Lips
Round your lips slightly and push them forward. Small opening, teeth close together.
Voiceless consonants
/tʃ/as in chin
Voiceless: a "t" that releases into a "sh", all air, no buzz.
Example words: chin, church, match, teacher, lunch
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /tʃ/ sound?
Tongue
Press the blade of your tongue against the ridge just behind the alveolar ridge, then release it slowly into a "sh" hiss.
Video lesson
Try it
- Round and push your lips forward first, as if about to whistle.
- Press the tongue blade to the ridge area, like a "t" made slightly further back.
- Release slowly so the stop melts into a "sh": one single sound, not two.
- Keep your throat silent all the way through.
- Now say: chin, church, match.
Check
Say "chin" then "gin" with a hand on your throat. "chin" is all air; "gin" buzzes from the start. And check a mirror: your lips should be rounded for both.
Common trap
Forgetting the lip rounding. With flat, spread lips, /ch/ turns thin and sharp and stops sounding English. Push your lips forward before the sound starts, not after.
Practice: /tʃ/
Words
chintʃˈɪn
churchtʃˈɜɹtʃ
matchmˈætʃ
teachertˈitʃəɹ
lunchlˈʌntʃ
Sentences
The children watched a cheerful movie.ðə tʃˈɪldɹən wˈɑtʃt ɐ tʃˈɪɹfəl mˈuvi.
Which chair did you choose?wˌɪtʃ tʃˈɛɹ dˈɪd ju tʃˈuz?
The teacher checked each answer.ðə tˈitʃəɹ tʃˈɛkt ˈitʃ ˈænsəɹ.
Let's have chicken for lunch.lˈɛts hæv tʃˈɪkən fɔɹ lˈʌntʃ.
Don't touch the match on the bench.dˈoʊnt tˈʌtʃ ðə mˈætʃ ˌɔn ðə bˈɛntʃ.
Words
chintʃˈɪn
churchtʃˈɜːtʃ
matchmˈatʃ
teachertˈiːtʃə
lunchlˈʌntʃ
Sentences
The children watched a cheerful movie.ðə tʃˈɪldɹən wˈɒtʃt ɐ tʃˈɪəfʊl mˈuːvi.
Which chair did you choose?wˌɪtʃ tʃˈɛː dˈɪd juː tʃˈuːz?
The teacher checked each answer.ðə tˈiːtʃə tʃˈɛkt ˈiːtʃ ˈɑːnsə.
Let's have chicken for lunch.lˈɛts hav tʃˈɪkɪn fɔː lˈʌntʃ.
Don't touch the match on the bench.dˈəʊnt tˈʌtʃ ðə mˈatʃ ˌɒn ðə bˈɛntʃ.
🔊 plays the app's native voice. 🎤 records you so you can play it back next to it. Your recording stays in your browser.
Sounds in the same group
Is /tʃ/ one of yours?
Accenty listens to you speak and shows the sounds you miss, in American or British English.
