How to Pronounce "the" in English
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".
| vowel sound |
we write |
we say |
| A |
the apple |
thee apple |
| E |
the egg |
thee egg |
| I |
the ice-cream |
thee ice-cream |
| O |
the orange |
thee orange |
| U |
the ugli fruit |
thee ugli fruit |
It is important to understand that it is what we say that matters, not what we write. It is the sound that matters, not the letter used in writing a word. So we use a long "thee" before a vowel sound, not necessarily before a vowel. Look at these cases:
| we write |
with |
we say |
with |
| the house |
consonant (h) |
thuh house |
consonant sound |
| the hour |
consonant (h) |
thee our |
vowel sound |
| the university |
vowel (u) |
thuh youniversity |
consonant sound |
| the umbrella |
vowel (u) |
thee umbrella |
vowel sound |
Emphatic the [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. For example:
A: I saw the [thuh] President yesterday.
B: What! The [thee] President of the United States?
A: Yes, exactly.
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