Hi everyone and welcome back to Seattle Learning Academy's American English pronunciation podcast.

My name is Mandy, and this is our 35th episode. For the next few weeks, I'm going to have shortened podcasts. There are a lot of things going on at

pronunciation, including getting ready to publish video podcasts. So, until I get all of that figured out

and get everything else finished and announced, these will be, as we say, short and sweet. Today, I'm

going to talk about three very frequently said homonyms. Hominiums are different words that are

pronounced the same. Today's homonyms are the words there, there, and there. Let me spell them.

There, T-H-E-R-E, there, T-H-E-I-R, there-A-A-A-A-A-E.

I often hear students say the first two the same,

there and there, but many do not realize that T-H-E-Y-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-R-E is also said the same, there.

The first sound is a voiced T-H.

Then we say an R-controlled vowel, the A-I-R sound.

The word has only one syllable.

If you're saying it as two, it will sound like you're not saying

the contraction for they are. It will sound like you are saying the words they and are. Say all

three with me. There, there, there. It doesn't matter what order you're saying them in.

They all sound the same.

I most frequently hear students substitute a D sound

for the voiced TH sound.

Listen to the difference between the words D-A-R-E- Dare and There.

Dare, There, There.

Dare, there.

Some students also substitute a Z sound for a voiced TH.

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