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Consonant

T Sound

The voiceless alveolar stop sound heard at the beginning of "time" or end of "cat". In American English, this sound has several variants depending on word position and surrounding sounds.

Phonetic
t
Voicing
Voiceless
Place of Articulation
Alveolar
Manner of Articulation
Plosive/Stop
Mouth Position

The tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge (the ridge behind the upper front teeth). Air is briefly blocked, then released with a burst of air. Vocal cords do not vibrate.

How to Make This Sound

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Example Words

timeMain Example
taɪm
cat
kæt
take
teɪk
water
ˈwɔtər / ˈwɑɾər
city
ˈsɪti / ˈsɪɾi
better
ˈbɛtər / ˈbɛɾər
hot
hɑt
table
ˈteɪbəl
light
laɪt
stop
stɑp

Pronunciation Practice

11 words

Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation

Quick Practice

3-5 essential words

Full Practice

All 11 words

Minimal Pairs

Listen and compare similar sounds

t
time
taɪm
Compare with
T
dime
daɪm
t
to
tu
Compare with
T
do
du
t
bat
bæt
Compare with
B
bad
bæd
t
tie
taɪ
Compare with
T
die
daɪ

Tongue Twister

Practice: Consonant
Tim took two toy trucks to town today.|Two toads totally tired tried to trot to Tetbury.|Ten tiny trucks tow ten tiny trailers.|Truly rural.|The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation