Why does "the" sound so different?

Question

When you say the end, it sounds like thee.
When you say the beginning it sounds like the.
The last sound of "the" is different, why is that?

Karen L · Accepted Answer

Not everyone says it as 'thee' in front of a vowel sound. I do, because that's how I learned to say it as a child. I think it sounds better, flows more easily off the tongue.
Saying 'thuh end' sounds clumsy and makes the person saying it sound uneducated to me. Formal English pronunciation rules call for 'thee' in front of vowel sounds. Of course, formal English pronunciation rules call for many things that many people don't say.

Pat Wooden · Answer

The usual pronunciation is "thuh".  However, when the word is followed by another word starting with a vowel, it is pronounced "thee".  It's just sounds better to say thee egg instead of thuh egg.

RP · Answer

Before a word starting with a vowel, the is pronounced differently than before a word starting with a consonant.

steve_geo1 · Answer

Karen L. is correct and deserves best answer.

Some people say "thee" for emphasis. "You are thee most important person in my life."

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Why does "the" sound so different?

4 Answers