Hadar Shemesh breaks down how to pronounce "smarter" sound by sound: the S, M, low vowel, R with tongue sides touching teeth, and a T that can either be clear or flapped by pushing the tongue toward the upper palate.
How to pronounce the word smarter. You start with an S sound, then the M and then the R, as in car. Here you drop your jaw, relax your tongue round your lips just a bit to create that nice deep sound. Ah. Tongue is down. Ah. And only when you hear it sma. Then you bring the tongue up slightly for the R. The sides of the tongue touch the sides of the teeth gently. Smart. And the moment you hear the R, you push the tongue up towards the upper palate for a flap T. So it's kind of like the tongue is giving a high five to the upper palate. Smart. That's the sound. Now you can pronounce it with a T. It's all good. Smarter. Totally fine if you want to bring it closer to the flap T. Smart. And then bring it back in for the R. Smarter. Dir. Smarter. Smarter.
Read Out Loud with me! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown | Pronunciation & Vocabulary practice
