Lessons Unit 3, lesson 9
d + vowels
The d beginning opening into every vowel it starts words with. Get the mouth ready for d, release straight into the vowel — no gap, no extra sound between them.
What do the marks mean?
Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.
dd as in red
Same tongue tap as t, but with your voice on: d. Hand on your throat — d buzzes, t doesn't.
d + every vowel
One row per combination. Tap any word to hear it — every sheet comes straight from the tool.
| d æ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| d ɪ | |||
| d ɛ | |||
| d ʌ | |||
| d ɑ | |||
| d iː | |||
| d uː | |||
| d ɔː | |||
| d eɪ | |||
| d aɪ | |||
| d aʊ | |||
| d oʊ | |||
| d ɝ |
The voiced twin of t
D uses the exact same tongue tap as t — tip against the ridge behind your teeth — but with your voice running the whole time. If you say dad and dance and don't feel a buzz right as the tongue releases, you're producing t instead of d.
Tricky endings
The r-colored ending in dirty and dirt is where the voicing habit slips first, because the tongue has to move from the alveolar tap straight into a bunched r-position without a break. Do and due both round the lips early for uː even while the tongue is still tapping.
Practice by reading down a column, then covering it and repeating from memory, checking that d never turns unvoiced at the start of a word, even in fast, casual speech. Compare dark and day to hear how the same tap opens two very different vowel shapes without ever changing itself.