/t/

consonant · voiceless

The T Sound

as in tea

How to make the /t/ sound

Voiceless — no vocal cord vibration
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the top teeth.
  2. 2Release with a small burst of air.
  3. 3Note: silent in "listen", "castle", "ballet"; American English often flaps it in "water".

⚠ The most common mistake

Making it too hard between vowels in American English — "water" uses a soft D-like flap.

Especially tricky for speakers of: French, Dutch.

Train your ear: /t/ vs /d/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

tenvsden

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying tea, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /t/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

teawaterstoppedlistencastleoftenballetmortgage

More consonants

/p/ pen/b/ bad/d/ did/k/ cat/g/ go/f/ fall/v/ very/θ/ think/ð/ this/s/ see

See all 44 sounds of English →