This week in my accent reduction coaching classes two people asked me how to pronounce the word “the”.

Here are 3 techniques you must follow in order to pronounce THE correctly.

Technique # 1. THE begins with the voiced Th consonant sound.

To make the voiced Th sound you must place the tip of your tongue between your teeth.

Since this is a voiced sound, your vocal chords should vibrate when you push the air through your throat. See the video below for this technique.

Technique # 2. The vowel sound in “the” changes according to the first sound in the following word.

When “the” is followed by a word beginning with a vowel sound the “e” sounds like /iy/ as in green.

Here are a few example phrases: the answer, the egg, the old man, the apple.

Technique # 3. When “the” is followed by a word beginning with a consonant sound the “e” should be articulated with the schwa or “uh” sound.

Here are a few example phrases: the book, the computer, the video, the table

I hope this helps you pronounce the word THE!

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