The Five Sounds of [t]

Did the title shock you? Actually, it shocked me the first time I saw this, too. Well, let's take a closer look at this complex letter and see what we can do. I'd also like to apologize for not updating in so long. Life is so busy right now. Enough about that, and let's get started. ^^

1.Initial/Popped [t]
- this is usually found at the beginning of a word
- this is pronounced by placing your tongue against the back of your upper front teeth and popping it so air comes out. Don't forget. Tongue + Teeth + Air = Initial/popped [t].
- another thing to remember: it is voiceless. So you should not use your voice to make this sound.

Ex: Taxi, Typewriter, Telephone.

2. Medial/Middle [t]
- Usually found in the middle of a word, between two vowels or vowel sounds, or between another t and a vowel or vowel sounds.
- It is a "quick d" sound, so it is voiced.

Ex: Writer, Letter, Lighter

3. Final/End/Quiet [t]
- this is usually found at the end of a word, and it's not popped; neither do you say it with a quick d sound. Rather, you have to simply put your tongue in the [t] position (behind the upper front teeth), and don't let the air pop. It is a very soft sound.

Ex: Cat, Bat, Sat

4. Held [t]
- Quite a difficult sound to make for some people, but really easy once you get the hang of it.
- It is found in the middle of a word, and BEFORE an [n].
- It is pronounced as a quiet [t] + [n] sound.
- Here's an interesting thing to note: You don't need to move your tongue from the quiet [t] position; all you need to do is let it stay in that position and breathe out through your nose to make [n].

Ex:
Button, Fountain, Mountain

5. Silent [t]
- This is bound to be your favorite sound of [t].
- It is silent, as in NOT PRONOUNCED AT ALL.
- Usually found in the middle of a word, and AFTER an [n].

Ex: Center, Internet, International

Hold It!
We're not yet done. As with many rules in English, of course, there are exceptions. Watch out for these:

***If a word ends in -ct, -pt, -ft, -st and -nt, these are not pronounced as Quiet [t]. Rather, they are popped, just like in Initial or Popped [t].

Ex: React, Apt, Raft, Fast and Can't