Lessons Unit 5, lesson 2
The fast t in sentences
You met the fast ɾ inside words like butter. In connected speech it appears between words too — whenever a t sits between vowels. Your sheets mark every one, so you always know which t to soften.
What do the marks mean?
Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.
Hear it in real sentences
Press play, listen to the whole sentence, then read it from the sheet yourself — match the rhythm, not just the sounds.
Now say it yourself
Read each word from its sheet, out loud, three times. Where there's a play button, listen first and copy what you hear. Slow is fine — speaking clearly matters more than speaking fast. Tap a word's microphone to record yourself and see which sounds landed.
Check your pronunciation, on this device. The first use downloads a small AI listener (about 40 MB, one time, then it's cached). Your voice is analyzed here in your browser — it never leaves your device.
The same flap, a bigger stage
You already met the fast ɾ inside single words like butter and water — the t between two vowels turns into a quick tap instead of a hard stop. This lesson shows it crossing word boundaries too: a bit of butter and a little water carry the same flap, it just now spans two separate words instead of one.
Watch out for
Don't hunt for every t and force a flap onto it — only a t sitting between two vowel sounds qualifies, as in city or a bit of. A t at the start of a word, or after a consonant, stays a normal t, as in the first t of pretty. Let your sheets mark the flap for you; over time your ear will start hearing it before you even check the page.
You don't have to flap every t — but hearing where natives do means fast speech stops surprising you.