This video is by request, from one of my Facebook fans, Renata. The subject: how to pronounce the word ‘something’.This word is mispronounced by a lot of non-native speakers. One of the things that makes it tough is the TH sound. So in this video, we’re going to break it down step by step, first talking about the sounds, then talking about stress.

The first sound is the S consonant sound. Teeth are together, ss, ss, ss, to make that unvoiced sound. Then the first vowel is the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound, so there’s a very relaxed drop of the jaw, so-, so-, so-, and the tongue remains very relaxed. Some– then the lips have to come together to make the M sound. Some. If your lips don’t come together, you’re probably making the NG sound, a common substitution. Sung, sung. So make sure they do come together to get the M. Some, some, some.

Next is the tough part: the TH sound. It’s unvoiced. Someth–. So the lips part, and just the very tipof the tongue comes out. Th, th, th. And we let air pass through there, with no voice underneath it.The next sound is the IH as in SIT vowel. Now, when this sound is followed by the NG consonant, it does tend to go a little bit more towards the EE as in SHE vowel. Somethi–. So the tongue tip is now down, but the front part of the tongue is raising towards the roof of the mouth. Something. And finally, the NG consonant, where the back part of the tongue will reach up and touch the soft palate here. Something, something.

So now, stress. If you’ve noticed, something, stress is on the first syllable. Something, -thing, -thing. So, the second syllable, -thing, -thing, will be flatter, lower in pitch, and a little quieter. The first syllable will have more shape to it. Something, something.

Ok, so now you understand how to pronounce the word. How to integrate it into conversation? Well, just the knowledge is never going to be enough. You have to drill it repetitiously to bring it into your habit. So, start out slowly. Never do it so fast that you’re no longer doing it the correct way. Something. Take your time to make sure that your tongue is coming through the teeth for that unvoiced TH sound. Something. Eventually, when you’re comfortable with that, you can speed it up, slowly, until you get it to a normal conversational pace. I can’t stress enough the importance of repetition. It’s the only way to make it habit. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.