WORD STUDY
How to pronounce thirty /ˈθɜːti/
Thirty combines /θ/ with the vowel in bird. Separate it from thirteen through stress, and learn the American flap that makes the t sound like a quick d.
Broad IPA phonetic notation · general American / British
US /ˈTHərtē/ · UK /ˈθɜːti/Syllables: 2
How to read these pronunciations
One reference reading per word and accent. Words such as read and wind can have other readings; this lookup does not choose by sentence meaning. Synthesized speech may use a different reading.
American results use dictionary respelling, as in ber. British results use broad IPA, as in /beə/. The sound chart and IPA lessons teach IPA separately. ˈ marks main stress and ˌ secondary stress; single-syllable words omit them.
American respelling key
- a
- cat
- ā
- day
- ä
- father
- e
- bed
- ē
- see
- i
- sit
- ī
- my
- ō
- go
- ô
- law
- o͞o
- food
- o͝o
- foot
- oi
- boy
- ou
- now
- ə
- cup, about
- ər
- bird, teacher
- er
- bear
- ir
- hear
- CH
- chip
- j
- jump
- SH
- ship
- ZH
- vision
- TH
- thin
- T͟H
- this
- NG
- sing
- y
- yes
Independently converted open dictionary data, using Oxford-style notation conventions. Not Oxford or Google dictionary content, and not affiliated with either publisher. Conversion does not verify every word or reproduce a particular dictionary edition.
Sources, conversion rules and licenses · US MIT · UK GPL-3.0
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eSpeak NG · GPL-3.0 · SourceMeaning
The number 30.
Stress the first syllable: THIR-ty. In thirteen, stress usually falls on the second syllable, which helps listeners tell the numbers apart. Many American speakers use a quick flap for the t, close to a light d.
Your practice sequence
- Begin with a soft /θ/ and move directly into the vowel in bird.
- Add a short, weak second syllable: THIR-ty.
- Compare “thirty people” and “thirteen people”, moving the stress.
There are thirty people here.
Build the sound, step by step
Find each sound in the phonetics chart, then return here to practise it inside the word.
Explore the sound chart ↗Published 3 November 2026