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What are the different pronunciations of «the» and when do you use them?
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Rajesh
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United States
Answer
There are two ways to pronounce «the.» One pronunciation sounds like /ðə/ («thuh,» rhymes with «duh») and the other sounds like /ði/ («thee,» rhymes with «free»). The pronunciation of the word «the» depends on the first sound of the word that comes after it.
When the word after «the» begins with a consonant sound, people usually use /ðə/. When the word after «the» begins with a vowel sound, people usually use /ði/. Below are examples of when to use each pronunciation.
In each of the below sentences, /ðə/ is usually used because the word after «the» begins with a consonant sound:
- He liked the book very much.
- The kids enjoyed the play.
- Each of the six roses had bloomed.
- They were the first people to arrive at the party.
In each of the below sentences, /ði/ is usually used because the word after «the» begins with a vowel sound:
- She reached the end of Park Street and had to turn around.
- The indecision of the employees made work difficult.
- She just watched her favorite movie for the eighth time.
- He drew the apple in a very realistic way.
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The word “the” is one of the first English words most students learn. However, did you know it is pronounced two different ways?
The pronunciation of “the” changes depending on if the next word begins with a consonant sound or a vowel sound.
Before a consonant sound we say THUH and before a vowel sound we say THEE. Let’s practice some examples.
How to pronounce THE + consonant sound
- the table
- the man
- the woman
- the history
- the chair
- the unique pen*
- the one thing*
You might be wondering about those last two examples.
Although “unique” and “one” begin with the letters “u” and “o,” which are typically vowels, they do not begin with vowel sounds. “Unique” begins with a “y” sound, and “one” begins with a “w” sound.
How to pronounce THE + vowel sound
- the apple
- the elephant
- the ice cream
- the open door
- the honest man*
- the umbrella
* Although “honest” begins with the consonant letter “h,” the “h” is silent. So the word in fact begins with a vowel sound.
Smoother, clearer pronunciation!
This is a really small and slight difference, and it’s almost unnoticeable when we’re speaking fast.
But it can help make your speaking smoother because we usually link words together – we don’t say the ___ man and the ___ apple, we connect them – theman, theapple – and practicing this will help your speaking flow more naturally.
Speaking of practice, I can help you improve your pronunciation in the next 30 days when you join my American English Pronunciation Course.
We’ll go through all the different vowel and consonant sounds, practice them a lot, and then work on linking and connecting words together so your sentences flow together smoothly when you’re speaking.
It’s a great way to improve your pronunciation fast, so that you can be more confident that you’re speaking English clearly and other people will understand you.
The definite article the is the most often used English word, see here. However, even though it only has three letters, its pronunciation can be tricky. There are three different pronunciations, the so-called weak forms [ðə] and [ði], and the strong form [ði:]. You can listen to all three forms here.
The is most often pronounced as [ðə]. In particular, the “th” is pronounced as in words such as this, that, or though, but neither as [θ] (as in think or through) nor as [s] (as in say or so). The latter, incorrect pronunciation is quite common among German native speakers, and seems to be tolerated even in school. One explanation for the aversion of German speakers to the [ð] and [θ] sounds is that they are often associated with a speech disorder (lisping).
The weak form [ði] is typically (but not always, see below) used when the precedes a word that has a vowel sound at the beginning. For example,
the importance of being earnest,
the idiosyncrasies of the English language
Similar to the case of a vs an, it is the pronunciation rather than the spelling which determines the pronunciation of the, a fact which is very often overlooked. For example, the is usually pronounced as [ðə] in
the unicorn is a rare animal
the uniform’s purpose is uniformity
For more examples, see here.
The strong form [ði:] is used to emphasize the subject that follows, such as
‘the’ is the most often used English word
I had lunch at the best restaurant
In practise, you will notice that neither native nor non-native speakers always follow these principles. For example, many non-native speakers pronounce all occurrences of the in the same way, typically either as [ðə] or as [ði].
Although the “[ði] before a vowel sound, [ðə] else” rule is usually taught to learners of English as a second language, I have been told that (1) this rule is in fact not a rule, but rather a guide that leads to pronunciation that mimics that of native speakers, (2) most native speakers are unaware of this “rule”.
The Longman Pronunciation Dictionary has the following to say:
“The EFL learner is advised to use [ðə] before a consonant sound (the boy, the house), [ði] before a vowel sound (the egg, the hour). Native speakers, however, sometimes ignore this distribution, in particular by using [ðə] before a vowel […], or by using [ði:] in any environment, though especially before a hesitation pause. Furthermore, some speakers use stressed [ðə] as a strong form, rather than the usual [ði:].”
A good example for a deviation from the rule is the song “Love and the Marriage” by Frank Sinatra. Listen and wait for the phrase “the other”…
Interestingly, in most other recorded versions of this song, “the” in “the other” is pronounced as [ði].
From discussions with native speakers (see here), I have learned that while the distinction between a and an is a strict grammatical rule (and deviations from this rule will be noticed as a mistake), the pronunciation of the is not determined by strict rules but depends on context, dialect, etc.
Although there are rather simple rules determining the pronunciation of «the», native speakers quite often deviate from these rules (including, e.g., TV shows). According to the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary,
The EFL learner is advised to use [ðə] before a consonant sound (the
boy, the house), [ði] before a vowel sound (the egg, the hour). Native
speakers, however, sometimes ignore this distribution, in particular
by using [ðə] before a vowel (which is in turn usually reinforced by a
preceding ʔ), or by using [ði:] in any
environment, though especially before a hesitation pause. Furthermore,
some speakers use stressed [ðə] as a strong form, rather than the
usual [ði:].
My question is: when native speakers use [ðə] instead of [ði] before a vowel sound, do they do it on purpose or accidentally? If it is on purpose, how do they (typically) decide which pronunciation to use? What is a valid reason to use [ðə] before a vowel sound?
herisson
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asked Aug 18, 2014 at 16:55
painfulenglishpainfulenglish
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To summarize the discussion here and elsewhere:
In contrast to the pronunciation-based distinction between a and an, the pronunciation of «the» is not strictly determined by the pronunciation of the following word. The guidelines in, for example, the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary are in fact just guidelines for non-native speakers. If one listens closely to native speakers, it becomes obvious that [ðə] and [ði] are chosen relatively freely, irrespective of the following word. Hence, it is interesting that people who learn English as a foreign language are usually told by teachers and textbooks that the pronunciation of «the» follows the same strict rule as the distinction between a and an. This misconception can even be found on English language sites such as here.
A similar answer was given here.
answered Oct 10, 2014 at 6:56
painfulenglishpainfulenglish
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For rather a lot of English there are «rather simple rules» that are flat out wrong (the order of the letters «i» and «e» when together is my favorite example). You just have to memorize them.
In the case of «The», it is often pronounced with the long E sound for emphasis, which means that the same phrase might use a different pronunciation depending on the point the speaker wants to get across. The point of emphasis is often if the speaker wants to draw attention to the fact that it is somehow unique.
For example there’s «The Ohio State University». If someone is just rattling off its official name, typically you’d hear the softer sound. However, many people are kind of annoyed at how insistent they are about the «The» at the front of the name (most US universities don’t do that), so I often hear it pronounced with the harsher long E sound (and the entire word «The» louder than the rest of the name).
answered Oct 10, 2014 at 13:23
1
The pronunciation ending with a long -e sound before a vowel also serves as what is termed «liaison» in speaking French. In English, using the long -e before a vowel, we can smoothly say «the eggs» (approximately, «thee-yeggs») instead of using a glottal stop: («the [glottal stop] eggs»).
answered Aug 18, 2014 at 17:28
2
I can’t find a rule anywhere. But based on some experiments in the last few minutes, I conclude that the short vowel before a vowel sound may just be a contraction or elision of the vowel sound. I might say «the eggs» with a long e, but what sounds like a short e is probably actually «th’ eggs», pronounced with one syllable, not two.
[I’m in Texas, where slurrin’s a fact o’ life. That may make a diff’rence.]
answered Aug 18, 2014 at 18:57
Jay R.Jay R.
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Those speakers who do not use the pronunciation «thee» for the generally do not have words that begin with a vowel. They use a glottal stop before what is an initial vowel for most speakers. These same people are often heard to use a where the «correct» article would be an. This is usually a regionalism that school teachers were unsuccessful in beating out of their students.
answered Sep 3, 2015 at 3:28
2
I’ve been fascinated by this phenomenon recently. I’m a non-linguist Canadian and I’ve always used the “an” and “thee” pronunciations before a vowel. I’m in my 70s. I recently started noticing on American TV that a large number of speakers consistently do not use these forms. It certainly doesn’t appear to be accidental. And then I even began noticing this phenomenon in some Canadian speakers. My observation is that it appears to be younger Canadians who are doing this. I’ve even been considering constructing a little reading “test” to see how some Canadians I know will pronounce these words in a text.
Today I decided to do a search to see if there was anything about this on the Internet and was really pleased to come across this discussion.
answered Apr 29, 2022 at 13:18
2
- выделяет определенный, конкретный предмет, определенное, конкретное существо, лицо или явление из группы однородных предметов, существ или явлений
- указывает на то, что данный предмет, данное существо, лицо, явление известны слушающему
- придает существительному значение представителя определенного класса предметов, существ или явлений — часто при сопоставлении с другими классами
the cow is a domestic animal — корова — домашнее животное 
the dog is stronger than the cat — собака сильнее кошки
who invented the telegraph? — кто изобрел телеграф?
- указывает на то, что данный предмет, данное лицо или явление является единственным в своем роде, уникальным
- указывает на то, что данный предмет, данное лицо или явление является самым лучшим, наиболее выдающимся, знаменитым или наиболее подходящим для чего-либо
- указывает на то, что данный предмет или свойство рассматривается относительно его обладателя
to hit smb. in the leg — попасть кому-л. в ногу
to clutch at the sleeve of one’s father [at the skirts of one’s mother] — цепляться за рукав отца [за юбку матери]
he‘s got the toothache [the measles] — у него болит зуб [он болен корью]
- употребляется с именем собственным в ед. ч. для обозначения хорошо известных деятелей в значении «тот самый»
the poet Keats — Китс, поэт
a certain Charles Dickens — not the Charles Dickens — некий Чарльз Диккенс — не знаменитый писатель Чарльз Диккенс
on board the ship are Bernard Shaw, the writer and Jack Smith, an actor — на борту корабля находятся (известный) писатель Бернард Шоу и Джек Смит, актёр
- употребляется с именем собственным в ед. ч. при наличии у имени ограничивающего определения
the Shakespeare of the great tragedies — Шекспир — автор великих трагедий
+2 the Paris of my youth — Париж моей юности
the Italy of the past — Италия прошлого, прежняя Италия
you must be the Mr. Smith (about whom he has so often talked) — вы, должно быть, тот самый мистер Смит (о котором он так часто говорил)
- употребляется с именем собственным в ед. ч. перед прилагательным или существительным — частью титула
- употребляется с именем собственным во мн. ч. для обозначения всей семьи
the Smiths came early — семья Смитов пришла рано, Смиты пришли рано
- употребляется с именем собственным во мн. ч. для обозначения династии
the Burbons — Бурбоны
the Tudors — Тюдоры
- оформляет субстантивацию прилагательных, причастий, числительных и местоимений
- оформляет название народа, племени и т. п.
- оформляет метонимический перенос значения
the stage — сценическая деятельность
+2 the gloves — бокс
the bottle — пьянство
from the cradle to the grave — от колыбели до могилы, от рождения до смерти, всю жизнь
- оформляет превосходную степень качественных прилагательных и порядковые прилагательные
- тем
- чем … тем …
the more [the sooner] the better — чем больше [чем скорее], тем лучше
+2 the more he has the more he wants — чем больше он имеет, тем большего он хочет
the less said about it the better — чем меньше говорить об этом, тем лучше
the more I practise the worse I play — чем больше я упражняюсь, тем хуже я играю
by the day — поденно
to the dollar — на доллар
to the gallon — на галлон
to the mile — на милю
on the whole — в целом
to have the cheek [the courage] to say smth. — иметь наглость [мужество] сказать что-л.
six pence the pound — шесть пенсов за (весь) фунт
£6 the lot — шесть фунтов за всё
£15 the coat and skirt — пятнадцать фунтов за жакет и юбку (вместе)
that — что, чтобы, который, то, тот, та, так, до такой степени
this — эта, это, этот, сей