Em Rule

Editing and Writing

Have you noticed there are two ways of saying “the”? A friend asked me about this recently, and why we say it differently at different times.

We usually say “thuh”, but if the next word starts with a vowel sound, we say “thee”.

Thuh pancakes, thee avocado, thee empty glass, thuh computer…

This is one of those things that has evolved for ease of speaking – try saying “thuh end” and “thee end”. Which one flows more easily?

It’s always spelt “the” though!