1. The /t/ and /d/
Sounds in English
A Pronunciation Lesson
compiled by
Rita Simons Santiago

2. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
The mouth position is the same for both the /t/ and /d/.
Pronuncian

3. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
The /t/ is pronounced by
placing the tip of the tongue
behind the teeth on the roof of
the mouth, stopping the flow
of air, and then releasing it.
The /t/ is voiceless.
The /d/ is pronounced by
placing the tip of the tongue
behind the teeth on the roof of
the mouth, stopping the flow of
air, and then releasing it.
The /d/ is voiced.
The release of air for the /t/ is greater than for the /d/
especially when it is the first sound of a word or the first sound
of a stressed syllable.

4. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
T and D Consonants: American English Pronunciation

5. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
tab
tame
tear
teen
teal
tin
time
ton
tune
troll
dab
dame
dare
dean
deal
din
dime
done
dune
droll
Minimal Pairs: Listen and repeat each pair of words. Pay
special attention to the first (initial) sound in each word.

6. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
at
bat
cat
hat
it
kit
lit
neat
pat
sat
ad
bad
cad
had
id
kid
lid
need
pad
sad
Minimal Pairs: Listen and repeat each pair of words. Pay
special attention to the last (final) sound in each word.

7. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
When the /t/ is between two vowels and not at the beginning of
a stressed syllable, it sounds like a soft /d/.
water
daughter
got a
matter
later
a lot of
fatter
batter
wetter
Betty
l

8. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
Practice these sentences:
What a good idea!
[w'd' güdäi deey']
Put it in a bottle.
[pü di di n' bäd'l]
Get a better water heater.
[gedda bedder wäder heeder]
Put all the data in the computer.
[püdall the dayd' in the k'mpyuder]
Patty ought to write a better letter.
[pædy äd' ride a bedder ledder]
5 Minute English

9. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
With -tain, -tten and some TN combinations, the T is held. What
does that mean?
The mouth position for the /t/ and /n/ are very similar.
So...
If the /n/ immediately follows /t/, raise your tongue to pronounce
the /t/—the tongue is in the /t/ position, but do not pronounce
the /t/, but rather release the air with the /n/. In other words,
the air is released nasally with the /n/ not with the /t/.
5 Minute English

10. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
One more thing...
Make sure you don't put a vowel sound before the /n/!
An important point to remember is that you need a
sharp upward sliding intonation up to the "held T," then
a quick drop for the N.
Listen and repeat the following words:
sentence
written
certain
forgotten
5 Minute English

11. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
Now try pronouncing these sentences:
He's forgotten the carton of satin mittens.
She's certain that he has written it.
Martin has gotten a kitten.
5 Minute English

12. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
The /t/ and /n/ are so close in the mouth that the /t/ can
actually disappear as in these words:
interview [innerview]
international [innernational]
advantage [ædvæn'j]
percentage [percen'j]
5 Minute English

13. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
Don't be surprised if you don't even hear the final /t/. It
frequently seems to get swallowed up!
It wasn't what they thought.
The cat swallowed the fat rat.
Why didn't she set the hot pot on the cot?

14. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
The /d/ is also omitted in certain words.
When a /d/ occurs after the /n/ and before another consonant
sound, the /d/ can be omitted. (pounds)
This can be true in the middle of a word (grandmother) or when
one word ends with the /d/ and the next word starts with a
consonant sound (stand still, find Mike).
Pronuncian

15. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
Listen and repeat these words with the /d/ in the middle of
a word:
sends
pounds
errands
handsome
sandwich
Pronuncian

16. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
Listen and repeat these phrases in which one word ends
with the /d/ and the next word starts with a consonant
sound:
February is the second_month of the year.
The game should end_by 10:00.
Grandma found_someone to help her.
Pronuncian

17. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
To learn more about the /d/
in the -ed endings of regular past tense verbs,
see Rita's
The -ed Ending Sounds in English.

18. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
"All last year we tried to teach him English, and the only word
he learned was million."
Tommy Lasorda, on baseball pitcher Fernando Valenzuela

19. The /t/ and /d/ Sounds in English
References:
5 Minute English
Pronuncian
T and D Consonants: American English Pronunciation
The Quotations Page