"t" as in top
/t/as in “top”
How to make it
- Touch the tip of your tongue to the ridge just behind your top teeth — not the teeth themselves.
- Let air build up behind it.
- Drop your tongue with a small puff of air. Your voice stays off.
Common mistake
Putting the tongue against the teeth, as many languages do. In English the tip touches the ridge behind the teeth, which gives a crisper sound.
In words
Listen at normal speed or slowly, then say it yourself.
- top
- hotel
- cat
Don't confuse with
Listen and choose the word you hear.
US and UK
British English
/t/
British speakers usually keep a clear "t" between vowels: water, better, city.
American English
/t/
Between vowels, Americans often turn "t" into a quick tap, like a soft "d": water, better, city.
The tapped t
Between vowels, Americans often say t as a quick tap that sounds like a soft d (water, better, city). British speakers keep a clear t.
| American | British | |
|---|---|---|
| water | /ˈwɑːt̬ɚ/ | /ˈwɔːtə/ |
| better | /ˈbet̬ɚ/ | /ˈbetə/ |
| city | /ˈsɪt̬i/ | /ˈsɪti/ |