The Letter T

In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter T. It is the twentieth letter of the English alphabet.

"T" is the twentieth letter in the modern English alphabet. It is a consonant.

Consonants are the letters produced by stopping the letter from flowing easily.

Uppercase Form	T
Lowercase	t
Name	tee (pronounced /ˈtiː/)
Common Sound(s)	/t/, /ʃ/, /Ø/, /tʃ/

Pie Chart of "t" Pronunciation in American English

The Letter T: Sounds

The letter "t" has four sounds:

Sound 1: /t/

"t" mainly sounds /t/:

time /taɪm/

tart /tɑːrt/

tea /tiː/

tie /taɪ/

Sound 2: /ʃ/

"t" in "ti" before the vowels like "o" or "a" is pronounced /ʃ/:

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

negotiation /nɪˌɡoʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/

ratio /ˈɹeɪ.ʃoʊ/

Sound 3: /Ø/

1. "t" also sound silent if the letter "s" precedes it:

rustale /ˈrʌsl/

castle /ˈkæsl/

whistle /ˈwɪsl/

Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/

2. "tch" sounds /tʃ/; in other words, "t" in "tch" is silent:

watch /wɑːtʃ/

butcher /ˈbʊtʃər/

pitch /pɪtʃ/

Sound 4: /tʃ/

"t" also sounds /tʃ/ if it precedes the letter "u:"

statue /ˈstætʃuː/

creature /ˈkriːtʃə(r)/

furniture /ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər/

Tip!

"et" at the end of French loanwords sounds /eɪ/, so "t" is silent:

beret /bəˈreɪ/

ballet /bæˈleɪ/

bidet /bɪˈdeɪ/

The Letter T: Multigraphs

Letter "t" can also appear in combinations with other letters (mainly consonants):

tt

"tt" sounds /t/:

butter /ˈbʌtər/

kettle /ˈkɛ.təl/

rattle /ˈɹæ.təl/

th

"th" commonly has three sounds:

/θ/
/ð/
/t/

1. "th" mainly sounds /θ/:

mouth /maʊθ/

teeth /tiːθ/

thorn /θɔːrn/

thumb /θʌm/

2. "th" can also sound /ð/ if it is followed by the letter "e" or "i":

smoothie /ˈsmuːði/

then /ðen/

brother /ˈbrʌðər/

3. "th" also sounds /t/:

thyme /taɪm/

Thomas /ˈtɑːməs/

Thames /ˈtemz/

pt

"pt" sounds /t/, in other words, "p" is silent:

receipt /rɪˈsiːt/

pterodactyl /ˌterəˈdæktɪl/

The Letter T: Uses

"T" can be used as an abbreviation for:

Tonne(s)
Tesla
Temperature

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The Letter T: Uses

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