Thirteen or Thirty? | American English Pronunciation

Hello, it’s Hadar, and this is the Accent’s Way.

Your way to find clarity, confidence and freedom in English.

Today we're going to talk about the pair 13 and 13.

We gonna talk specifically about this pair but also learn the general rule

when it comes to the difference between ‘teens’ like 13, 14, 15 and ‘tens’ like 30, 40, 50.

All right.

So the first pair 13 and 30. They begin the same

Thir

To make this syllable bring the tongue out for the TH.

It's a soft TH- sound.

Release air

Th-th-

and then pull the tongue in for the R.

Thir Directly.

So it's kinda like you disregard the vowel that is there.

There is no vowels just to TH pulling in for an R.

Thir

Thir

For the R tongue pulls to the middle of the mouth, the lips round a bit

and the sides of the tongue push the insides of the upper teeth.

Thir

Then, listen to the difference between the two

Thir-TEEN

THIR-ty

Thir-TEEN

THIR-ty

The difference here, the biggest difference lies in the stress.

In the first word, the stress is on the second syllable

What is stress? Stress is the syllable.

A stress syllable is the syllable that is longer, louder and higher in pitch than the rest.

thir-TEEN

versus THIR-ty.

Here the stress is on the FIRST syllable.

THIR-ty

['TAda] [TaTA]

thir-TEEN

THIR-ty

Also, the stress affects the pronunciation of the T sound.

Because in the first word we have thir-TEEN.

It's a strong aspirated T because it's at the beginning of a stressed syllable.

Versus THIR-ty

Here it's a flap T. So it sounds like a D.

THIR-dy

D

thir-TEEN

and of course, there is the N at the end of the first word of the ‘teens’.

And that's very important to bring your tongue up to get to the N sound.

All right. So it's not thir-TEEN and thir-TY, okay,

then it sounds too similar.

Thir-TEEN

THIR-ty

Same thing for

four-TEEN

FOR-ty

Okay

four-TEEN (stressed) stress is on the second syllable and FORty.

fif-TEEN

FIF-ty

six-TEEN

SIX-ty

Seven-TEEN

SEVEN-ty

Right, you can keep going with the rest of the numbers.

And now when you ask your thirty dollars back you won't get only thirteen because you'll say it correctly!

So good.

I hope I helped

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