How do you pronouce "sixth?"

nick   Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:31 am GMT
My friend told me I can pronounce is as "sikst", is there any other to say it?
Quintus   Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:03 am GMT
Nick,

Is your friend Irish perchance ?

Just say "six" and quickly add on a short -th- sound as in "thin".

Don't struggle with it, all right ?

"six-th"
Scarlet   Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:05 am GMT
The way your friend pronounces it, people will understand what you're trying to say, but it doesn't sound natural.

We pronounce the last sound ('th') the same as in the words "Thursday" or "think".

So, "sixth" would be si....x (as in 'Texas') ...th (as in 'thankyou').
nick   Thu Feb 18, 2010 2:21 pm GMT
My friend was born in Pennsylvania, probably it's kind of his local dialect. But if you try to pronounce "s" in "x" and ending with "th", it sounds so weird. Can anyone upload a comparison for "six" and "sixth"?
feati   Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:48 pm GMT
Looks like all of those pronunciations (sixth, sixt, six) are common in Northern America:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sixth
nick   Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:19 am GMT
so what is the common way in new york city?
Another Guest   Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:59 am GMT
I pronounce it "sikth".

"Just say "six" and quickly add on a short -th- sound as in "thin"."
So you pronounce it "siksth"? That's quite a consonant cluster. Do you pronounce "sixths" as "siksths"?
Quintus   Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:59 am GMT
>>Do you pronounce "sixths" as "siksths"?>>

The rare time I've had occasion to utter that plural, yes certainly. And for the foreign student learning proper English, there is no other way to pronounce it.

When the gods made Time, they made plenty of it ~ for lovely consonant-articulation as well as sustained reading of the classics.
Uriel   Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:13 am GMT
"Sixth" is actually easy to say, but "sixths" does get kind of hard. I end up having to exaggerate each sound separately -- siks-th-sss, and it does sound a little like a snake having a fit.
Quintus   Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:34 am GMT
Indeed. And then imagine a snake with a lisp : "sik-th-th-th" !
JM   Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:05 pm GMT
Practise by repeating the sixth depth really fast.
Steak 'n' Chips   Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:12 pm GMT
I'm pretty sure I hear a lot of people say "sikth" when they're not emphasising the word.
nick   Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:03 am GMT
man, this is so hard. So "sixth" should be "sik-s-th". If it's "sixth time", that'll be harder.
Quintus   Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:11 am GMT
There is no "hard", Nick.

Say "six the time" - then drop the "eh" sound from "the".

Now, for the plural, say "six this" - then drop the "ih" sound from "this".

And take your time !- You won't be needing this particular talent every day (not even if you're teaching sums and fractions in a classroom).
Billy   Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:32 pm GMT
Say it like six and add a th on the end. siks+th - the "th" is the sound used in the word "thin", not "the" or "this".

I know it's a tongue twister for non natives, but just practice it.