IELTS Pronunciation Practice: Numbers: -teen versus -ty

Technique

How to say it

1
Stress the final syllable firmly and hold a long vowel sound for '-teen' numbers, such as in /fɪfˈtiːn/ and /θɜːˈtiːn/.
2
Stress the first syllable heavily and keep the ending short and unaccented for '-ty' numbers, such as in /ˈfɪf.ti/ and /ˈθɜː.ti/.
3
Finish all '-teen' numbers with a distinct nasal /n/ consonant to keep them clearly distinct from the vowel ending of '-ty'.
4
Be aware that '-teen' numbers can shift stress to the first syllable before a noun, but the long vowel and final /n/ remain.

7 pairs

Minimal pairs

Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.

thirteen (/θɜːˈtiːn/)/thirty (/ˈθɜː.ti/)
fourteen (/fɔːˈtiːn/)/forty (/ˈfɔː.ti/)
fifteen (/fɪfˈtiːn/)/fifty (/ˈfɪf.ti/)
sixteen (/sɪksˈtiːn/)/sixty (/ˈsɪks.ti/)
seventeen (/ˌsev.ənˈtiːn/)/seventy (/ˈsev.ən.ti/)
eighteen (/eɪˈtiːn/)/eighty (/ˈeɪ.ti/)
nineteen (/ˌnaɪnˈtiːn/)/ninety (/ˈnaɪn.ti/)

12 sentences

Practice lines from IELTS-style answers

1
My daily commute takes about fifteen minutes, but delays occasionally stretch it to fifty.
contrast: fifTEEN vs FIFty
2
I lived in a flat with sixteen neighbours, though seventy families shared the whole block.
final /n/ in sixTEEN vs light ending in SEVenty
3
To be honest, fourteen pounds feels reasonable, whereas forty is far too steep for lunch.
stress: fourTEEN vs FORty
4
The museum tour lasted nineteen minutes because nearly ninety visitors crowded inside.
rhythm: nineTEEN vs NINEty
5
I started learning the guitar when I was thirteen, around thirty years ago now.
stress shift: thirTEEN vs THIRty
6
Our university department has seventeen tutors supervising around seventy postgraduate students.
sevenTEEN vs SEVenty
7
The flight was delayed by eighteen hours, so eighty passengers had to wait overnight.
eighTEEN vs EIGHty
8
About fifteen volunteers cleaned up the park, collecting nearly fifty bags of rubbish.
fifTEEN vs FIFty
9
I would say fourteen people turned up to the seminar, instead of the expected forty.
fourTEEN vs FORty
10
A basic gym pass costs nineteen pounds a month, but peak access is ninety.
nineTEEN vs NINEty
11
He left his hometown at sixteen and spent the next sixty years in Manchester.
sixTEEN vs SIXty
12
We walked thirteen miles along the coast, which took roughly thirty thousand steps.
thirTEEN vs THIRty

Say it in a real answer

Record an IELTS Speaking answer and get a Pronunciation band from the AI examiner, with the exact words that were hard to understand.

Watch out

Common mistakes

→Stressing the first syllable of '-teen' numbers at the end of a clause, making words like 'fourteen' sound identical to 'forty'.
→Omitting the final nasal /n/ on '-teen' endings, leaving the examiner unsure which number was spoken.
→Over-pronouncing the unstressed final syllable of '-ty' as a long /tiː/, blurring the acoustic contrast between pairs.

In the exam: When mentioning ages, years, or durations in Part 1 and Part 2, deliberately lengthen the '-teen' suffix to ensure your facts are instantly understood.

Frequently asked questions

How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+

A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.

Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+

No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.

How should I practise these lines?+

Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.

Keep practising

More word stress practice

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