/d/

Press the tip of your tongue firmly against the alveolar ridge - that's the bony bump right behind your upper front teeth. Briefly block the airflow completely. Then release your tongue quickly, letting air burst through in a small explosion.

The crucial part: your vocal cords must vibrate during this sound. Put your hand on your throat while saying "duh" - you should feel a gentle buzzing. That vibration is what makes /d/ a voiced sound.

These sounds are produced in exactly the same place with the same tongue movement. The only difference is voicing: /d/ has it, /t/ doesn't. Compare "dime" and "time," "code" and "coat," "bad" and "bat."

There's another key difference: when /t/ starts a stressed syllable, English speakers add a puff of air (aspiration). Try holding paper near your mouth - it moves for "time" but barely moves for "dime."

Here's a subtlety: in word-final position (like "bed," "said," "loud"), /d/ often loses some of its voicing. It might sound slightly like a /t/, but don't worry - the preceding vowel is still noticeably longer before /d/ than before /t/. That vowel length is what native speakers actually listen for to tell "bad" from "bat."

If you're struggling to voice /d/, try humming "mmm" before the sound: "mmm-dog." The humming activates your vocal cords, making it easier to carry that vibration into the /d/.