pronouncing 'clothes'

[ilkaz]

I have difficulty pronouncing the word clothes --I know it should be


But how can the two last sounds come after each other? one with the tip of my tongue out and the other without?

I have the same problem with 'months'.

[RonBee]

You pronounce the word "clothes" starting with the tongue at the back of the palate (kl) and moving to the front of the mouth (oze/ohs). At the same time the lips come together to make a little "o".

[ilkaz]

So, do you pronounce 'th' as in 'the' and after it 'z' as in 'zoo'? Or do you drop 'th' and keep 'z' only?

[BobK]

...
But how can the two last sounds come after each other? one with the tip of my tongue out and the other without?
As Ron said, the tongue slides

I have the same problem with 'months'.

So, do you pronounce 'th' as in 'the' and after it 'z' as in 'zoo'? Or do you drop 'th' and keep 'z' only?

No you don't drop it. You slide from one to the other (and the same goes for "months", except that voicing is switched off).

b

[RonBee]

So, do you pronounce 'th' as in 'the' and after it 'z' as in 'zoo'? Or do you drop 'th' and keep 'z' only?

There is no "th" sound in "clothes". (Note that "clothes" and "close(v.)" sound the same.)

As for "months", it is pronounced the same as "month" but with an es at the end. (The tongue winds up between the teeth.)

[BobK]

There is no "th" sound in "clothes". (Note that "clothes" and "close(v.)" sound the same.) ...

Maybe so, in your part of the world.

b

[Raymott]

There is no "th" sound in "clothes". (Note that "clothes" and "close(v.)" sound the same.)

As for "months", it is pronounced the same as "month" but with an es at the end. (The tongue winds up between the teeth.)

The "th" in clothes is pronounced in AusE. It may not be as pronounced as the "th" in "this", but it's there.
In any case, the OP has to cope with bathes, loathes, writhes (not often perhaps), etc. Are these also pronounced without the "th" in AmE?

[RonBee]

The "th" in clothes is pronounced in AusE. It may not be as pronounced as the "th" in "this", but it's there.
In any case, the OP has to cope with bathes, loathes, writhes (not often perhaps), etc. Are these also pronounced without the "th" in AmE?

All of them (bathes, loathes, writhes, etc.) are pronounced with the "th" sound in AmE.

[Raymott]

All of them (bathes, loathes, writhes, etc.) are pronounced with the "th" sound in AmE.

Interesting, /loʊðz/ but not /kloʊðz/.
<shrug>

[LeMoyne]

Funny, I experience exactly the same difficulty as the opener. It is one of fairly few problems I have with the English pronunciation, which makes it even more annoying, because I just won't get it done. For me it makes no difference at all, if it is the voiced or unvoiced dental fricative, but at the end of a word I get severe problems as it comes to the plural form and I have to add an 's'. I can't pronounce that 's'.

Saying "month" is no problem. Neither saying "clothe".
Yet "months", or "clothes", that's another story. Either I manage a "mon-s" or a "mon-th". Well, doing it very slow and concentrated, I might eventually achieve a certain resemblance, though it doesn't sound clear, let alone natural. I doubt it very much, whether a native English speaking person would understand, if I'm speaking of a single 'month' or a couple of 'months'.

The crux here is simply the tongue's movement. It's tough. As I said, keeping extremely slow in speech leaves me some chance for correct realization, but why is it I cannot pronounce it at a natural speed?

As for "months", it is pronounced the same as "month" but with an es at the end. (The tongue winds up between the teeth.)

Hum?! You mean you speak it as "month-es"? Like in "bunches"? No, I don't think so, as I've never heard month-es!? I just stumbled upon your comment, since that way I'd find it much easier. With a schwa-sound in front of the final 's' I mean. However, up to now I always heard it otherwise, they say 'monTHs' -- and that dental fricative, evidently, nips my 's' in the bud. It won't come off.