Learning English

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Free worksheet and transcript

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Watch Episode 7
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The letter 't' – /t/, glottal stop, flap (/d/)

• The lettter 't' can be pronounced as a /t/ sound at the beginning of words, like 'tin' and 'top', or at the beginning of stressed syllables like 'hotel' and 'cartoon'. It can also be pronounced at the end of words, like 'meet'. To make the /t/ sound, put your hand in front of your mouth and you should feel a puff of air as you say it - /t/.

• We can also pronounce the letter 't' as a glottal stop - /ʔ/. Some people do this in between vowel sounds, like in 'city' /sɪʔɪ/ and 'writing' /raɪʔɪŋ/. The glottal stop, the /ʔ/ sound, is also said at the end of words but usually only after a vowel sound, like in 'cat' /kæʔ/ and 'racket' /rækɪʔ/. To make this sound, imagine you're about to cough, then let the air out quickly – /ʔ/.
  
  
• The letter 't' can also be pronounced as a small /d/ in some accents, especially in American English. This sound is sometimes called a flap. It can come between vowel sounds, like in 'city' /sɪdɪ/ and 'writing' /raɪdɪŋ/ and at the ends of words. To make this sound, your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth very quickly as you say /d/. 
  
  
• The letter 't' is sometimes not said at all!

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from an episode of Go the Distance – listen to the whole programme.

Next

Do you know when to pause when speaking? Watch Episode 7 here and learn about natural pauses in English.