How to tell /t/ and /d/ apart
Practice the difference between the voiceless stop /t/ and the voiced stop /d/.
/t/
Voiceless T
ten /ten/
A voiceless alveolar stop. The tongue tip releases with no voice.
Common mistake: Learners may voice /t/, making ten sound like den.
/d/
Voiced D
den /den/
A voiced alveolar stop with the voice on.
Common mistake: Learners may devoice /d/, making den sound like ten.
- •/t/ is voiceless: ten, time, coat.
- •/d/ is voiced: den, dime, code.
- •/t/ has a sharper release.
- •Touch your throat — /d/ vibrates.
Minimal pairs
ten/ten/
den/den/
time/taɪm/
dime/daɪm/
coat/kəʊt/
code/kəʊd/