The /t/ Sound, Voiceless Alveolar Plosive

/t/

/t/ is a voiceless alveolar plosive. To make it, the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth and the airflow is stopped completely and then released. It is voiceless, so the vocal folds do not vibrate.

Hear It In The App Naming Practice

Example Words

Word	UK	US
tea	/tiː/	/tiː/	Syllables · Pronounce
water	/ˈwɔː.tə/	/ˈwɔː.t̬ɚ/	Syllables · Pronounce
hat	/hæt/	/hæt/	Syllables · Pronounce

Distinctive Features

/t/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.

See them in DF Analysis

Allophones Of /t/

/t/ has 8 allophones in the app, starting with [t], after /s/, before another consonant, or in an unstressed syllable, so it has no aspiration. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.

See The Allophones Get Access

Words With The /t/ Sound

/t/ At The Start Of A Word

/t/ In The Middle Of A Word

/t/ At The End Of A Word

Minimal Pairs

Minimal Pairs /t/ And /d/ (Tie And Die)Minimal Pairs /θ/ And /t/ (Thin And Tin)

Questions Students Ask

Is /t/ voiced or voiceless?

/t/ is voiceless.

What is the place of articulation of /t/?

/t/ is alveolar, which means the tip or blade of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper teeth.

What is the manner of articulation of /t/?

/t/ is a plosive, which means the airflow is stopped completely and then released.

Which words have the /t/ sound?

For example tea, water, hat.