The T sound is another high frequency sound in English. It is used in common words like “to”, “what” and “time”. Correcting this sound will make your speech sound more native.
The mistake that most foreign speakers make with the T sound is that they pronounce it in a more “British” way. Meaning it is pronounced in a very strong manner. In most cases, this is not a problem. You are still saying the “T” sound. It is just slightly different.
If you want to sound more American you can work to improve the way you say this sound. I know time is an issue for most people. If you want more bang for your buck, work on sounds that others do not understand when you speak.
Americans sound more “casual” when they say the T sound. Clients have told me that the way Americans say T sounds “fast”.
To correct this, do these things:
- Touch and go…say the T sound then quickly move to the next sound
- Touch lightly…say the T sound by lightly touching the teeth
- Don’t “explode” the air…at the end of a word, be sure the air stops in a “softer” fashion
- Watch my class on the variations of the T sound
Good luck…people will notice the difference!