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The American English t sound Allophones

Most sounds of English do not have one exclusive method of production. Small variations of sound
called allophones are often so slight that native speakers of a language often barely notice their
existence. Which allophone is used depends on adjacent sounds, placement within a word, and if the
sound is within a stressed syllable. While native speakers use allophones intuitively, non-native
speakers benefit greatly from explicit instruction on the subject by increasing their listening
comprehension as well as being perceived as more fluent speakers.

Studying allophones is complicated by the fact that most dictionaries do not transcribe allophones,
and instead use a single symbol to represent all allophones of a sound. Learners who wish to fully
understand allophone usage should refer to dictionaries that specialize in pronunciation, such as the
Longman Pronunciation Dictionary.

The American English t sound includes the following four common allophones:

1. Remain a regularly aspirated t sound

2. Be pronounced like a quick d (also called an alveolar tap)
3. Become a glottal stop
4. Have no sound at all

Pattern #1: True t sound /t/

The t is a regular, aspirated t sound when it is the first sound of a word or a stressed syllable (or
does not fit into patterns 2-4). This rule overrides all other t sound allophone rules below.

The t sound is transcribed as /t/.

t sound /t/
attach /ə ˈtæʧ/ Play
pretend /prɪ ˈtɛnd/ Play
italic /ɪ ˈtæl ɪk/ Play

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Pattern #2: Quick d sound /t̬ /

The t sound becomes voiced and is pronounced like a quick d sound when it occurs in the middle of
a word after a vowel sound or r sound (including all r-controlled vowels) and before a vowel sound,
r sound (including all r-controlled vowels) or a syllabic l sound.

The quick d sound is transcribed as /t̬ /.

quick d sound /t̬ /

daughter /ˈdɔt̬ ɚ/ Play
computer /kəm ˈpjut̬ ɚ/ Play
settle /ˈsɛt̬ l/ Play

Pattern #3: Glottal stop /ʔ/

A. The letter t is pronounced as a glottal stop /ʔ/ (the sound in the middle of the word uh-oh) when
it follows a vowel, n sound, or r sound (including all r-controlled vowels) and is followed by an n
sound, schwa+n sound, m sound, or non-syllablic l sound.

The glottal stop is transcribed as /ʔ/.

glottal stop /ʔ/

partner /ˈpɑrʔ nɚ/ Play
certain /ˈsɚʔ n/ Play
fitness /ˈfɪʔ nəs/ Play

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Pattern #4: Omitted t sound /t/

A. The letter t is optionally omitted (not said) when it follows an n sound and precedes a vowel
sound, r sound (including all r-controlled vowels) or a syllabic l sound.

B. In addition to the above instances of omitting the t sound, it is often omitted when it occurs
between two consonant sounds (except the consonants specifically mentioned for the quick d sound
and glottal stop). This is lkely to occur when an -s ending is added to a word.

This t sound allophone varies the most widely among native speakers, and even within a single
speaker's speech patterns. The t sound is less likely to be omitted when the speaker is emphasizing
the word for an reason. Also, among all the t sound allophones, this usage can be considered the
most informal and non-standardized.

The optionally omitted t sound is transcribed using italics /t/.

A. omitted t sound /t/

center /ˈsɛnt ɚ/ Play
gentle /ˈʤɛnt l/ Play
advantage /əd ˈvænt ɪʤ/ Play

B. omitted t sound /t/

prints /prɪnts/ Play
acts /ækts/ Play
accepts /ək ˈsɛpts/ Play