You'd think this was a simple sound. Well, yes and no.
How to pronounce the /t/ and /d/ sounds:
The /t/ and /d/ sounds are formed with the same mouth position. The /t/ is unvoiced, only air passes through your mouth. The /d/ is voiced, meaning the vocal cords are making a sound. In both /t/ and /d/ the tongue presses to the roof of the mouth behind the teeth to stop the airflow and then releases.
Why is it complicated? Because we don't always say them. You *can* always say them as written and you will be perfectly understood. If you want to have the perfect American or British accent, read on.
The /t/ is often reduced to /d/ in American English, especially between a two vowel sounds , a vowel and an /r/ sound (daughter), and a vowel and an /l/ sound (title). In words with an 'nt' such as certain, we don't pronounce the 't' at all.
Both in British and American English, the /t/ is also often reduced to a glottal stop. The air is stopped in the throat and not in the mouth.
When do you reduce? It's not regular. You just have to memorize it. I suggest to keep it simple and say it the way it's written.
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Practice Reading:
Two of Donna’s closest friends, Tina and Tess, were in town for the holidays. They had tons of plans for a girl’s night out starting with getting their hair dyed downtown. All three of them wanted to dye their hair with turquoise streaks for a lark, then for a treat they all got their makeup done, too. Afterwards they ate dinner and toasted their fabulous hairdos with hot toddies at the Tidewater Inn.
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#EnglishPronunciation/d/ #PronunciationOf/d/ #EnglishPronunciationOf/d/ #/d/ #/d/SoundInEnglish #/d/soundPracticeReading #HowDoYouPronounce/d/
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