Pronunciation Reduction To

She had to go.

To is one of the easiest reductions to learn when learning English. Remember, to is reduced as part of the combinations of gonna, wanna and gotta. There are other lessons covering those reduced word combinations. This lesson is focused on other combinations with to.

As with most, but not all function words, to is not stressed in a sentence. There are three main ways to reduce and pronounce the to sound.

To T And Schwa Sound

To make this pronunciation, make a regular t sound and then follow it with a schwa sound. Here are a few examples:

• She walked tu my house.
• I have tu go the party.
• I hate tu leave early.
• They love tu eat.

To D and Schwa Sound

To make this pronunciation, make a regular d sound and then follow it with a schwa sound. This is common in words before to, that end in a t or d sound. Here are a few examples of to pronounced with the d and schwa sound:

• We had du go with him.
• I need du work on my project.
• It is too cold du go.
• She was about du leave.

With the last example it is perfectly fine to pronounce to with the t sound and schwa. There are times when the speaker will stick with the t sound more than the d. This is due to what sort of accent they have based on where they grew up and other factors.

Reducing And Linking To With The

A common reduction and linking is with to and the. It is very simple to do and happens quickly. The sound that is typically made with the to is the t sound, not the d sound. This is the case even when there is a t or d sound before the to. Some speakers make what is called a flapped t sound, which reduces it even further.

The sound happens quickly and flows as if it is just one sound. There is little to no movement in the jaw and lips. Try saying this three times: tuda. Here are some examples of the to and the combination:

• She went tuda store.
• I walked tuda park.
• Tuda ear, it sounds the same.
• Come tuda party.