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    /ð/ vs /d/: they vs day

    The voiced dental /ð/ and the stop /d/ separate they/day, then/den and though/dough. Because /ð/ lives in the most frequent English words (the, this, that) the substitution is heard in nearly every sentence.

    • Lower impact
    • 7 pairs
    • Three voices

    1 / 10

    Which word do you hear?

    See the difference

    Let the air FLOW for /ð/; tongue between the teeth, continuous buzz. /d/ blocks the air completely. Practise 'the' on its own until the buzz is automatic; it is the most common word in English.

    ð

    as in they

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Tip between the teeth
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Squeezed through a narrow gap
    Learn ð

    d

    as in day

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Tip on the ridge behind the top teeth
    Voice
    On: feel your throat buzz
    Air
    Stopped, then released in a small burst
    Learn d

    All 7 pairs

    In a sentence

    Hardest for speakers of

    Questions

    What is the difference between they and day?
    they /ðeɪ/ uses the /ð/ sound while day /deɪ/ uses /d/. Let the air FLOW for /ð/; tongue between the teeth, continuous buzz. /d/ blocks the air completely. Practise 'the' on its own until the buzz is automatic; it is the most common word in English.
    Which learners find the /ð/ vs /d/ contrast hardest?
    It is most challenging for Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese speakers, whose first languages don't separate these two sounds.