My AccéntMy Accént
← Spanish Pronunciation Guide
t̪ d̪

Spanish Dental t and d

Tongue touches TEETH, not the ridge — different from English t/d

ConsonantIPA: /t̪ d̪/

Practice Words

todotengodondetiempodíadatotampocodormirtenerdinero

Accent-Specific Pronunciation Guide

How you approach this sound depends on your English accent. Find yours below for personalised coaching.

American English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

English t and d are alveolar — tongue touches the ridge BEHIND your upper teeth. Spanish t and d are dental — tongue touches the TEETH themselves. Move your tongue tip forward about 5mm to touch the back of your upper front teeth. The difference is subtle but native speakers hear it. It gives Spanish its characteristic crisp, bright quality.

Bridge from: top, dog (t d (alveolar))

Common mistakes:

  • •Tongue too far back (on the ridge instead of teeth)
  • •Aspirating t (English adds a puff of air — Spanish doesn't)
  • •Not noticing the difference initially

Drill sequence:

  1. top → move tongue to teeth → todo
  2. dog → teeth → donde
  3. No aspiration: pin vs spin → Spanish t is like the unaspirated t in 'spin'

British English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Move tongue forward to the teeth. RP t/d are alveolar — Spanish needs dental. Also drop aspiration.

Bridge from: top, dog (t d)

Common mistakes:

  • •Alveolar placement
  • •Aspiration

Drill sequence:

  1. top → teeth → todo

Australian / NZ English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Move tongue to teeth for t and d. Also: no aspiration on t. Spanish t is crisp and unaspirated.

Bridge from: top, dog (t d)

Common mistakes:

  • •Alveolar placement
  • •Aspirated t

Drill sequence:

  1. top → teeth → todo

Irish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 1/5

Some Irish English dialects already use dental t and d — if yours does, this may be a direct transfer. If not, move tongue to the teeth. Either way, the adjustment is small for Irish speakers.

Bridge from: top, dog (t̪ d̪ (some dialects))

Common mistakes:

  • •Minimal if already dental

Drill sequence:

  1. If already dental → todo (same)
  2. If not → move tongue forward → todo

Scottish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Move tongue forward to touch the teeth. Also: no aspiration on Spanish t.

Bridge from: top, dog (t d)

Common mistakes:

  • •Alveolar placement
  • •Aspiration

Drill sequence:

  1. top → teeth → todo

Indian English

Direct TransferDifficulty: 1/5

Direct transfer — and one of your biggest advantages. Hindi त and द are dental stops — tongue touches the teeth, exactly where Spanish t and d live. While other English speakers must learn to move their tongue forward, your natural t and d are already in the right place. Just use your Hindi dental stops for Spanish. Also, your unaspirated Hindi त matches Spanish t perfectly (English aspirates its t, Spanish doesn't).

Bridge from: Hindi त (ta), द (da) (t̪ d̪ (Hindi त द))

Common mistakes:

  • •None — this is a perfect match
  • •Don't use Hindi retroflex ट ड — use the dental त द
  • •The unaspirated quality of Hindi त is exactly what Spanish wants

Drill sequence:

  1. Hindi त = Spanish t → todo, tengo, tiempo
  2. Hindi द = Spanish d → donde, día, dato

South African English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Move tongue to the teeth. Drop aspiration on t. Same adjustment as other non-dental English accents.

Bridge from: top, dog (t d)

Common mistakes:

  • •Alveolar placement
  • •Aspiration

Drill sequence:

  1. top → teeth → todo

Nigerian / W. African English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Move your tongue forward to touch the back of your upper front teeth for both t and d. Nigerian English t/d are typically alveolar — the Spanish sounds are further forward. The difference is subtle but matters. Also: no puff of air on t (unaspirated).

Bridge from: top, dog (t d)

Common mistakes:

  • •Alveolar placement
  • •Some aspiration on t

Drill sequence:

  1. top → move to teeth → todo
  2. dog → teeth → donde

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce the Spanish Dental t and d?▾
The Spanish Dental t and d is written as t̪ d̪ in IPA. Tongue touches TEETH, not the ridge — different from English t/d. The technique varies by your English accent — scroll down for personalised coaching for American, British, Australian, Irish, Scottish, Indian, South African, and Nigerian speakers.
Is the Spanish Dental t and d hard for English speakers?▾
It depends on your accent. For some English accents, this is a direct transfer (you already make this sound). For others, it's genuinely new. Check the accent-specific section below to see your difficulty rating.
What words use the Spanish Dental t and d sound?▾
Common practice words include: todo, tengo, donde, tiempo, día, dato. These are good starting points for drilling this sound.

More Spanish Sounds

rTrilled rr

Alveolar trill — perro, carro, rojo, correr, tierra

ɾTapped r (single)

Alveolar tap — pero, para, caro, cero, cara

xSpanish j/g (jota)

Voiceless velar fricative — joven, gente, rojo, mejor, trabajar

ɲSpanish ñ

Palatal nasal — niño, año, España, mañana, señor

a e i o u5 pure vowels

Spanish has only 5 vowels — all pure, no diphthong glides

b / βb/v merger

b and v are THE SAME SOUND — stop [b] after pause/nasal, fricative [β] elsewhere

View all Spanish sounds →

Ready to Use Your Accent as a Shortcut?

My Accént detects your English accent and maps your existing sounds to Spanish. Start learning in seconds — no subscription required.

Start Learning FreeTake the Accent Quiz