How to pronounce they in American English

IPA /ðeɪ/ Syllables 1 · dhay

dhay

Start here

Americans pronounce they as dhay (/ðeɪ/). The TH in "they" can be produced with the tongue tip pressing just behind the upper teeth rather than coming all the way through — an easier, faster articulation. This is called the Quick TH (the, this, that), the casual shortcut native speakers reach for without thinking. It comes out as dhay. You'll hear it in sentences like "They came late today" or "They went there together" — more examples below.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "they" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Unlock the full report in the app

Sound by sound

Every sound in "they".

1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

dh/ð/

Place your tongue tip between or behind your front teeth, turn your vocal cords on, and push air through the gap.

ay/eɪ/

Start with your jaw slightly open and the front of your tongue forward and slightly up. Glide upward, your jaw closes a little more and your tongue arches higher toward the roof of the mouth.

In real conversation

Hear "they" in the wild.

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

"All well that ends well, they tell."

AHL wehl dhuht EHNDZ wehl dhay TEHL

"Although they are brothers, they loathe each other."

ahl·DHOH dhay er BRUH·dherz dhay LOHDH EECH UH·dher

"Don't desert your friends when they need you."

DOHNT duh·ZURT yer FREHNDZ wehn dhay NEED yoo

"Eight people had to wait to see how much they ate."

AYT PEE·puhl had tuh WAYT tuh SEE HOW MUHCH dhay AYT

"Freedom of religion allows people to worship as they choose."

FREE·duhm uhv ruh·LIH·juhn uh·LOWZ PEE·puhl tuh WUR·shuhp uhz dhay CHOOZ

"He expressed his disappointment when they canceled the event."

hee uhk·SPREHST hihz dih·suh·POYNT·muhnt wehn dhay KAN·suhld dhee uh·VEHNT

Find another

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Search the entire library

Press / anywhere to focus the search box.

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "they" 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 "dhay" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.