British T Pronunciation: Practise Water and Better
/t/as in water
Practise a clear T in water and better as a starting point for careful speech.
A clear released T is a useful starting exercise. British speakers also use glottal and other T variants, depending on accent and context. This is not the only correct British T.
Listen once, repeat the word, then use it in a sentence. Practise the crisp t.
Compare
wadder
Practice target
wor-ter
What to listen for
Listen to the T in the model. Natural British speech also includes other T sounds.
How to practise
Touch the tongue to the ridge behind your teeth and release. Keep it crisp.
A short practice session
- Listen to water in the model recording.
- Touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, then release it for T.
- Repeat better and water slowly, then at a comfortable pace.
Try it in a sentence
The water is better today.
Can you hear a T without inserting an extra syllable? Avoid tensing your whole mouth to make the sound.
Read a line for a free accent assessment, or follow the British accent learning guide.
Practise words
Hear how you do on water.
BritSpeech scores crisp t on your own voice, on your phone, in seconds, then offers exercises to practise it.