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I pronounce there and their differently
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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I guess you're a native speaker. As a foreigner, I can only nod my head. We know.
They're/their/there are completely different words. They mean different things and they're pronounced ever so slightly different, and you'll get you hand chopped off by a centimeter ruler if you do it wrong.
"There" is clearly longer than "their".
"There" is one tone. "Their" is rising.
It differs by region and dialect. The English speaking world has wildly different pronunciations, even within relatively close proximity.
This is the best explanation
Honestly I thought the distinction was just American but you're right, I think English uses slight intonation for context on nouns/verbs/prefixes but in a way we don't always write down or care about.