In the middle of some words, the "t" sounds more like a light or short “d” sound. This is because we say the "t" without a puff of air. Produce t without letting the air out, or add a little voicing (think “d.”) This is also sometimes referred to as the “flap” t. Some examples: better, batter, butter, letter, waiter, writer, water, litter, greater, lighter, wetter waited, righted, lighted, matted, sighted, fitted, metabolic artificial, comforting, dirty fatal, hospital, turtle
You can pronounce an aspirated t in these words and it will be correct. Americans usually only use the aspirated t in these words if they are trying to be extra clear or precise. It can sound stiff or formal if the aspirated t always used.
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The American R can be a challenging sound for non-native speakers, even those who speak other English dialects. In some accents, the r sound is rolled or trilled. In others, it sounds more like vowel schwa, or the sound "uh." Did you know that the "r" sound is different depending on where it falls in the word? You may have no trouble saying the "r" in red or really, but struggle with the "r" sounds in bird or forever.
Whatever your difficulty, this may be a sound that needs practice at the phoneme and syllable level. Rather than trying to start by saying words with r, practice the sound by itself and in nonsense syllables. You might find the trouble is not with making this sound, but rather with breaking the habits of your old pronunciation in words. Use the recordings below to try the sound, syllables, and words in a new way. Do you have a robust vocabulary when speaking English? Knowing the precise words you want to convey your meaning is both satisfying and effective, but beware of overuse of jargon. "Bizspeak," as Harvard Business Review writer Bryan A. Garner dubs it, is the tendency to use buzz words, catch phrases and sometimes meaningless babble rather than simple language. Expressing yourself plainly and clearly using real language is always preferable and will give you more success than overloading your language with unnecessary jargon. For a humorous look at what not to use in your business communication, read his article here.
Nice to meet you. This phrase contains an example of consonant linking. The t at the end of the word meet runs together with the y in the word you. We start to say the "t" sound, but instead of releasing the puff of air, we slide into the word you. Listen the the recording below. You can hear this sentence with and without linking. Both are correct, but when the sounds are linked the sentence sounds more typical of American speakers.
Is he in? This phrase demonstrates a dropped h. We leave out the h sound at the beginnings of the word he, and run the z sound from is into the "e" sound of he. This phrase sounds more like "Izzy in?" The recording lets you listen to this phrase with and without linking.
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