How to pronounce Theater
There are several ways to pronounce the word ‘theater’, and one of the most common pronunciations in American English is great for practicing the TH sound, the flap T and the schwa. ‘Theater’ is made up of three syllables: thee-uh-d’r [IPA: ˈθiːəɾəɹ]. The primary stress is on the first syllable.
- thee
To make the first syllable, start with a voiceless TH sound as in ‘think’ and move into an ‘ee’ sound as in ‘see’. - uh
To make the schwa your mouth should be completely relaxed. This vowel is super short, and it’s as if it doesn’t even exist. - d’r
While speakers may pronounce this syllable with a T sound, it’s most likely that you will hear a flap T instead. The flap is a weak version of the T and it sounds like a light D sound. From the flap sound move into a schwa sound and then add a short R sound.
Watch the tutorial on the pronunciation of ‘theater’ and practice with me:
If you find the TH sound a bit challenging, watch this free training.
As for vowels, in this video, you’ll learn everything about the schwa, and here you’ll find a lesson about the tense and the lax ‘i’ in English.
Additional resources:
