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The Letter T 

consonant letters
The Letter "T" in the English Alphabet

"T" is the twentieth letter in the modern English alphabet. It is a consonant.

Consonants are the letters produced by stopping the letter from flowing easily.

Uppercase Form

T

Lowercase

t

Name

tee (pronounced /ˈtiː/)

Common Sound(s)

/t/, /ʃ/, /Ø/, /tʃ/

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The Letter T: Sounds

The letter "t" has four sounds:

Sound 1: /t/

"t" mainly sounds /t/:

Example

time /taɪm/

tart /tɑːrt/

tea /tiː/

tie /taɪ/

Sound 2: /ʃ/

"t" in "ti" before the vowels like "o" or "a" is pronounced /ʃ/:

Example

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

negotiation /nɪˌɡoʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/

ratio /ˈɹeɪ.ʃoʊ/

Sound 3: /Ø/

1. "t" also sound silent if the letter "s" precedes it:

Example

rustale /ˈrʌsl/

castle /ˈkæsl/

whistle /ˈwɪsl/

Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/

2. "tch" sounds /tʃ/; in other words, "t" in "tch" is silent:

Example

watch /wɑːtʃ/

butcher /ˈbʊtʃər/

pitch /pɪtʃ/

Sound 4: /tʃ/

"t" also sounds /tʃ/ if it precedes the letter "u:"

Example

statue /ˈstætʃuː/

creature /ˈkriːtʃə(r)/

furniture /ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər/

Tip!

"et" at the end of French loanwords sounds /eɪ/, so "t" is silent:

Example

beret /bəˈreɪ/

ballet /bæˈleɪ/

bidet /bɪˈdeɪ/

The Letter T: Multigraphs

Letter "t" can also appear in combinations with other letters (mainly consonants):

tt

"tt" sounds /t/:

Example

butter /ˈbʌtər/

kettle /ˈkɛ.təl/

rattle /ˈɹæ.təl/

th

"th" commonly has three sounds:

/θ/

/ð/

/t/

1. "th" mainly sounds /θ/:

Example

mouth /maʊθ/

teeth /tiːθ/

thorn /θɔːrn/

thumb /θʌm/

2. "th" can also sound /ð/ if it is followed by the letter "e" or "i":

Example

smoothie /ˈsmuːði/

then /ðen/

brother /ˈbrʌðər/

3. "th" also sounds /t/:

Example

thyme /taɪm/

Thomas /ˈtɑːməs/

Thames /ˈtemz/

pt

"pt" sounds /t/, in other words, "p" is silent:

Example

receipt /rɪˈsiːt/

pterodactyl /ˌterəˈdæktɪl/

The Letter T: Uses

"T" can be used as an abbreviation for:

Tonne(s)

Tesla

Temperature

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