How to pronounce that in American English

IPA /ðæt/ Syllables 1 · dhat Stress 1st syllable

DHAT

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Americans pronounce that as DHAT (/ðæt/).

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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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "that", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

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Why it sounds different

Why "that" sounds like DHAT.

In "that", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as DHAT.

In real conversation

Hear "that" in the wild.

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

"A black hole has a gravitational pull so strong that light cannot escape."

uh BLAK HOHL huhz uh gra·vuh·TAY·shuh·nuhl PUUL SOH STRAHNG dhuht LAHYT KA·naht uh·SKAYP

"All well that ends well, they tell."

AHL wehl dhuht EHNDZ wehl dhay TEHL

"Are you part of the guard that guards the yard?"

ar yoo PART uhv dhuh GARD dhuht GARDZ dhuh YARD

"Can you bring me that thing over there?"

kuhn yuh BRIHNG mee dhat thihng OH·ver DHAIR

"Can you pass me that cup and that glass?"

kuhn yoo PAS mee DHAT KUHP and DHAT GLAS

"Can you play that tune on the guitar?"

kuhn yoo PLAY dhat TOON ahn dhuh guh·TAR

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "that", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

that→DHAT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "that" 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 "DHAT" 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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "that" sounds like DHAT.

Hear "that" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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