How to pronounce than in American English

IPA /ðən/ Syllables 1 · dhuhn

dhuhn

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Americans pronounce than as dhuhn (/ðən/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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Why it sounds different

Why "than" sounds like dhuhn.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, what turns word-by-word reading into actual conversation. It comes out as dhuhn.

In real conversation

Hear "than" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"Absolute beauty is better than basic belief."

AB·suh·loot BYOO·dee ihz BEH·der dhuhn BAY·suhk buh·LEEF

"Better never than late, said the waiter."

BEH·der NEH·ver dhuhn LAYT sehd dhuh WAY·der

"He always buys more than what is on the shopping list."

hee AHL·wayz BAHYZ MOR dhuhn WUHT ihz ahn dhuh SHAH·puhng LIHST

"I find live theater to be a more engaging experience than movies."

ahy FAHYND LAHYV THEE·uh·der tuh bee uh MOR uhn·GAY·juhng ihk·SPEER·yuhns dhuhn MOO·veez

"I need to adjust my alarm because my commute takes longer than expected."

ahy NEED tuh uh·JUHST mahy uh·LARM buh·KUHZ mahy kuh·MYOOT TAYKS LAHNG·ger dhuhn uhk·spehk·tuhd

"I'd rather stay home than go out."

AHYD RA·dher STAY HOHM dhuhn GOH OWT

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

DHUHN→dhuhn

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "than" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "dhuhn" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "than" sounds like dhuhn.

Hear "than" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "than". Start saying it.