Short 'a' /æ/ words with 'flap t':
batter —> 'ba-der' /ˈbætɚ/
I need to make the batter for the bread I'm baking.
matter —> 'ma-der' /ˈbætɚ/
It doesn't matter if you come to the party or not. I'm ok either way.
Short 'e' /ɛ/ words with 'flap t':
letter —> 'leh-der' /ˈlɛdɚ/
I got a letter in the mail.
better —> 'beh-der' /ˈbɛdɚ/
Are you feeling better?
metal —> 'meh-dl' /ˈmɛdl̟/
Gold and silver are types of metal.
Short 'i' /ɪ/ words with 'flap t':
city —> 'sih-dee' /ˈsɪdi/
Have you been to New York City?
pretty —> 'prih-dee' /ˈprɪdi/
This flower is so pretty.
*Note: That's right, pretty, is actually pronounced with a short 'i' sound!
sitter —> 'sih-der' /ˈsɪdɚ/
We need to get a baby sitter for next Saturday.
little —> 'lih-dl' /ˈlɪdl̟/
The kitten is so little.
Short 'o' /ɑː/ words with the 'flap t':
hotter —> 'hah-der' /ˈhɑːdɚ/
It's hotter in Miami than in Chicago.
rotting —> 'rah-ding' /ˈrɑːdɪŋ/
The banana was rotting in the sun for three days.
potter —> 'pah-der' /ˈpɑːdɚ/
My niece loves reading Harry Potter.
Short 'u' /ʌ/ words with the 'flap t':
butter —> 'buh-der' /ˈbʌdɚ/
I love putting butter on my bread.
shutter —> 'shu-der' /ˈʃʌdɚ/
I live in the white house with the red shutters.
Long 'a' /eɪ/ words with the 'flap t':
waiter —> 'way-der' /ˈweɪdɚ/
The waiter brought over some water.
later —> 'lay-der' /ˈleɪdɚ/
See you later!
tasted —> 'tays-ded' /ˈteɪsdɛd/
Dinner tasted great.
Long 'e' /iː/ words with the 'flap t':
meter —> 'mee-der' /ˈmiːdɚ/
I put $2 in the parking meter.
theater —> 'thee-(uh)-der' /ˈθijətɚ/
I'll see you at the movie theater.
Long 'i' /aɪ/ words with the 'flap t':
lighter —> 'lie-der' /ˈlaɪdɚ/
I need a lighter for these candles.
biter —> 'bie-der' /'baɪdɚ/
Careful, that dog is a biter.
Long 'o' /oʊ/ words with the 'flap t':
boater —> 'boe-der' /ˈboʊdɚ/
My uncle is an avid boater.
floating —> 'floe-ding' /ˈfloʊdɪŋ/
The raft is floating down the river.
Long 'u' /juː/ words with the 'flap t':
commuting —> 'cu-myoo-ding' /kəˈmjuːdɪŋ/
She's commuting to work every Monday.
muted —> 'myoo-did' /ˈmjuːtəd/
You can't hear the TV because it's muted.
Long 'oo' /uː/ as in "moon" (long u without the 'y' sound) words with the 'flap t':
booted —> 'boo-did' /ˈbuːdəd/
I booted up the computer
Short 'oo' /ʊ/ (as in "book") words with the 'flap t':
putting —> 'puh-ding' /ˈpʊdɪŋ/
I was putting the dishes away when I heard a knock at the door.
'ou/ow' /aʊ/ (as in "cow") words with the 'flap t':
pouting —> 'pow-ding' /ˈpaʊɪŋ/
The kids were pouting because we ran out of cake.
'oi/oy' /oɪ/ (as in "boy") words with the 'flap t':
hoisted —> 'hoys-did' /ˈhoɪsdəd/
The sailors hoisted up the sails.
Schwa /ə/ (as in "the") words with the 'flap t':
sensitive —> 'sen-suh-div' /ˈsɛnsədɪv/
I'm a sensitive person.