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. |