying “vegetable” should be pronounced skipping “ge” to say “vegtable”. So, what do you think is the right way to say “vegetable”? Thank you so much! Vinc.

Hi there — thank you for your kind words about the lesson 🙂 Both pronunciations of ‘vegetable’ are correct — one with 4 syllables and one with 3. Another example is ‘chocolate’ which can be 3 syllables or 2 (choc-o-lut, choc-lut). I hope this helps to clarify 🙂

How to Pronounce “The”

Learn when to say «thuh» and when to say «thee.»

Did you know there are two ways to pronounce the word the, and the rule that governs which pronunciation you choose is kind of like how you choose between a and an?

I didn’t know this until I started the Grammar Girl podcast and people wrote in to complain that I was doing it wrong. Then I checked the Merriam-Webster dictionary (because you’d be amazed how many times people tell me I’m doing something wrong without checking first that know what they’re talking about), and lo and behold, they were right! There are pronunciation guidelines that I never learned.

At one of my book signings, I talked about this with the attendees, and a lot of them said they were taught this rule in choir classes. I never took choir, so maybe that’s why I didn’t know.

How to Pronounce ‘The’

Pronounce it “thee” if the next word starts with a vowel sound.

Pronounce it “thuh” if the next word starts with a consonant sound.

Just like with a versus an, it’s not the first letter of the next word that matters, it’s the first sound. Here are some examples:

When the next word starts with a consonant sound

Did Aardvark bring “thuh” cheese platter?

Where is “thuh” universal remote? (Note that universal starts with a consonant sound: Y.)

When the next word starts with a vowel sound

I prefer “thee” effervescent water.

Did Squiggly get “thee” MRI? (Note that MRI starts with a vowel sound: E.)

People Also Use ‘Thee’ for Emphasis

The big exception to these rules is that people also use the “thee” pronunciation when they want extra emphasis or to indicate that something is important. For example, if you really want to make a point, you might say that someone is “thee” big kahuna or that the summer gala is “thee” social event of the year.

I Still Get It Wrong Sometimes

I also notice when I go back and listen to the podcast that I still sometimes get these wrong, so I apologize in advance. I try to remember, but since I spent decades of my life not making a distinction between the two pronunciations, I still get it wrong sometimes.

Get more tips like this in The Grammar Devotional:

Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller «Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.» She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better.

How to pronounce an English /t/ sound smoothly at the end of a word?

I’ve heard people pronounce the /t/ at the end of a word smoothly and naturally, as in ‘light’, ‘night’. But when i say that /t/ at the end, I feel like i’m making a another syllable /tə/. Any ideas?

3 Answers 3

But when i say that /t/ at the end, I feel like i’m making a another syllable /tə/

You would say it like that if you want to emphasize the word. LIGHT-uh.

Try saying /tə/ but not using any voice in the ‘ə’ to approximate the sound.

An English /t/ at the end of a word is usually pronounced without any audible release if there is no following vowel.

There are three stages in the production of a plosive sound /p, t, k, b, d/ or /g/:

First, there is the approach phase. This is when the lips or the tongue start to move to block off the air from the lungs to prevent it from leaving through the mouth.

Second there is a hold phase. This is when we have blocked off the air and the air pressure builds up behind the blockage as it is pushed upwards from the lungs.

Thirdly there is the release phase. In a typical plosive, as the air behind the blockage is suddenly released, we get audible plosion (think of the word explosion) as the air suddenly shoots out of the mouth.

I’m Korean actually. You might be disappointed that I’m not a certified English pronunciation trainer either. But here I’ll list out steps that have worked well out for me, so please if this works for you then be sure to vote it up.

The zeroeth step is to «forget the t you know.» English pronunciation should be established separately, along with your native language pronunciation. So even when this doesn’t come off as comfortable at first, please try memorizing each sound as steps to making it, or you’ll get totally confused later because so many sounds sound so similar. (I gave up my «established» pronunciation because I kept failing at distinguishing «p»s and «f»s and «f»s and «th»s.) If you know how to make each of the sound, your brain will be able to handle it in a variety of ways (not only relying on your «ear», but also other parts of your brain participated in making such sound as well), yielding you clearer response. I don’t know technical details yet.

How to pronounce the word the

Welcome to #GOALS English.

I teach English as a foreign language and American accent coaching.

May 5 World, Word, Were: American English Pronunciation

Have you ever heard this quote?

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” —Bruce Lee

I wrote about it my bog and I’m repeating it again here because this quote shows why I focus on one word or sound at a time in many of my lessons. If you master the word “world” or any of the other words I have been teaching in this free video lesson series, “How do you pronounce…” it will help you pronounce many other similar words and sounds too.

Focusing on one small thing until you master it, is extremely beneficial to your language learning. If you master just one word in 12 minutes, that will stay in your memory (especially your muscle memory for English pronunciation) longer than if you try to learn a million different words with that same amount of time.

In this free English lesson you will learn:

How to pronounce “world” in the general American English dialect

The IPA symbols for each sound found in the word “world” /ˈwɚld/

Practice sentences spoken at a native speaking speed for “world”

Compare similar words:

whirl /ˈwɚl/

word /ˈwɚd/

were /ˈwɚl/

Two practice paragraphs using the word “world” several times with detailed breakdowns of:

linking like a native English speaker

letters that sound different than they are spelled

Enjoy this free video lesson and please remember to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to see lessons like this first!

Transcript of “How to Pronounce World”

(00:00):
Hi, it’s Monica with #GOALS English. And this is: «How Do You Pronounce World?» «World.» So this has a similar ending— If you watch my video with «girl»— but now you have «world.»

«World», just like «girl,» it’s a ‘er’ /ɚ/ + ‘l’ but then we add a ‘d’ at the end. So even though it’s spelled ‘o- r’ the sound is still the same as ‘er,’ ‘ir,’ or ‘ur.’ Just like «bird,» «teacher,» «girl» that ‘er’ /ɚ/ sound. So that’s the most important in this one. ‘er’ /ɚ/ like you’re biting down on something ‘er.’ Right? Not, *strange sound*, or if you pull your tongue too far, you go, *weird sound.* Right? You have your tongue down and then it pops up and it maybe pulls back a little bit, but not too far. If you pull too far, you go, *weird sound*, right?

(00:57):
You want ‘er’ /ɚ/

(00:59):
So, your tongue is down, it goes:

(01:01): ‘er’ /ɚ/ And so it’s kind of floating in the mouth ‘er’, and the jaw is pretty closed. ‘er’ /ɚ/

(01:09):
Let’s try that with a ‘w’ /w/ /ɚ/

(01:14):
Regular ‘w,’ mouth rounded. /w/ /w/ /ɚ/

That’s a little round, but not as round as a ‘w.’ Right? ‘were’ /wɚ/ It’s a little flatter. ‘were’ And we have our ‘darl l’ /l/ /l/ So that dips down here, /ə/, and back up to the ‘l’ /əl/ Different than a beginning ‘l’: «light,» «love.» Doesn’t have that *dark l sound* Right? No. Love is a ‘light’ or ‘clear l.’ ‘Dark ‘l’ is at the end of a syllable. /əl/ and then add the ‘d’ /d/ «world» «world» «world»

If you don’t get it the first time, that’s totally fine. Just start listening for it. Right? «world» «world» Later in the video, we’ll compare it to some similar sounding words. First, let’s do some sentences. «It’s a great big world.» «It’s a great big world.» «world» /wɚld/. It almost sounds like one sound by the time you’re saying it that fast. «It’s a great big world.» Strange sound. This and girl. «girl» «world» ‘irl’ ‘irl’

«This is the world we live in.» «This is the world we live in.» You can drag it out for emphasis: «This is the world we live in.» «This is the world we live in.» Or you can snap right through it: «This is the world in the world we live in.» A lot of Americans are mumblers, right? [speaking overly clearly] «We don’t always talk so clearly like American English teachers.» «This is the world we live in.» «live-in» «live-in» «world- we» «world we live in.» «This is the world we live in.» «Where in the world are you?» «Where in the world are you?» «Hello? Hello. Where in the world are you? Where? What? This is the world we live in. Am I right?» «She studied the world Wars world Wars.» «Wars» is another tough one. «Wars» ‘or’ it’s more of a ‘or’ /oɚ/ sound, not ‘ar’ /ɑɚ/ ‘w-ar.’ Not like «car»—> /ˈwoɚ/ or just like I «wore» some clothes. «World War.» I «wore» some clothes. «She studied the World Wars.» «What in the world is going on here? «

«What in the world is going on here?» If you go too forward in the mouth, you’ll sound more British: [British RP accent] «What in the world is going on here?» Right? Middle of the mouth: «What in the world? What in the—» ‘whaaaa’ ‘uhhh’ «What in the world is going on here?» So let’s compare it to some other words. I am being silly. «whirl» So, even though «world» has an ‘o-r’ spelling and «whirl» has an ‘i-r’ spelling, it’s the same /ɚ/ sound, just like ‘e-r’ «teacher» «world» «were» «world» «whirl» The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) gave us something a little different. It emphasized the vowel sound before the ‘l’ a little more with those IPA symbols. So if you’re looking at that and you’re like, «wait, why?» It’s making it almost more like two syllables. «whir-ul» «whirl» «Give it a whirl.» «whirl» So it’s a little more dragged out than «world» «world» where it just kind of is all smushed in one sound «world» versus «whirl.»

If we drag it out: «world» versus ‘whir-ul’ «whirl» So it has more of a dip. «Give it a whirl.» «Whirl around the world» «word» So same idea. ‘o-r’ still has that ‘er’ sound. We’re adding just the ‘d’ skipping the ‘l’ «word» «word» «What’s the word?» It’s like, «What’s up?» «What’s happening?» Right. «Are we going to the movies? What’s the word?»

Oh! «What’s THIS word?» Misread my own line. «What’s this word?» That makes more sense? But Hey, you just learned some slang. So I kind of almost reversed it. So we have «world» with ‘r-l-d’, ‘erld’, and then we have «word» no ‘l,’ and then we have, «were» no ‘l’ or ‘d.’ «were» Just that ‘er’ sound. «Where were you?» «Where were you?» So again, let’s go down the list: «world, whirl, word, were.»

So these are all really similar. I’m going to do it one more time, slower: «world, whirl word, were.» So you noticed that even though those last two have that ‘er.’ It’s a little clearer sounding because we’re not going into that /ɚrl/ sound with the ‘l’, right? «World» versus «word.» Okay, so let’s do a practice paragraph using the word «world.» I’ll read it through once:

«There’s a phrase that says: ‘It’s a great big world out there. That’s the truth. The world is huge and inspires artists and musicians to think of things greater than themselves. Just look at how many songs have the word world in the title. Wild World, Top of the World, We are the World, A Whole New World, Change the World, Run the World (Girls). The list could go on and on. Do you have a favorite song about the world?»

«The list could go on and on— on and— on and on. Do you have a favorite?»— So it’s not ‘fave-or-rit’, it’s ‘fave-rit’— «song about the world?» «Do you have— Do you have a favorite song about the world?» That last paragraph, one more time: «Just look at how many songs have the word «world» in the title: Wild World, Top of the World, We are the World. A Whole New World, Change the World, Run the World (Girls). The list could go on and on. Do you have a favorite song about the world?

All right, let’s do this one more time. All the way through. Follow me and mimic me exactly as I go, even my stress and intonation. «There’s a phrase that says: ‘It’s a great big world out there.’ That’s the truth. The world is huge and inspires artists and musicians to think of things greater than themselves. Just look at how many songs have the word «world» in the title: Wild World. Top of the World. We are the World, A Whole New World, Change the World, Run the World (Girls). The list could go on and on. Do you have a favorite song about the world?» All right. That’s it for now. Make sure to subscribe and leave any comments or questions, any other words you want me to do videos on, I will do that for you. Until next time. Keep practicing, friends!