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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
tVoicing
VoicelessPlace of Articulation
AlveolarManner of Articulation
Plosive/StopMouth 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
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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