Normally, we pronounce the with a short sound (like «thuh»). But when the comes before a vowel sound, we pronounce it as a long «thee».
| vowel sound | write | say |
|---|---|---|
| a | the apple | thee apple |
| e | the egg | thee egg |
| i | the ice-cream | thee ice-cream |
| o | the orange | thee orange |
| u | the ugli fruit | thee ugli fruit |
It is important to understand that it is what we say that matters, not what we write. It is the sound that matters, not the letter used in writing a word. So we use a long «thee» before a vowel sound, not necessarily before a vowel. Look at these cases:
| we write | with | we say | because |
|---|---|---|---|
| the house | consonant h | thuh house | consonant sound |
| the hour | consonant h | thee our | vowel sound |
| the university | vowel u | thuh youniversity | consonant sound |
| the umbrella | vowel u | thee umbrella | vowel sound |
Emphatic the [thee]
When we wish to place emphasis on a particular word, we can use «emphatic the» [thee], whether or not the word begins with a consonant or vowel sound. For example:
A: I saw the [thuh] President yesterday.
B: What! The [thee] President of the United States?
A: Yes, exactly!
There are two ways to pronounce that essential and rightfully-ubiquitous word, the. Despite their good intentions, those who say that it must always be rhymed with me and tree are flat-out wrong. And those who say that its pronunciation has something to do with verbs and nouns are likewise misinformed.
Pictured: the (rhyming with ‘me’) ice cream cone you deserve for reading good content.
Here are the facts: the standard way the word is pronounced has to do with what follows it. If the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound, then it’s pronounced t͟hə—that is, with the same vowel sound as the word of—and it is unstressed:
the water
the house
the bell
the one (note that although «o» is a vowel, the word one begins with the sound usually made by «w,» a consonant)
If the word that follows it begins with a vowel sound, the is usually pronounced t͟hē (to rhyme with me), but is also sometimes pronounced t͟hə, as above. Again, it is unstressed:
the owl
the hour
the eleventh
Occasionally the is stressed, for instance to provide emphasis, or before a long pause. In those cases it’s pronounced t͟hē:
the one and only
the queen of hip-hop
the Titanic
If you’re a native speaker of English, this information only confirms what you’ve been hearing and likely doing all your life. And as linguist Mark Liberman points out at Language Log (a group blog about all things linguistic), what we hear today is what our grandparents heard all their lives, and their grandparents before them, in both American and British English. And they had to hear it while walking uphill, both ways, in the snow.
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.
In this video blog post, we discuss how to say the word “the”. When do you pronounce it “thuh” and when do you pronounce it “thee”?
Here is how to pronounce “the” in American English: pronounce it “thuh” when the next word begins with a consonant sound, and pronounce it “thee” when the next word begins with a vowel sound.
You can also use the pronunciation “thee” any time you wish to add emphasis in a sentence, such as in an important phrase or when you are speaking loudly to be clearly understood. In these situations, you can use the pronunciation “thee” even if it comes before a word beginning with a consonant sound.
An example of using “thee” for emphasis: “I just saw [THEE] best film ever.”
Examples of “the” [pronounced “thuh”] plus next word beginning with consonant sound:
Practice these words at home with this audio file – Simply listen and repeat while reading along.
The pig
The box
The tag
The door
The cat
The garlic
The fan
The voice
The thing
The sand
The zoo
The chair
The joke
The moon
The knife
The love
The rain
The winner
The yo yo
The heart
Examples of “the” [pronounced “thee”] plus next word beginning with vowel sound:
Practice these words at home with this audio file – Simply listen and repeat while reading along.
The evil
Have you read the story about the evil king?
The internet
I just got the internet working again.
The ace
Who was holding the ace of spades?
The energy
I’m not sure I have the energy for that.
The apple
Throw the apple to me.
The obvious
He pointed out the obvious elephant in the room.
The umbrella
Did you remember the umbrella?
The awesome
I just met the awesome new teacher.
The ocean
If you put a seashell by your ear, you can hear the ocean.
The Uber
I didn’t call the Uber driver, did you?
The eyes
The eyes are windows to the soul.
The outdoors
I love the outdoors in the summertime.
The oil
Where’s the oil for the lamp?
The arsenic
Beware of the arsenic in the drink.
The organic
Did you buy the organic carrots?
The eerie
Have you heard the eerie noise in the kitchen?
The air
The air in here is very refreshing.
The hour
Let’s find a fun way to make the hour pass quickly.
The Irish
I only have good things to say about the Irish.
The irksome
I am the irksome little sister in my family.
Do you have more questions about American English, or are you interested in accent training? Reach out and contact me!
Ask the Editor
Question
How many ways are there to pronounce the word «the» in the English language, and what are they?
—
Ganesh
,
India
Answer
English has two different pronunciations of the word «the» (but they mean the same thing).
The Two Pronunciations:
One pronunciation is /ðə/ (it has the same vowel you hear at the very end of «ballerina«).
The other pronunciation is /ði/ (it has the same vowel you hear in «tree«).
When to Use Each One:
The pronunciation of the word «the» depends on the first sound of the word that comes immediately 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 how each pronunciation is typically used.
In each of the examples below, /ðə/ is usually used because the word after «the» begins with a consonant sound:
- We liked the movie very much.
- The parents enjoyed the children’s school play.
- Each of the seven flowering trees had bloomed.
- They were the first people to arrive at the convention.
In each of the examples below, /ði/ is usually used because the word after «the» begins with a vowel sound:
- He reached the end of the trail and had to turn around.
- The indecisiveness of the employees made work difficult.
- We listened to the new song for the eighth time before switching to something else.
- He painted the apple in an abstract style.
I hope this helps.
You can read more articles in the archive.
Hello students!
In this lesson, we cover four commonly used words in the English language and learn how to pronounce them in their weak form.
The weak form is the natural way that native speakers use these words, so you will need to practise using these pronunciations in your conversations to really enhance your English-speaking skills.
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Today’s lesson: How to pronounce: ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’, and ‘some’
In today’s lesson we’re going to learn how to pronounce: ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’ and ‘some’. These four words are among the most frequently used words in the English language.
I am going to teach you to pronounce them in their weak form, which is the natural way that native speakers use these words.
Many of my students know the weak pronunciations of these words in theory, but I often find that they’re not applying it practically. So even if you know this, I want you to practise this again with me in this lesson.
I would also like to set you an exercise. This week, when you’re speaking English, make sure you apply what we’re going to learn in this lesson. It is important that you take your knowledge from a theoretical level to a practical level.
Strong: /eɪ/
Weak: /ə/ – Sounds like “uh”
It doesn’t get simpler than “a.” Native speakers can use both the strong and weak form of “a”, but most of the time when we’re speaking in a natural flow, we use the weak form.
You’ve got to train your ear to be able to hear it, because it’s such a quick sound, it is easy to miss.
Examples phrases:
He drives a car.
I gave him a present.
She told me a joke.
How to pronounce ‘an’
Strong: /æn/
Weak: /ən/ – Sounds like “uhn”
The strong form of this word uses the same vowel that is in the word, “cat.”
But again, the weak form is more commonly used by native speakers. The weak form is pronounced like “uhn.”
Example phrases:
He drives an old car.
She’s an actor.
Do you want an apple.
How to pronounce ‘the’
Strong: /ðiː/ – Sounds like “thee”
Weak: /ðə/
“The” is actually the most common word in the English language. It’s ranked number one. The strong form sounds like “thee.” But we don’t really use it that much. The example that always comes to mind is the old-fashioned ending of a black and white film when it says, “The End.” It is using the strong form because it sounds more final.
Example phrases:
Go to the bank.
Talk to the doctor.
The children were laughing.
How to pronounce ‘some’
Strong: /sʌm/
Weak: /səm/
Our last word is “some”.
For the strong form, the vowel we have is /ʌ/ like in the word “up.”
Native speakers can use both the strong and weak form of this word, but again, when said in day-to-day conversation we usually pronounce the word “some” in its weak form.
In my accent, the /ʌ/ and /ə/ (schwa) vowels are very close together. The main difference between these vowel sounds is that the weak form with schwa will sound quieter and faster inside a word or sentence.
Example phrases:
Have some water.
Do you want some cake?
Can you lend me some money?
Thank you for joining me for this lesson.
Please remember the exercise I want you to do this week. When you are speaking English, try to pronounce these common words in their weak form because this is the way that native speakers speak English.
If you start using these weak forms, it’s going to elevate your English and give you a much better rhythm. They’re small words, but they’re very important for the overall music of your English.
Thank you again for joining this lesson. Don’t forget to subscribe to my email newsletter (see the box below) to be informed of my latest Clear Accent lessons.
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Did you know there are two ways to pronounce the word the, and the rule that governs which pronunciation you choose is kind of like how you choose between opens in a new windowa and an?
I didn’t know this until I started opens in a new windowthe Grammar Girl podcast and people wrote in to complain that I was doing it wrong. Then I checked the opens in a new windowMerriam-Webster dictionary (because you’d be amazed how many times people tell me I’m doing something wrong without checking first that know what they’re talking about), and lo and behold, they were right! There are pronunciation guidelines that I never learned.
At one of my book signings, I talked about this with the attendees, and a lot of them said they were taught this rule in choir classes. I never took choir, so maybe that’s why I didn’t know.
Here’s the deal:
Pronounce it “thee” if the next word starts with a vowel sound.
Pronounce it “thuh” if the next word starts with a consonant sound.
Just like with opens in a new windowa versus an, it’s not the first letter of the next word that matters, it’s the first sound. Here are some examples:
When the next word starts with a consonant sound
Did Aardvark bring “thuh” cheese platter?
Where is “thuh” universal remote? (Note that universal starts with a consonant sound: Y.)
When the next word starts with a vowel sound
I prefer “thee” effervescent water.
Did Squiggly get “thee” MRI? (Note that MRI starts with a vowel sound: E.)
People Also Use ‘Thee’ for Emphasis
The big exception to these rules is that people also use the “thee” pronunciation when they want extra emphasis or to indicate that something is important. For example, if you really want to make a point, you might say that someone is “thee” big kahuna or that the summer gala is “thee” social event of the year.
I Still Get It Wrong Sometimes
I also notice when I go back and listen to the podcast that I still sometimes get these wrong, so I apologize in advance. I try to remember, but since I spent decades of my life not making a distinction between the two pronunciations, I still get it wrong sometimes.
Get more tips like this in The Grammar Devotional:
The Grammar Devotional
Mignon Fogarty
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Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller «Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.» She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better. Find her on Mastodon.