How To Pronounce “there”

there

function word

Strong form

Used for emphasis or contrast.

Phonemic

/ðeə/

Phonetic

[ðeəʴ]

e.g. I said there, not here.

/aɪ.sedˈðeə.nɒt.hɪə/

Phonemic

/ðer/

e.g. I said there, not here.

/aɪ.sedˈðer.nɑːt.hɪr/

Weak form

Used as an existential word (There is..., There was...), in connected speech (UK English adds a linking /r/ before a vowel).

Phonemic

/ðə/

Phonetic

[ðəʴ]

e.g. There was a man.

/ðə.wəz.əˈmæn/

Phonemic

/ðɚ/

e.g. There was a man.

/ðɚ.wəz.əˈmæn/

Adverb (in or to that place)

Used as an adverb of place, with no weak form.

Phonemic

/ðeə/

Phonetic

[ðeəʴ]

e.g. She is there.

/ʃi.ɪzˈðeə/

Phonemic

/ðer/

e.g. She is there.

/ʃi.ɪzˈðer/

“there” is a function word, so it has more than one pronunciation. In normal connected speech the weak form is usual. The strong form is used when the word is stressed, said on its own or at the end of a phrase.

Strong form. In British English it is /ðeə/, and in American English it is /ðer/. It is used for emphasis or contrast.

Weak form. In British English it is /ðə/, and in American English it is /ðɚ/. It is used as an existential word (There is..., There was...), in connected speech (UK English adds a linking /r/ before a vowel).

Adverb (in or to that place). In British English it is /ðeə/, and in American English it is /ðer/. It is used as an adverb of place, with no weak form.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Questions About There

How do you pronounce there in British English?

Strong form, /ðeə/. Weak form, /ðə/. Adverb (in or to that place), /ðeə/.

How do you pronounce there in American English?

Strong form, /ðer/. Weak form, /ðɚ/. Adverb (in or to that place), /ðer/.

What is the weak form of there?

The weak form of there is /ðə/ in British English. It is the usual form in connected speech.

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