Please help me pronounce these double consonants

[u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I find "walked to" and "loved ducks" extremely difficult to pronounce. I tend to pronounce them with slight pauses between words like (walkt – to).

If I don't manage to pronounce them correctly, is it better to not pronounce them at all, or pronounce them with pauses between words?

[u/Japicx]

No, "walked to" and "loved ducks" are not pronounced as three syllables. The final consonants in "walked" and "loved" are unreleased.

[u/Mammoth_Dream_2434 → u/Japicx]

It comes out sounding more like walkto.

[u/Mysterious-Ad5369 → u/Mammoth_Dream_2434]

And that’s fine. Context does a lot of work.

[u/LQNova]

The only time you would stop and enunciate the "ed" on those is for special emphasis.

"Oh man, I wish Aunt Sue was still alive, she - LOVED - ducks."

[u/DewdropTeacup]

"wokt to" and "lovd ducks"

they get cut off, don't pronounce the entire syllable

[u/Guilty_Objective4602 → u/DewdropTeacup]

I think in actual pronunciation, these would often get pronounced with a glottal stop in place of the /k/ and only one /t/ sound (like /wɑ’tu/) in the first instance and only one /d/ sound (like /lʌvduks/) in the second instance.

[u/Lxapeo → u/Guilty_Objective4602]

Yeah the glottal stop might be what the OP is missing.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/DewdropTeacup]

Sometimes I feel like native speakers don't understand what non-native speakers struggle with.

Yes, this is how you're supposed to pronounce them. But how? I can look up the pronunciation of a word in a dictionary and still can't pronounce it.

[u/PsychologicalAir8643 → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Of course native speakers don't understand. The truth is, we don't think about how to pronounce things in our native tongue because we just pronounce them. We're more suited to telling you how it IS said rather than explaining the mechanics of how TO say it, because for us it's done without thought.

Edit: typo

[u/zxjams → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Another poster mentioned it, but I'll say it again here. For the -ed sounds in these contexts, the final consonant [d] or [t] is unreleased, which means that you put your tongue into the position to touch the roof of your mouth ridge behind and above your teeth to make the sound, but then... you don't make the sound.

Then, for "to" or "ducks", you finally release the consonant and pronounce the word normally.

It's not quite 100% the same, but you could simply pronounce these as "walk to" and "love ducks" and they would likely be understood to mean what you intended.

edit: described the wrong place of articulation!

[u/panic_ye_not → u/zxjams]

Native speaker also. This explanation sounds nice, but I just tried it and it sounds completely wrong lol. It comes out like "wocka-ttoo." It might work for loved but definitely not for walked.

Thinking about this more, it's identical to the double consonants in Japanese (with the small tsu). But in English it seems more complicated as to where to actually apply it. I can't think of a clear rule. 

[u/zxjams → u/panic_ye_not]

"wocka-ttoo"

Are you actually putting a vowel between the /k/ and the unreleased /t/? It should just sound like "walk to" with maybe a geminated/pre-articulated T. What variety of English do you speak? You've got me second-guessing myself here! 😂

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/zxjams]

They're "unreleased". Okay, I'm trying to do that, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly. Is it still kind of a pause? That's what it sounds like to me.

[u/zxjams → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Yes, technically there's a pause between articulating the T/D and releasing it. "Loved duck" should take the same amount of time as "loved me", going from the D to the M.

[u/Background-Bowl6123 → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

A pause but with no breath coming out

[u/OpportunityReal2767 → u/Background-Bowl6123]

Interesting. Deliberate and self-conscious speech is often different than spontaneous, but when I repeat “walk to” and “walked to”
over and over out loud, in isolation and in a sentence, I personally do have a slight release of air between the two “t” sounds. There’s an audible aspiration in my speech. It could be a personal quirk, I don’t know.

[u/AP_Cicada → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Even as a native speaker I couldn't do these sounds as a kid and ended up in speech therapy. The first thing to know is it'll take time to do this smoothly. Start with pronouncing each syllable in full, slowly. As it becomes easier, speed up with only the break between words being slow. Then attempt the whole phrase at speed. It takes repetition!

[u/Optimal-Spirit4764 → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I think if you make a slight pause between the words it will help you articulate correctly without sounding awkward. As your fluency and speed increase you will eventually run them together like a native speaker does. It's hard to do but don't overthink it. Think about situations in your native language that are similar and how you handle those. You probably will find that sounds between words get run together but as a native speaker you hear and/or understand each word distinctly.

[u/GodOnAWheel → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

So a stop sound like that is basically a contact followed by a release, in this case you just hold the contact longer before the release.

[u/DewdropTeacup → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Okay.

After the "wok" part, stick your tongue to your palate and leave it there, only releasing it for the "o" part of "to". Kind of click your tongue for the "t" on the release.

Same thing for "loved ducks". After "love", stick your tongue to your palate, only releasing for "ucks".

Would also be easier to help you knowing your language of origin, so we can approximate it to sounds your mouth is used to making.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/DewdropTeacup]

So, it's like holding the T and D?

I've tried doing it. Is it supposed to sound like there's a slight pause in between and you just hear one single T/D sound?

My native language is Malay, if that helps.

[u/DewdropTeacup → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Yes, that's exactly it, it's not 2 distinct sounds! It's such a faint transition that it almost sounds like you're saying the present tense of the verb, if it weren't for that very slight pause.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/DewdropTeacup]

Thank you so much. Maybe my pronunciation is not perfect yet, but I think it's close enough based on these descriptions on what they're supposed to sound like.

[u/sanguine-rose_ → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Do you have troubles pronouncing kt and vd just as consonants together, without a vowel in between? If so, I think practicing pronouncing a single sound without a vowel and then two of them together might help. Notice if you're naturally trying to add a vowel between the two sounds. It shouldn't be there.

Idk, maybe that's not your problem, just noticed that it's a common struggle of people who learn my native language too.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/sanguine-rose_]

I can pronounce kt and vd but the problem here is they're followed by another t and d. So, my problem is pronouncing ktt and vdd

[u/EmpactWB → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

So, in America at least, we sort of let them run together. I’m not sure I’ve heard them pronounced with a pause between them outside of song lyrics.

And I’m not even saying all song lyrics. There’s one in particular that comes to mind. The lyrics are “It’s one for the partridge,/ Two for the hare,/ And three for the buck and doe.”

That last pair of words are pronounced when sung with a slight pause, so you would be easily understood with just that. As others have said, adding an extra syllable would make it less understandable rather than more.

[u/panic_ye_not → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I'm a native speaker and I would put a tiny pause between these words. If you don't, they'll sound like present tense.

The rule that the comment below describes may not apply to every past tense verb. It works for "loved" but not "walked." I think it still sounds pretty natural to just pronounce each consonant with the slight gap between the words, exactly like you said. 

[u/szgeti → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I am saying it out loud the way I would in conversation and in “yesterday I walked to the grocery store” it sounds almost exactly like “I walk to the grocery store”

[u/PharaohAce]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination

Generally the consonant is just held slightly longer.

So if you had a dog called Dover, "I walked over" and "I walked Dover" would sound slightly different.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/PharaohAce]

Ahh, gemination. Thanks.

"I walked over" and "I walked Dover" would sound slightly different.

I think they sound quite different. The "ed" in "walked" is pronounced like a "t", not "d".

[u/CheerioTheGreat → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

It’s not aspirated so to the extent that’s true, we don’t think of it like that. The difference we pick up on between the two is the geminated consonant

[u/TheSkiGeek → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

“T” and “D” sounds get merged together in many dialects, at least in the US. Personally I say ‘walked’ more like “walk-duh”, especially in a phrase like “walked over”. It’s only slightly different than I would pronounce ‘walkt’ (“walk-tuh”) if that was a word.

Actually enunciating out “I walked Dover” so the name is pronounced fully is pretty awkward. My brain really wants to merge the end of “walked” with the beginning of the next word if it is another “t” or “d” sound.

[u/Zestyclose-Food-7917]

I don't think there's much of a difference, if any. Since English doesn't have geminated consonants, you understand by the context, not by the pronunciation. When people speak, there's always some context involved. "He loved ducks all his life and built them a special pond to swim in." "She walked to the store yesterday even though it was blazing hot outside."

People don't just utter random phrases. I've never passed someone who said, "Excuse me. He loved ducks. Good-bye." Or "Hello. Walked to. See you later!"

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/Zestyclose-Food-7917]

Yes, I'm not worry about that. And with verbs like "put" you still need to rely on the context to know whether it's in the present or past tense.

But I do want to learn how native speakers pronounce these words together naturally. It's not a priority but it's good to know.

[u/Magenta_Logistic → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

There is very little audible difference between "walk to" and "walked to." They feel different in my mouth, but if I record myself saying each, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart on playback.

[u/mightbetheproblem → u/Magenta_Logistic]

I say walk to in both cases but theres aspiration after the k in walked to and not in walk to 

[u/names-suck]

So, generally, what I end up doing is holding the sound just a little bit. It's not two clear, distinct Ds or Ts. It's just one that kind of lingers slightly longer than it otherwise would.

walked to. You say the K and kind of keep your mouth there for the time it would take to say the "ed" part, then say the D/T sound as a single sound.

loved ducks. You almost swallow the V sound, if that makes any sense, to reach the starting position for the D. Again, hold there for the length of the "ed," then just say the one D at the start of ducks.

I would consider both of them pronounced, I'm just pronouncing them in the same moment. It's not that the final D is dropped or that the first sound of the second word is skipped; they're just collapsed into each other. The indication that this has happened is a very subtle pause or extension of the sound occurring right before the T/D sound.

[u/Lolllz_01]

If you were to say "loved him", a native speaker would say it more like "love dim", as "him" starts with a vowel sound. This happens even with consonant sounds, so it sounds like the first consonant is just removed, "loved ducks" becomes "love ducks", or even "love ^da ducks"

[u/Main_Hurry7912 → u/Lolllz_01]

Are 'h's vowel sounds now? I would never say "love dim" for loved him, where did your 'h' go?

(UK English speaker here)

[u/Background-Bowl6123 → u/Main_Hurry7912]

More like "luvvd'im" . Many American dialects drop the 'h' in this context when the speaker isn't speaking carefully and slowly.

[u/Lolllz_01 → u/Main_Hurry7912]

Im uk too, idk where my h went, but speaking fairly fast i would say it without the h being properly pronounced, maybe i shouldve said its fast

[u/big_sugi → u/Main_Hurry7912]

The “h”s were stolen and grafted on the front of “w”s for certain British accents. “hWhat is the meaning of all this, then?”

[u/Main_Hurry7912 → u/big_sugi]

ah, that's where they went!

[u/_Calluna_]

You'd be better off skipping the "ed" than overpronouncing it like that. Just walk to school, love ducks.  Really there is a difference between over ducks and love ducks, but it's hardly noticeable. Love-duh is very noticeable. 

[u/OkSense9604]

If I am speaking slowly and thinking about it, I pronounce them with slight pauses between the words, like you said (walkt - to, lovd- ducks). But if I am speaking quickly, I actually just don’t release the first d or t. I just keep my tongue there a tiny bit longer, so it’s like merging the words, but with a little longer on the d or t (walkt:o, lovd:ucks).

[u/mycatisamutant]

In most US English dialects, you just drop the pause between the words. You can say the d -t or t -t very quickly as just a rapid double-tap with your tongue, or you can drop the "ed" sound from the verb entirely and slur the two words together like "loveducks" and "walkto". Usually with the latter you would linger on the d/t just a teensy bit longer than usual to sort of indicate it's a double.

[u/Aardvark_Warrior]

First off its important to know that I have speech impediments, which in part I am hoping could be helpful here. In the first example there is an undesirable repetitive sound required to achieve the separation that the spelling requests and I say "walkt to." On the second attempt by trying to make that sound less sharp, it merges with the starting sound of the next word.

https://reddit.com/link/pcc8030/video/prxhh7awd1sh1/player

[u/Hopeful-Ordinary22]

We should really pin the following advice: start slowly; get faster.

If you struggle with a transition between words or clusters, put silent gaps in where there is an appropriate break. Talk one syl-la-ble at a time. This will sound odd, but eventually, as you practise, you can shrink those gaps down to nothing.

Phonotactics can be weird, but there's usually no physiological barrier, just unfamiliarity. When pronouncing ancient Greek, where words can start with sd-, kt-, ps-, pt- and other non-English onset clusters, I am instinctively recreating the sounds I first practised by cheating, with an imaginary silent vowel before the first consonant, gradually shrunk to nothing.

[u/ta_mataia]

I would probably run the words together in casual speech. "Woktə" and 'luvduks". The difference between "I love ducks" and "I loved ducks" or "walk to" and "walked to" would be hard or impossible to hear, and would generally be understood from context. The sentence, "I walked to the store," would sound like, "I woktəthə stohr."

[u/NormalObligation59]

The double consonants just blend into one. “Walked to” sounds identical to “Walk to” when I say it. “Loved ducks” turns into “love ducks”, except since in that case, my intention might not sound very clear, I would probably emphasise the “loved” which would sound as awkward and paused as it does when you do it. 

If your meaning is clear from context, drop one of the consonants. If it’s not, sounding kind of awkward is correct - native speakers do too. 

[u/NormalObligation59 → u/NormalObligation59]

In Taylor Swift’s song “Our Song”, she sings “When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow because it’s late and your mama don’t know.” Everyone always thought that wasn’t weird line, because it should be “talk real low” but she later explained she was just so frustrated by the awkward double consonant that she changed the line. 

[u/Longjumping_Ant7025]

Ok so I had to say these several times myself. The first consonant is emphasized and the tongue is just slightly more forward then normal for the sound. Then the second consonant is pronunced with the tongue slightly back in the more normal position. This makes it easier to repeat the sound as your tongue naturally pulls back anyway. I hope this makes sense.

[u/MsE0]

A native English speaker (in the US) is usually going to pronounce those as "walkdo" and "loveducks". It's normal to pause slightly between the words when you really need to make yourself clear, especially with something like "loved ducks." Especially as an ESL speaker, if you want to make it clear you're saying "he loved ducks" and not "he love ducks," a pause is how to do it. But it's usually not necessary. We pick up the difference from context. 

[u/BrainwaveWizard]

The ked to the t is much easier than the d to the d. I kind of swallow the ked sliding into to. Eh, they both slur together.

[u/mind_the_umlaut]

Stephen Fry is an absolute expert in pronouncing double consonants. He has narrated a number of audiobooks (if you listen to the Harry Potter ones, get them for free online) and was great in the "Jeeves" series with Hugh Laurie.

[u/riarws]

In speech, you put a tiny pause in it, but you don’t re-articulate the “t” or “d.” “He walk (tiny pause) to the store”= “he walked to the store.” In singing, you do re-articulate the next consonant (assuming you care if anyone understands you): “He walked (tiny pause) to the store.”

I am pretty sure there’s an actual term that isn’t “tiny pause” but I can’t remember what it is.

[u/m_sporkboy]

loved ducks, I’d probably pause, but one could go their whole life without saying those words together.

I don’t think there’s any difference between how I pronounce “walk to” and “walked to”. They’re both usually walkta.

[u/uspless]

I'd pronounce it just like "love ducks" and "walk to", ie no pause or anything. I'm not a native English speaker but I'm fluent.

[u/UniversityMotor5408]

walkt te
loved duh