How do You Pronounce "THE" in English?

The Problem With “THE” Do I say thee? Or Do I say thuh?  So many people say this wrong! I have even heard broadcasters and actors (all native English speakers) say this wrong!  The problem is, most English teachers, don't teach phonetic sounds.  They teach the way it's spelled. 

What is the correct sound?


Many people make the mistake of not saying the word "the" correctly. The word "the" has two sounds: thee and thuh. When it comes before a consonant, we pronounce "the" with a short sound (like "thuh").
But when "the" comes before a vowel sound, we pronounce it as a long "thee".

It is important to understand that it is what we say that matters, not what we write. It is the sound of speech that want to make sure is right, not the letter used in writing a word. So we use a long "thee" before a vowel sound, not necessarily before a vowel. Here are some examples:
vowel sound:       A
writing:                the apple
speaking:            thee apple

vowel sound:      E
writing:               the egg
speaking:            thee egg

vowel sound:      I
writing:               the ice-cream
speaking:            thee ice-cream
writing                              speaking
the house consonant (h)       thuh house (consonant sound)
the hour consonant (h)         thee our (vowel sound)
the university vowel (u)        thuh youniversity (consonant sound)
the umbrella vowel (u)         thee umbrella (vowel sound)

The Weird Letter U:
Note that the vowel U sometimes sounds like a consonant with a YOU sound, and sometimes sounds like a vowel with a "uh" sound.

Emphatic the [thee]
When we wish to place emphasis on a particular word, we can use "emphatic the" [thee], whether or not the word begins with a consonant or vowel sound. For example:

A: I saw the [thuh] bride yesterday.
B: What! The [thee] bride in the wedding tomorrow?
A: Yes, exactly.