Do you know how to say the words Tuesday and Thursday correctly in English?
These two words can be confusing when it comes to pronunciation. This is because the sounds at the beginning of the words (tu and th) can be difficult to pronounce.
There are lots of other words that contain these sounds, so if you can pronounce the words Tuesday and Thursday correctly then you will be able to pronounce many more.
The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of short, informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Josie and Mark talk about how to pronounce Tuesday and Thursday correctly.
Because this episode focuses on pronunciation, it’s best to watch the video or listen to the podcast episode while you read this article, to hear Josie and Mark making the sounds.
So, let’s get started and look at the words Tuesday and Thursday. Why not get a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while you read and listen!
Tuesday
There are three different ways to pronounce the letters tu at the beginning of Tuesday. But don’t worry, they are all quite similar! The best way to understand the sounds is to watch the video, but here are the written versions to help you:
Tuesday = [chewz-day]
This is how Josie pronounces it in the episode.
Tuesday = [tee-ooz-day]
This is how Mark pronounces it in the episode.
Tuesday = [tooz-day]
This is the North American English pronunciation.
The letters ‘tu’ in the middle of a word
When the letters tu are in the middle of a word, most English speakers pronounce them as ch, like the first sound in the word cheese. Let’s look at some examples of these words:
culture
adventure
century
congratulations
nature
mature
The letters ‘tu’ at the start of a word
When the letters tu are at the start of a word, we can pronounce them as ch, like in the words above. We can also pronounce them in two other ways. Let’s look at some examples:
tune
[choon] or [tee-oon] or [toon]
tube
[choob] or [tee-oob] or [toob]
stupid
[s-choo-pid] or [stee-oo-pid] or [stoo-pid]
tutor
[choo-tor] or [tee-oo-tor] or [too-tor]
Be careful! There are lots of words that begin with tu that have a different sound. For example, in the words tunnel, turn, and turtle, the letter t is always pronounced like the letter of the alphabet T.
Thursday
Is everything clear so far? Let’s move onto the word Thursday. To make the th at the beginning of this word, we put our tongue between our teeth and blow out air. There are actually two ways to pronounce th in English.
Unvoiced ‘th’
The th sound at the beginning of Thursday is unvoiced. This means that we don’t use our voice when we make this sound.
To practise, put your hand on your neck, just under your chin, and say the sound th at the beginning of Thursday. You should not feel any vibrations or movement in your neck. Here are some other words with the unvoiced th sound:
think
three
thanks
bath
nothing
Voiced ‘th’
The th sound at the beginning of the word the is voiced. This means that we use our voice when we make this sound.
To practise, put your hand on your neck, just under your chin, and say the sound th at the beginning of the. You should feel your throat (inside your neck) moving and vibrating. Here are some other words with the voiced th sound:
this
that
although (can be pronounced voiced or unvoiced)
weather
other
It’s your turn!
Now, let’s practise! Here are three sentences. If you want, you can listen to Josie saying them in the video, and repeat them after her.
1. On Tuesday, we’re going on an adventure.
2. Let’s play a tune on Thursday.
3. There is nature and culture on Tuesday and Thursday.
If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Josie on The Coffee Break English Show. In this series, we talk about useful topics for English learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.
Plus! To get regular free English lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our email lessons. We regularly send short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your English. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!
Keep practising the sounds at the beginning of Tuesday and Thursday. We recommend that you make a list of all the words with these sounds that you find difficult to pronounce and practise them every day.
Remember that it’s ok if you don’t sound like a native speaker when you’re speaking English! It’s more important that you are confident when you’re speaking, and people can understand you.
Happy Coffee Breaking!
