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How do you pronounce 20

swiftstelse
How do you pronounce " twenty "? Ive seen a post in the internet and one guy said that he pronounce it like "twenny" so because of that I'm confused now and I don't know how to say it more correctly ( twenty, twendy, twenny, etc.)

100 comments

SnooDonuts6494
My friend, over a billion people speak English, all differently. None are designated as the correct way. Even within England, there's a *massive* variation. Even from one part of town to another, "twenty" sounds different. Even within the same house and family, children often pronounce it differently to their parents. As long as people can understand you, it doesn't matter.
ConstantCool6017
I don’t pronounce the t unless I’m saying the word slowly or really stressing it. This is in American English. So, “twuh-nee.”
BottleTemple
I'd say I pronounce it like "twenny". I'm from the northeastern US.
Ristrettooo
Like a lot of English words, there’s more than one correct pronunciation. Have you looked it up in a dictionary? They usually give you examples of British and American pronunciation. Most North American accents leave out the second t, like /ˈtwɛni/. There’s more variation in the UK, but the RP is more like /ˈtwɛnti/. I don’t think any standard accent pronounces the second t as /d/, but some accents turn it into a nasalized flap, like [ˈtw̥ɛ̃ɾ̃i]
ArvindLamal
twunny
jsohnen
"twe'nee" or "twenty". Both are correct and easy to understand. In rapid speech, the second T can be pronounced as a short glottal stop.
fourthfloorgreg
[twʌɾ̃i] or [twʌn̆i]
Weskit
Twinny
pixel_pete
I would say "twenny" unless I wanted to be very clear in my pronunciation.
DazzlingClassic185
Strictly speaking, the second T should be a proper T, but you could use any of those pronunciations you mentioned without notice. If you’re unsure though, stick to twenty. Wherei grew up twenneh isn’t unheard of, or even a subtle glottal stop instead, especially for 23 for example (twen’ythree)
BraddockAliasThorne
if i concentrate on my pronunciation, i say “twenty.” otherwise, “twenny.”
Ornery-Lingonberry16
Is like with the word "interview" is your choice pronounce the "t" or not.
CaptainMalForever
I think I pronounce it Twenty if it is alone and twendy if followed by another number (like 21).
VampyVs
As others have said it varies widely. Personally it's more like "twuh-ney" for me unless I am trying to stress the number for some reason.
Usual_Ice636
Twunny when speaking fast, twen tee when enunciating or speaking slowly in my area.
CoolAnthony48YT
When speaking informally, Americans often drop the t from words while Brits often replace it with a glottal stop.
MossyPiano
I pronounce it "twenty". The "twenny" pronunciation is American, so which one is correct depends on where you are.
_Okie_-_Dokie_
Don't even get me started on '50 Cent'.
Peebles8
Twun-tee (American midwest)
alistofthingsIhate
If you’re learning British English, it’s ‘twenty’. If you’re learning with an American accent, it’s usually ‘twenny’ but some still say ‘twenty’
velvetcrybabyx
twenny then for 21,22 is like twunny-one, twunny-two, etc…
MindlessAlfalfa323
I’m American and I pronounce it as “twenny”. In a lot of American dialects, a T after an N is silent.
ACustardTart
It varies widely and no single one of the accepted variants is considered more 'correct', as they're all 'correct' in their respective regions. If one had to be chosen, enunciating the word fully would be the most 'correct', which would be 'twenty' as its spelt, with the t. That being said, I find that slurring it to remove the t is more common, at least here in Australia (twenny).
Guilty_Fishing8229
Twenny or twenty (with a very light second t) sounds most correct to me.
GavinThe_Person
I pronounce it twuh nee
CreepyClothDoll
This is very regional! As far as I'm aware, in most English, Irish, and Scottish accents, the "t" is pronounced to some degree. In most American accents, the "t" is not pronounced. I think it's also not pronounced in Australian & NZ accents. In MY American accent (north midwest), we say it like "twenny." I've heard some southerners say it more like "twunny."
Skultuka
https://forvo.com/word/twenty/#en This might be helpful
real_gocho_1999
There is an academic article called "World English" (I don't remember who was written by right now. Sorry, my bad) where you can find an answer to your question if read it
mskramerrocksmyworld
I'm native Brit with a so-called 'posh' accent and would usually say "twenty". However, when I say it fast, it sounds like something between "twenty" and "twenny" (but definitely not "twendy"). But there's no right or wrong, just regional variations...
Fizzabl
I mean as someone who used to be told I spoke "the queen's english", I say 'tuh-wen-tee'. I've heard some people just say 'tweh-ee', not even an n lol So as long as people know what number you meant, you did it correctly
SanctificeturNomen
Im from the us and personally say t-one-ee but i also hear people say t-when-ee
Onion_Meister
When I think about it it sounds like twunny. (NJ USA)
GeneralOpen9649
I’m from Toronto and i pronounce it “twenny”. But keep in mind that we actually pronounce “Toronto” with fewer than 1 T, occasionally.
EntropyTheEternal
That is more of a regional accent issue than a language issue.
JaneGoodallVS
Chwu-nee, chwu-nee
prustage
That guy may pronounce it as "twenny" but that doesn't mean that everyone does or that you should. There is lots of variation in the the way in which English is pronounced - I have an Aunty who always says "bokkle" and likkle" instead of bottle and little. As you learn, it is best to find a reasonably universal standard pronunciation and stick to that. Later you may choose to vary it, particularly if you go and live in a particular region. What doesn't work is mixing together different pronunciation styles from different regions and groups. Find a standard and stick to it. For the record, I always say twenTy.
SuperPie27
There’s three main ways to pronounce it. Twentee - with the t pronounced and aerated. This is what I would call the Queen’s English and is prominent in the south and the rest of the anglosphere. Twen’ee - with a glottal stop in place of the t. This is common in the north and other places with predominantly non-rhotic accents. Twenny - where the t is omitted completely. This is mostly used only in the US and Canada. Which you should use depends on where you are and why you’re learning English.
Sneaky-McSausage
It varies. For some reasons I’ve been changing the way I pronounce certain words, sounding out more letters. Twenty is one of them. Another is Tuesday which I’ve begun to pronounce “t-you-s-day” instead of the more common “too-s-day”
emblemfire
I say it like it rhymes with honey. But when counting I will pronounce 20 with a very soft d/t sound and then 21, 22 like honey again. Northeast US.
PckMan
Instead of asking on reddit for people to try to write out how they pronounce it, just google the word and the top result will be a dictionary definition with a little speaker. If you click on the speaker, it will play you an audio byte of how the word is pronounced. If you're not getting that as the top result, just google any word followed by dictionary.
Melodic_Coolhara_60
It is a stop T sound, which when you move a tounge to produce sound but don't actually do this, and that coming out as more quick and steep sound. Watch video about that on "English for everyone with Kevin and Lisa". It is the one of the latest on theirs' YouTube channel.
LancelotofLkMonona
Either way. Pronouncing the "t" sounds a little prissy to Americans, but is common in Standard Southern British.
sarahlizzy
Americans tend to pronounce their Ts as Ds. British people don’t do this so much, but can sometimes replace them with glottal stops.
Apprehensive_Owl6086
I say ‘twe-nee’.
Ok-Baseball1029
"Twenty" with a hard "tee" sound at the end is the technically correct pronunciation, but the other examples you gave are just regional accents typically found in American English where the "t" sound in the middle of a word is softened to a "d" sound ("butter" > "budder") or even dropped entirely like in your example "twenny". It's kind of a more relaxed/lazy way of talking.
microwarvay
Speaking quickly I think I say "twenny" too, or I will pronounce the T as a glottal stop which I do with lots of Ts anyway. For reference, I'm English. Keep pronouncing it as you were though. If you pronounce it 'properly' you're not going to sound foreign - there are some people who would pronounce it as you'd expect. Aka as it's written
HustleKong
Upper Midwest USA and I don’t pronounce it 100% consistently. Usually the second T is pronounced, but a good chunk of the time I say “twenny”
Evil_Weevill
"twenny" is how I pronounce it. Whether your pronounce the t at the end or not is more a matter of dialect and region than correctness. In my experience British English speakers are more likely to pronounce that "t" at the end than American English speakers, but I've heard both in each dialect. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just pick one and go with it.
zebostoneleigh
Usually twenny But sometimes twenty... I think usually done for emphasis. not sure.
DraycosGoldaryn
You know, i never consciously thought about it, but I apparently pronounce it multiple ways. For example, just now, I said the year out loud and pronounced it *Twenny Twenty-Five*. Go figure. And my eyesight is *Twe'y Twe'y*.
CommercialMind1359
If I where to break it down it would be Two-when-tea
PGNatsu
Some people pronounce the second "t" in "twenty" (and in similar words like "soften", and "often"), some don't. Others like me say either depending on how fast you're talking (if you're talking fast you're more likely to just say "twenny", if you're slowing down you may feel like emphasizing the "t"). It may also be a dialect thing. I've also heard that pronouncing the "t" is becoming a bit more common nowadays.
Boardgamedragon
All three of the ways you listed are correct. English is weird like that. I would they the most correct is saying it literally as “twenty”, however to sound more native I would use “twenny” as I don’t hear twenty/twendy used nearly as often as it.
JetpackKiwi
Twen-ty. I always emphasise both "t"s.
Yoshiiuw
personally twenny
ThaiFoodThaiFood
Twen'y with a glottal stop.
Thin-Memory8561
I say either twenty or twenny or something in between depending on how quickly I’m talking, what words I’m emphasizing, or how formal the setting is.
naarwhal
You should google “how to pronounce 20”. You can find pronunciations for all words in English.
Hominid77777
I definitely say /twʌni/ (twunny) although pronouncing "twenty" the way it's spelled is also common, especially in careful speech.
Sea-Crow-4468
I say it like "twunny", it rhymes with bunny if you say it that way.
voyaging
Twenty Twunty Twenny Twunny Are all fine.
hrfr5858
I'm Scottish. I say twenty, twenny, and occasionally twe'y, depending on who I'm speaking to.
Apprehensive-Ear2134
England - West Yorkshire My pronunciation varies. If I’m speaking to a customer at work, I’ll say twenty. Otherwise, I’ll say twen’y (with a glottal stop), twenny, or less often I’ll say twe’y (with a glottal stop)
athaznorath
it really just depends on if i'm stressing the word or not, or talking slowly or quickly.
Fuffuloo
Idaho American English speaker here, I almost always say "twenny" unless I'm consciously over-pronouncing for some reason. And to most speakers of general American English, pronouncing the t unironically will sound very strange. I have noticed a correlation between certain GenAm speakers with ASD and the overpronunciation of that kind of t, but I don't think there is any data supporting a causation there.
joe_belucky
a score
sugarloaf85
I'm Australian and I probably say "twenny" unless I'm being emphatic. Australians (some others, certainly some Americans) tend to soften or elide consonants in the middle of words like this. So "twenny" or "twendy" rather than "twenty". "Buddah" rather than "butter".
coverartrock
From South ga here. "Twennee" but there's a weird emphasis I put on the first n
Unique_Obligation758
In American English, we often employ a phonological rule known as Consonant Cluster Reduction. When there are multiple consonant sounds consecutively, we often drop one to make the word easier to say which is why you hear “Twenny.” But the correct pronunciation while enunciating is “twenty,” however this would probably be reserved for more formal situations and orations.
the_trans_ariadne
Usually "chwenny" or "chwunny", but I usually keep the middle "t" in compound words. "Chwenty"-four, for example. Also worth noting that the initial "t" changing to "ch" is common in some dialects. You'll also hear "d" changing to "dj" in the same way.
JustForBrowsing
from middle east-coast, i say twunny like honey
jarrett_regina
Many English speakers are lazy when they pronounce words. "Twenty" is harder to say than "twenny". In Canada, the words "metal" and "medal" sound the same. Canadians like to turn "t" into "d'. Another one, I think, is generational. "Film" becomes "filum". You won't go wrong saying it correctly.
Roadshell
"T-one-tee"
langstuff
I say “twunny” lol
Fabulous-pumpkingirl
Twent tee
MediumLiterature8922
The thing is, there's A LOT of accents that you can pronounce words in English. There is no correct way. If you plan to move to another country, try to learn the accent that they use over there. For example, in the US, twenty is usually pronounced "twenny".
model4001s
I'm from New Jersey, everyone I know says "twunny."
Avasia1717
i say twunny. US west coast.
arcxjo
Officially "TWEN-tee" but the second T is often softened in pronunciation so any of the options mentioned would be fine.
nobodylikesme00
Twunny, most of the time.
nasulikid
"Twenty" if I'm trying to speak clearly. "Twenny" normally. I've never heard anyone say "twendy." Midwest US.
BubbhaJebus
I've heard people say twenty, twunty, twenny, twunny, toynee, and others. I say twunny when speaking fast.
Sunspot334
Tuh one tee
jar_jar_LYNX
I'm Scottish and I say Twin-[glottal stop]-ee
Too_Ton
Tw-en-tee If you pronounce it like “Twenny” then you’re either a teenager or black. People might bash me for saying black so just go with teenager.
FrostWyrm98
If I'm enunciating I say "Twen-tee", in normal conversation I say "Twuh-nee"
PrawnAndSpawn
This reminds me of how Taylor Swift pronounces 22 in her song. I find it odd lol
SynCTM
Wait til you hear twuny. That’s how I pronounce it lol
Krapmeister
If you want the correct answer it'll cost you tree fiddy..
foxy_chicken
Me reading the comments, and then unable to remember how I say twenty. Do I pronounce the second t? I think I do… but maybe I don’t… I say the word, and now it all sounds wrong 🫠
Crafty-Photograph-18
I've been living in the US for the past 3 years, and I've heard it being pronounced in so SO many different ways. From a British guy saying the most posh "twen-tee" you can imagine, to the typical midwestern "twenny", to even "twontee" with a clear "oh" sound
LowAspect542
Score
il_fienile
It rhymes with bunny.
PulsarMoonistaken
I say it Wrongly, [ˈt͜ʍʌˌni]
RadioRoosterTony
Midwest US here. In casual conversation, "twunny." If I'm trying to speak really clearly, I would say "twenty."
TheUnspeakableh
T-won(past tense on win, not the currency)-tea
UghLiterallyWhy
https://www.reddit.com/r/EnglishLearning/s/NOTN0Trc9S
Familiar_Worth_5734
To-when-T is prolly the easiest to say but chu-when-T is said in natural/colloquial english (i think)
The_DM25
The “proper” way to say it would be to pronounce the t but different accents pronounce it differently. It is often pronounced “twenny” in American English.
BYNX0
I say T-won-tee. But a lot of people say it differently, and no one cares. Say it however it's most comfortable for you.