For American English Use a Tapped T Sound
Tapped T Sound
When you’re listening to American English speakers you may have noticed that when the letter “t” is in the middle of a word it often has a /d/ sound.
Pronunciation teachers call this the flap or the tapped T sound. That’s because when we make this sound we slightly flap or tap our tongues behind the gum ridge of our upper teeth.
The tapped T sound is used all the time
American English speakers use the tapped T sound a lot. We don’t use the aspirated T sounds you hear in British influenced English.
When to use the tapped T sound
The tapped T sound is often used when when a T is between vowels as in the words:
- party
- forty
- water
- data
The tapped T sound is used when a T comes before a syllabic [l] as in the words:
- petal
- metal
- settle
- total
Say the Ts in the above words with a quick /d/ sound and your speech will sound more American,
Do you to use a tapped T sound?
You don’t have to use a tapped T sound. But when you DO use it your speech will sound less choppy to the American listener. Besides this sound is easy to learn.
So why not try it?
Learn more about the tapped T sound
Follow the link below to learn more about the tapped T sound at the Learners Dictionary from Merriam Webster.
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