When you are speaking American English a letter ‘t’ that occurs in the middle of a word often sounds more like a /d/.
This sound is called a tapped T and it is one of the main differences between an American English accent and a British accent.
To make the tapped T sound, let your tongue lightly flap against the gum ridge behind your teeth. Do not release a puff of air with this sound.
The tapped T sound occurs in the following situations:
Before unstressed “er” & “or” as in the words: later, better & water.
Before “ing” & “ed” as in the words: shouting & shouted.
Before a unstressed word endings as in the words: city & thirty.
When linking words such as: “cut it out” or “put it on”.
The tapped T is very frequent in spoken American English. Your ability to recognize words that contain this sound will help your comprehension when you are listening to Americans speak. Your ability to use this sound will make your accent sound more American.
