How to pronounce "theres" in English
THE·res
Primary stress: the
Hear native speakers say theres in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “theres”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
THE
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
res
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("THE"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d".
How Native Speakers Say It: Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Vibrate your vocal cords while pushing air through to produce ⁄ð⁄.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "theres" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "theres is" sounds like "theres-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "theres" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“And she, We were talking and she said theres only one stipulation and i said what then.”— StanfordWatch clip
“And if perchance theres' no edge from, let's say, s1 to s2-- these are different vertices”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Theres also been a lot of other technology happening to find illegal wildlife.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“and so theres daytan fever in the city especially daytime mosquitos”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“Theres been a lot of talk about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act often referred to as "ObamaCare"; usually by those that are not a big fan of it.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“Theres a temp-- normally, with the cold water off the coast from the California Current, the atmosphere over here is just too stable, too many inversions to get”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
Practice Speaking “theres”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
And she, We were talking and she said theres only one stipulation and i said what then.
Hear it in context: “theres”
47 clipsThe English word “theres”. Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (the · res), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (the). Grammatically, “theres” functions as a adverb, interjection, noun, pronoun. SayItVid indexes 47 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “theres” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Stanford, MIT OpenCourseWare, TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #1 · @45:15
“And so I said, okay. And she, We were talking and she said theres only one stipulation and i said what then. she, We were talking and she said theres only”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @5:33
“each edge is going to have a non-negative capacity, C. Right? And if perchance theres' no edge from, let's say, s1 to s2-- these are different vertices And if perchance theres' no edge from, let's say,”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #3 · @7:12
“to find out where are these illegal species being hidden in this legal trade. Theres also been a lot of other technology happening to find illegal wildlife. There's a there's detection dogs.”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #4 · @1:09
“Malaria in Haiti and so thats mosquitos and so theres daytan fever in the city especially daytime mosquitos especially daytime mosquitos”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #5 · @0:00
“Theres been a lot of talk about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act often referred to as "ObamaCare"; usually by those that are not a big fan of it. often referred to as "ObamaCare"; usually by those that are not a big fan of it.”
Definition & Meaning: “theres”
- In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is perceived to be away from, or at a relative distance from, the speaker (compare here).
- Used to offer encouragement or sympathy; see also there, there and there now.
- Used to express victory or completion.
- That place (previously mentioned or otherwise implied).
- That situation; that position.
- Used as an expletive subject of be in its sense of “exist”, with the semantic, usually indefinite subject being postponed or (occasionally) implied.
- Used with other intransitive verbs of existence, in the same sense, or with other intransitive verbs, adding a sense of existence.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I know Bristol quite well as I used to live there.”
- “He did not stop there, but continued his speech.”
- “And she, We were talking and she said theres only one stipulation and i said what then.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “theres”
- Syllables:
- the · res
- Primary stress:
- the
- Hear it in context
- theres
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"theres" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "theres" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about theres
How many syllables are in “theres”?
“theres” has 2 syllables: the · res.
Where is the stress in “theres”?
The primary stress in “theres” is on “THE”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “theres” mean?
In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is perceived to be away from, or at a relative distance from, the speaker (compare here).
How can I hear “theres” used in real sentences?
This page has 47 real-world video examples of “theres” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “theres”?
Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d". Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Vibrate your vocal cords while pushing air through to produce ⁄ð⁄.