Pronunciation of T

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1. Lesson 1

14 questions

2. Lesson 2

14 questions

3. Lesson 3

10 questions

Explanation

Quick Answer

The pronunciation of the letter tin Spanish is similar to that of the letter t in English, but avoiding any aspiration. The tongue position is also different. You lower the tip of the tongue to touch the back of the upper teeth, rather than the gums. Compare the sound of the English t in captain with the t in its Spanish translation capitán.

The Sound of the Letter “T”

“T” Is a Consonant

The letter t represents the Spanish consonant sound, or phoneme, /t/. When a consonant sound is uttered, the flow of air out of the mouth is partially or completely blocked at some point.

The name of this letter is pronounced te.

How to Pronounce "T" in Spanish

The Spanish t is dental, which means it is pronounced by pressing the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper teeth to stop the flow of air completely for an instant. Then the air is let out abruptly.

The vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering t, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish. Check out how it is pronounced in these words: tapa(lid), trueno(thunder), meta(goal), cierto(true), sentarse(sit), clóset(closet).

Is the Spanish "T" Similar to the English "T"?

It is like the English t in words like take or cut, but this English t is often pronounced with an aspiration that is not used in Spanish. Note that there's no hissing sound, or aspiration, when uttering the t in the Spanish translations of take and cut, tomarand cortar.

The Spanish t is pronounced, as explained above, by pressing the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper teeth. Note that in English, the tip of the tongue is placed higher and with little or no contact with the teeth. Compare the position of the tongue in the American pronunciation of the English word letter and its Spanish translation, letra.

When “T” Becomes Softer or Silent

In everyday speech, and in certain positions inside a word—frequently at the end of a syllable—you may hear a softer t that sounds almost like a soft d. You can hear this, for example, in the words atleta(athlete), ritmo(rhythm), or étnico(ethnic).

Are “Tl” And “Tx” Impossible to Pronounce?

No, they aren’t. They're just a little difficult, but if it’s any consolation, many native speakers find them hard too. Here are a few tips.

If you come across common everyday words that contain the letter group tl, you are bound to hear native speakers pronounce it various ways. One example is the word atlas(atlas), which may be pronounced /át-las/ or /á-tlas/. Both pronunciations are fine.

The letter group tl is also very common in Mexican Spanish because there are many words that come from Nahuatl, one of the main indigenous languages in Mexico. You can see this, for example, in common nouns such as tlapatería(hardware store) or geographical names like Popocatépetl(a famous volcano near Mexico City).

If you’re in Spain, you may see words that are sometimes written with a tx. These words come from Basque, a language spoken in central northern Spain and the south of France. More often than not, these words have been Hispanicized with a ch, so txistu(a Basque wind instrument that is like a tin whistle) is commonly written and pronounced chistu.

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter t in different word positions and letter combinations.

Spanish	English	Position-Combination
taza	cup	beginning of word + vowel
tipo	type	beginning of word + vowel
trescientos	three hundred	beginning of word + consonant
trigo	wheat	beginning of word + consonant
atorar	to block	inside word + between vowels
meter	put in	inside word + between vowels
antiguo	old	inside word + beginning of syllable
pasta	pasta	inside word + beginning of syllable
etcétera	et cetera	inside word + end of syllable
fútbol	soccer	inside word + end of syllable
vietnamita	Vietnamese	inside word + end of syllable
argot	slang	end of word
básquet	basketball	end of word
déficit	deficit	end of word

One Letter, One Sound

The pronunciation of the letter t varies little throughout the Spanish-speaking world, so there shouldn’t be much difference between the way tostar(toast) sounds in Honduras, Peru, or Argentina.