There are two ways to pronounce "the." One pronunciation sounds like /ðə/ ("thuh," rhymes with "duh") and the other sounds like /ði/ ("thee," rhymes with "free"). The pronunciation of the word "the" depends on the first sound of the word that comes after it.
When the word after "the" begins with a consonant sound, people usually use /ðə/. When the word after "the" begins with a vowel sound, people usually use /ði/. Below are examples of when to use each pronunciation.
In each of the below sentences, /ðə/ is usually used because the word after "the" begins with a consonant sound:
He liked thebook very much.
Thekids enjoyed theplay.
Each of thesix roses had bloomed.
They were thefirst people to arrive at theparty.
In each of the below sentences, /ði/ is usually used because the word after "the" begins with a vowel sound:
She reached theend of Park Street and had to turn around.
Theindecision of theemployees made work difficult.
She just watched her favorite movie for theeighth time.
He drew theapple in a very realistic way.
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Normally, we pronounce the with a short sound (like "thuh"). But when the comes before a vowel sound, we pronounce it as a long "thee". When we wish to place emphasis on a particular word, we can use "emphatic the" [thee], whether or not the word begins with a consonant or vowel sound.
Some words have multiple pronunciations because of dialectical differences (e.g. accents), but the spelling is the same because it's still the same word. “Word” is actually a great example of this. Various English dialects have different pronunciations of r colored vowels.
the act, instance, or manner of pronouncing sounds. the supposedly correct manner of pronouncing sounds in a given language. a phonetic transcription of a word.
The /a/ ("short A") was found in words such as cat [kat] and trap [trap], and also before /r/ in words such as start [start]. The /aː/ ("long A") was found in words such as face [faːs], and before /r/ in words such as scare [skaːr]. This long A was generally a result of Middle English open syllable lengthening.
A heteronym (also known as a heterophone) is a word that has a different pronunciation and meaning from another word but the same spelling. These are hom*ographs that are not hom*ophones.
A hom*ophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and/or spelling. “Flower” and “flour” are hom*ophones because they are pronounced the same but you certainly can't bake a cake using daffodils. Continue reading...
A dictionary entry may use phonetic spelling to show how a vowel sound should be pronounced; see below for a sample list with examples in parentheses. Dictionaries may also use phonetic symbols, which can be interpreted using a phonetic key found either at the beginning or end of the dictionary.
Here is the general rule regarding the pronunciation of the definite article "the" in oral communication situations: When "the" is followed by a consonant sound, we say "THUH." When "the" is followed by a vowel sound, we say "THEE." A good mnemonic sentence to remember this simple rule would be: "THUH dog ate THEE ...
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