How to pronounce they

Say it like this: /ˈðeɪ̯/. Listen to real recordings below and compare how it sounds in different accents.

American/ˈðeɪ̯/
British

What does they mean?

pronA group of entities previously mentioned.

“Fred and Jane? They just arrived.”

One whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or both.

“I'm angry that we're here again, that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead.”

One who is nonbinary.

“There is no need to panic. Robin should be here soon and they will know what to do.”

detThe, those.

“They rooks as you see … only coom a few year agoo.”

Their.

“But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously / So I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me”

verbTo refer to (someone, sometimes especially someone who does not use gender-neutral pronouns) using they/them pronouns.

“I have a pin that says she/her, but I still get theyed all the time.”

nounA non-binary person.

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theorytherapytherethereforethinthingthinkthinking

Pronunciations and meanings from Wiktionary via kaikki.org, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Recordings by Wikimedia Commons contributors. This page is shared under the same license.