The German Consonant 't'
The German consonant 't' is pronounced in a similar manner to its English equivalent, although slightly less air is released in its articulation. In both languages, the sound is an alveolar plosive, which means that it is made with the blade of the tongue pressing against the alveolar ridge. The alveolar ridge is the part of the roof of the mouth directly above the teeth. Simultaneously, both sides of the tongue press against the hard palate and form a closure. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. The vocal cords do not vibrate when this sound is made, which means that it is a 'voiceless' consonant.
Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words beginning with the letter 't'. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 1: 't' in initial position |
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Tag
(day) |
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tausend
(thousand) |
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Telefon
(telephone) |
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Tier
(animal) |
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Tomate
(tomato) |
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Tür
(door) |
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker recite six German words in which the letter 't' appears in the middle. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 2: 't' in medial position |
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Auto
(car) |
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Wetter
(weather) |
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Butter
(butter) |
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Pate
(godfather) |
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Miete
(rent) |
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Leute
(people) |
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German words in which the letter 't' appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation. Note how the letters 't' and 'd' are pronounced in the same way, i.e. as the phoneme /t/, when they appear at the end of a word.
Sounds 3: 't' in final position |
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gut
(good) |
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rot
(red) |
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tot
(dead) |
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tut
(does) |
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How to pronounce German 't' with other consonants
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