Voiced or voiceless pronunciation of the word "with" and its derivative forms

In My Humble Opinion
1

One question, in three parts:

(1) How do you, personally, pronounce the word with? Does it end with a voiceless th, thus rhyming with myth? Or does it end with a voiced th, thus sounding like the first syllable of wither (or like the end of the word bathe)?

(2) How do you pronounce it in derivative forms that begin with a vowel sound, specifically, how do you pronounce it in within and without?

(3) Lastly, how do you pronounce it in derivative forms that begin with other consonants? In particular, if you pronounce with with a voiced th, how do you pronounce it in withstand or withdraw? Does the th become voiceless for you in such situations?

2

I always use the voiceless th unless the next sound is a vowel, in which case I think I usually use the voiced th (e.g., I’m pretty sure I always pronounce “without” using a voiced th)… but not necessarily always… like, when I say “with a grain of salt” quickly, it seems to come out sort of semi-voiced.

3

Unvoiced in all those cases. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody pronounce “with” (or “without,” “withstand,” etc.) with a voiced “th.” I’d probably consider anyone a bit strange who did. :stuck_out_tongue:

4

I’m certain that I and everyone I know voices the “th”. It would sound weird to me if they didn’t voice it. And it’s almost always soft. I think with some people it approsaches “hard” “th”, as in “bathe” in “without”, but never really gets there.

5

I would always use the sound at the end of myth, unless I slip and use the f sound.

6

wif
widin
widout

7

I voice the th, pretty much always.

8

Bump.

Come on, people say the word “sherbet” like, what, two or three times a year? This is a word you use every day!

9

All right, all right. Keep your pants on.

  1. With rhymes with myth.

  2. Within sounds like wither.

  3. Withdraw rhymes with mythdraw.

10

I take that back. Within doesn’t sound like wither. It sounds like the word “thin” with a “wi-” tacked on in front of it. Same principle for without.

11

Usually “wit” or just “w-”. When I’m e-nun-cee-a-ting, then voiceless “th”, like “myth”.

12

With sounds like myth, unvoiced.

Within or without has a voiced th; I don’t think I realized I did it that way until just now.

Withstand is unvoiced.

Some of my coworkers pronounce it as wit, which makes me want to smash their heads together.

13

Unvoiced, in all cases.

14
  1. Voiced
  2. Voiced
  3. Unvoiced
15

Always unvoiced.

16

Always voiced, except for “forthwith”. “Herewith” is voiced, so I’m not sure what the pattern is there. Maybe having an unvoiced “th” and a voiced one in the same word would sound awkward, and “forth” has to be unvoiced.

I’m English, FWIW. I know that many Scottish people pronounce pronounce the “th” unvoiced.

17

I pronounce them as Ximenean does.

18

(1) With, in my mouth, is almost always unvoiced. If I’m tired, it might get a little voiced.

(2) Within is mostly voiced. For without, I could go either way. I remember the Pink Floyd song Us and Them, where a couplet goes, “With (unvoiced), without (voiced)/ And after all it’s what the fighting’s all about.” Wherewithal is unvoiced.

(3) Withstand, withdraw, and forthwith are all unvoiced.

(4) In asthma, it’s silent. AZ-ma.

(5) In “thither and yon,” it’s voiced both times.

19

  1. Voiceless, if said alone or before a consonant sound. Nearly always voiced when before a vowel in conversational speech - if I slowed down to read aloud or something it might still be voiceless.

  2. Within and without = voiced.

  3. Yep, withdraw and withstand = unvoiced. Huh.

20

  1. Usually sans “th” altogether: wi’. Otherwise, voiceless.

  2. Voiceless.

  3. Voiceless.

Hmm.