How to Pronounce USED TO in American English

In this American English pronunciation video,

you’re going to learn how to say the phrases: used to and supposed to.

Hey guys, I’m making this video on vacation. So that means we have a weird wood background.

But we have the benefit of a lot of friends and family to help me make this video.

I recently got a request on how to pronounce, ‘supposed to’ and ‘used to.’ Great request,

we use these phrases all the time and there’s actually a couple different pronunciations.

Let’s start with ‘used to.’ If this phrase comes at the end of a sentence,

if it’s the final thought then we want to make a real OO vowel at the end, I used to.

>> Rachel do you ski? >> I used to.

But if it’s not at the end, if we’re going to continue on with the thought,

then we’re probably going to make that last sound a schwa.

For example: I used to ski. There I’m saying use to, use to, instead of used to, used to.

But let’s go back and start at the beginning. The first syllable is stressed,

so it will be DA-da, used to, used to, and it begins with the EW as in FEW Diphthong.

So the tongue tip is down and the front part is very close to the roof of the mouth, u-, u-, u-.

There’s also a little holding in the throat that makes –ng-, -ng-, that sound, u-, u-.

Then the tongue comes down from the front and lifts from the back and the lips will round,

u-, u-, to make the second half of the diphthong.

The word ‘used’ by its self has a Z sound and a D sound.

For example: I bought a used car, it’s not new. But when we’re connecting to the word ‘to’,

which begins with an unvoiced consonant, we actually unvoice the S and the D.

So rather than a Z sound, we just make it an S sound, used to,

and we don’t actually need to try to make the D in ‘used,’ we can just drop that,

and go straight from the S sound to the T sound. Used to, used to. So we’re simplifying things here.

So after the EW Diphthong, use, we make an S.

I make that with the tongue tip down and the teeth closed. Use to, to. Then we make a True T.

Normally the tongue tip goes to the roof of the mouth to make that.

But since our tongue tip is down. Used t-,

we can actually keep it down and still make a True T sound

by pressing the part of the tongue just behind the tip to the roof of the mouth.

Use to, use to, use to.

So if we don’t lift the tongue up to the roof of the mouth

and then bring it back down for the vowel that simplifies things a little bit.

So we can just make that T with a part of the tongue just behind the tip

and leave the tip down the whole time. Use to, use to, use to. That helps simplify things.

It works also when we make the final vowel the OO vowel. Use to, use to, use to.

I don’t need to bring my tongue tip up for that T sound.

Let’s hear a few other people say this phrase.

>> David do you keep in touch with John? >> I used to.

>> Hey Dad, do you water ski? >> I used to.

>> I used to go to the theatre a lot.

>> I used to like soccer.

>> I used to bike to work.

>> Rachel do you like to work from home? >> I used to. Getting a little tired of it now.

>> I used to like bugs but now I don’t. >> Okay.

>> I used to like spiders but now I don’t. >> What do you like now instead?

>> Um, science. >> Oh cool.

>> David do you keep in touch with John? >> I used to. I used to. I used to.

>> Hey Dad, do you water ski? >> I used to. I used to. I used to.

>> Rachel do you like to work from home? >> I used to. I used to. I used to.

>> I used to like soccer. I used to, I used to, I used to.

>> I used to go to the theatre a lot. I used to, I used to, I used to.

>> I used to bike to work. I used to, I used to, I used to.

>> I used to like bugs. I used to, I used to, I used to.

>> David do you keep in touch with John? >> I used to.

>> Hey Dad, do you water ski? >> I used to.

>> I used to go to the theatre a lot.

>> I used to like soccer.

>> I used to bike to work.

>> Rachel do you like to work from home? >> I used to. Getting a little tired of it now.

>> I used to like bugs but now I don’t. >> Okay.

>> I used to like spiders but now I don’t. >> What do you like now instead?

>> Um, science. >> Oh cool.

I hope this video has simplified for you how to pronounce ‘used to’ and ‘supposed to.’

They’re really useful phrases.

If there is a phrase you’d like to learn how to pronounce put it in the comments below,

and don’t forget to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ this video.

That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.