How to pronounce they
Say it like THAY. They 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 they. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- THAY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
They pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of they
American and British speakers say they in essentially the same way: /ðeɪ/ in the US and /ðeɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: THAY.
What does they mean?
- A group of entities previously mentioned.“Fred and Jane? They just arrived.”
- One whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or both.“Somebody requested a seat at Friday's performance but didn't say if they preferred the balcony or the floor. [The gender is unknown and irrelevant.]”
- One who is nonbinary.“There is no need to panic. Robin should be here soon and they will know what to do. [Robin is nonbinary and uses singular they.]”
- To refer to (someone, sometimes especially someone who does not use gender-neutral pronouns) using they/them pronouns.“I have a pin that says she/her, but I still get theyed all the time.”
Where does they come from?
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear.
Words that rhyme with they
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of they.
Questions about saying they
How do you pronounce they?
Say THAY. The American pronunciation is /ðeɪ/. In British English it is /ðeɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in they?
They is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: THAY.
Do Americans and Brits say they the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ðeɪ/ and the British form is /ðeɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.