The Various " t " Sounds of American English

The Various "t" Sounds of American English

The t can be pronounced in several different ways, depending on its position in a word and dependeng on the other sounds that surround it. Sometimes t sounds more like a d (as in water and atom) and sometimes it is not pronounced at all (as in often and interview). Other times it's barely pronounced as in but and cat. Also, it can change to a different sound when it is followed by an r sound, as in try or truth.

The Held t

The letter t is generally held at the end of words and before consonants within words. This "held t" is very common in American English. Using it will help you to sound more like a native speaker since non-native speakers almost tend to release the t when speaking English.

You will sometimes hear Americans release the final t. If they do, it's usually at the end of a phrase or a sentence, or for special emphasis of a word. For example: "That's great!", "It's so hot!". There is no absolute rule about always holding the t, but keep in mind that if you release the t at the end of every word, it will sound like a foreign accent.

	not t		t			not t		t
1.	can		can't		4.	men		meant
2.	fall		fault		5.	fell		felt
3.	star		start		6.	car		cart

Did you say can or can't?

The silent t is one of the reasons why you may have a hard time hearing the difference between the words "can" and "can't". You hear a held t for can't.

Held t + Consonant

A. Always hold the final t when the next word begins with a consonant.

1. it was		3. can't go		5. didn't like		7. eight weeks
2. might do		4. at work		6. won't need		8. budget cut

B. Always hold the t when the next letter within the same word is a consonant.

1. football		3. lately		5. atmosphere		7. Atlanta
2. outside		4. nightmare		6. atlas		8. butler

Held t before /n/ Sound

When t is followed by an /n/ sound within a word, make sure you hold the t. For example, when pronouncing button, hold the t as in but, and then add an /n/ without releasing the tongue from the gum ridge: "but + n".

1. certain		3. mountain		5. cotton		7. eaten		9. forgotten
2. gotten		4. lighten		6. Britain		8. written		10. frighten

Silent t after n

The t after an n often silent in American pronunciation. Instead of saying internet Americans will frequently say "innernet". This is fairly standard speech and is not considered overly casual or sloppy speech.

1. interview		5. dentist		9. international		13. Santa Monica
2. twenty		6. intellectual		10. center		14. Atlanta
3. disappointing		7. quantity		11. cantaloupe		15. Orange County
4. accountable		8. advantages		12. plenty		16. Sacramento

When t is Between Two Vowels

When a t is between two vowels, it is generally pronounced like a "fast /d/" sound. It also sounds the same as the "rolling r sound of many languages. This sound is also sometimes called a "tapped t".

A t becomes a "fast /d/" in the following cases:

A. Between two vowels:

We don't say:		We say:
better		bedder

B. Before an "l":

We don't say:		We say:
little		liddle

C. After an "r" and a vowel:

We don't say:		We say:
party		pardy
forty		fordy

At t does not change to a "fast /d/" sound if it's within a stressed syllable. We don't say: "adack", we say "attack".

1. city		3. better		4. total		5. meeting
2. duty		4. ability		6. matter		8. quality

When t is Between Two Words

This "fast /d/" sound also occurs between two separate words when the first word ends with a vowel + t and the next word begins with a vowel. Again, this is not sloopy or casual speech; it is a standard American accent.

1. it_is		3. try it_on		4. at_eleven		5. what_if
2. get_up		4. eat_out		6. wait_a minute		8. put_it off

The "Fast /d/" Sound

In addition to the standard /d/ sound as in words like dog, day, and bed, there is another kind of /d/ sound that occurs between two vowels and also before an l. It sounds exactly like the t between two words and is often called "fast /d/".

The following words pairs sound the same even though the first word is spelled with a t and the second word is spelled with a d. Since the d and t are both positioned between two vowels, they sound identical.

1.

medal

2.

Adam

3.

hit it

4.

leader

5.

feudal

metal

atom

hid it

liter

futile