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!