How do you pronounce the?

The pronunciation of "the" depends on the vowel sound that follows it:

Before a vowel sound: "thuh" (as in "the apple")

Before a consonant sound: "thee" (as in "the cat")

Examples:

* The apple: "thuh apple"

* The cat: "thee cat"

* The umbrella: "thuh umbrella"

* The book: "thee book"

Exceptions:

There are a few exceptions where "the" is pronounced differently:

* In some proper nouns: "the" is pronounced as "thee" even before a vowel sound, such as "The Hague" (thee hayg).

* In the phrase "the other": "the" is pronounced as "thee" (thee other)

In most cases, you can apply the rule of thumb: vowel sound = "thuh", consonant sound = "thee"