the-

combining form

variants or theo-

: god : God

theism

theocentric

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce the?

There are two main ways to pronounce this little word, based largely on what word follows it. If the is followed by a word which begins with a consonant sound (such as water), then it's pronounced \t͟hə\—that is, with the same vowel sound as the word of. However, if the word following it begins with a vowel sound (such as orange), the is usually pronounced \t͟hē\ (to rhyme with me) (but is also sometimes pronounced \t͟hə\, as above).

Is the the most common word in English?

Probably. Vocabulary varies from person to person, and there are likewise differences between the words used in spoken and written language, but the tends to top the list of most commonly used words found in collections of written text.

Can the be trademarked?

It can be attempted, as The Ohio State University tried to do in 2019; the school was unsuccessful in this attempt. The Ohio State was not the first entity to seek a trademark for the word the; clothing designer Marc Jacobs has also asked the patent office for a trademark on this word.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English theo-, from Latin, from Greek the-, theo-, from theos

Kids Definition

the

1 of 2 definite article

t͟hə 

(especially before consonant sounds and sometimes vowel sounds in Southern speech), t͟hē

(before vowel sounds); 1e is often ˈt͟hē

1

a

—used to indicate that a following noun or term functioning as a noun has been already made known by context or by circumstance

put the cat out

b

—used to indicate that a following noun or term functioning as a noun is a unique or a particular member of its class

the President

the sun

c

—used before nouns that designate natural phenomena or points of the compass

the night is cold

wind came from the east

d

—used before a noun denoting time to indicate reference to what is present or immediate or is under consideration

in the future

e

—used before names of some parts of the body or of the clothing as an equivalent of a possessive adjective

how's the arm today

grabbed me by the collar

f

—used before the name of a branch of human activity

the law

g

—used in prepositional phrases to indicate that the noun in the phrase serves as a basis for calculation

sold by the dozen

h

—used before a proper name (as of a ship or a well-known building)

the Mayflower

i

—used before a proper name to indicate the distinctive characteristics of a person or thing

the John Doe that we know wouldn't lie

j

—used before the plural form of a surname to indicate all the members of a family

the Johnsons

k

—used before the plural form of a numeral that is a multiple of ten to denote a particular decade of a century or of a person's life

life in the twenties

l

—used before the name of something used in daily life to indicate reference to the individual thing, part, or supply thought of as at hand

talked on the telephone

m

—used to designate one of a class as the best, most typical, best known, or most worth singling out

this is the life

was the player in today's game

2

a

—used with a modified noun to limit the application of the noun to that specified by the modifier

the right answer

Peter the Great

b

—used before an absolute adjective or an ordinal number

nothing but the best

payment is due on the first

c

—used before a noun to limit its application to that specified by a following element in the sentence

the poet Wordsworth

didn't have the time to write

d

—used after a person's name to indicate a characteristic trait or notorious activity specified by the following noun

Jack the Ripper

3

a

—used before a singular noun to indicate that the noun is to be understood as representative of a whole class

good advice for the beginner

b

—used before an adjective functioning as a noun to indicate an abstract idea

an essay on the sublime

4

—used before a noun or an adjective functioning as a noun to indicate reference to a group as a whole

the rich

the homeless

the

2 of 2 adverb

1

: than before : than otherwise

none the wiser for attending

2

a

: to what extent

the sooner the better

b

: to that extent

the sooner the better