Lips
Mouth slightly open, relaxed. Your tongue tip is just visible behind the upper front teeth.
Voiceless consonants
/t/as in tea
Voiceless: air only, no buzz in your throat.
Example words: tea, sit, top, table, cat
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /t/ sound?
Tongue
Raise the tip to touch the bumpy ridge just behind your upper front teeth, then release it.
Video lesson
Try it
- Touch your tongue tip to the ridge just behind your upper front teeth.
- Build up air pressure behind the tongue, then release with a crisp puff. Test it with the paper-flutter trick: the paper should move.
- Keep your throat silent; /t/ has no buzz.
- After "s" the puff is weaker: compare "top" with "stop".
- Now say: tea, sit, top.
Check
Minimal-pair test: say "to" then "do" with a hand on your throat. "to" has a puff and a late buzz; "do" buzzes immediately. If they sound identical, your /t/ needs more air.
Common trap
Two traps: no puff at the start, so "to" sounds like "do", and swallowing the final /t/, so "sit" loses its ending. Touch the ridge clearly and let a little air escape.
Practice: /t/
Words
teatˈi
sitsˈɪt
toptˈɑp
tabletˈeɪbəl
catkˈæt
Sentences
Let's take the train to town.lˈɛts tˈeɪk ðə tɹˈeɪn tə tˈaʊn.
Please sit at the table.plˈiz sˈɪt æt ðə tˈeɪbəl.
The teacher told us to wait.ðə tˈitʃəɹ tˈoʊld ˌʌs tə wˈeɪt.
I want to eat toast tonight.ˌaɪ wˈɑnt tʊ ˈit tˈoʊst tənˈaɪt.
Put the hat on the cat.pˌʊt ðə hˈæt ˌɔn ðə kˈæt.
Words
teatˈiː
sitsˈɪt
toptˈɒp
tabletˈeɪbəl
catkˈat
Sentences
Let's take the train to town.lˈɛts tˈeɪk ðə tɹˈeɪn tə tˈaʊn.
Please sit at the table.plˈiːz sˈɪt at ðə tˈeɪbəl.
The teacher told us to wait.ðə tˈiːtʃə tˈəʊld ˌʌs tə wˈeɪt.
I want to eat toast tonight.ˌaɪ wˈɒnt tʊ ˈiːt tˈəʊst tənˈaɪt.
Put the hat on the cat.pˌʊt ðə hˈat ˌɒn ðə kˈat.
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Sounds in the same group
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