How to pronounce the
Say it like THUH. The is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce the. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- THUH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
The pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THUHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of the
American and British speakers say the in essentially the same way: /ðʌ/ in the US and /ðiː/ in the UK.
British respelling: THEE.
What does the mean?
- Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun
- Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
- Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
- With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.“The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.”
- With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.“It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.”
- Beyond all others.“We went the furthest under her leadership.”
- For each; per.“valued at half a pound the bushel; paying seven dollars the year interest”
Words that rhyme with the
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of the.
Questions about saying the
How do you pronounce the?
Say THUH. The American pronunciation is /ðʌ/. In British English it is /ðiː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in the?
The is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: THUH.
Do Americans and Brits say the the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ðʌ/ and the British form is /ðiː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.